Blacksburg is a small town in

Cherokee County, South Carolina Cherokee County is a county in the U.S. state of South Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 56,216. The county seat is Gaffney. The county was formed in 1897 from parts of York, Union, and Spartanburg counties. It was named ...

, United States. The population was 1,848 at the 2010 census. The communities of Antioch, Cherokee Falls, Kings Creek, Cashion Crossroads, Buffalo, and Mount Paran are located near the town. Blacksburg is in

Upstate South Carolina The Upstate, historically known as the Upcountry, is a region of the U.S. state of South Carolina, comprising the northwesternmost area of the state. Although loosely defined among locals, the general definition includes the 10 counties of the ...

on the

Interstate 85 Interstate 85 (I-85) is a major Interstate Highway in the Southeastern United States. Its southern terminus is at an interchange with I-65 in Montgomery, Alabama; its northern terminus is an interchange with I-95 in Petersburg, Virginia, ...

corridor about southwest of

Charlotte, North Carolina Charlotte ( ) is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the county seat of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 United ...

. It is part of the Greenville-Spartanburg-Anderson Combined Statistical Area (CSA) which has a population of 1,478,648 according to 2018 estimates by the

U.S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The U.S. Census Bureau is part of the U ...

History

Located near the northern border of the state, the present-day site of Blacksburg was first settled by a man named Stark. Mr. Stark, who had lived in

Charleston, South Carolina Charleston is the List of municipalities in South Carolina, most populous city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The city lies just south of the geographical midpoint of South Carolina's coastline on Charleston Harbor, an inlet of the Atla ...

prior to moving to the area, had gotten several people to come along with him on an agriculture venture, but this venture would fail. Those who stayed behind named the area "Stark's Folly". In the late 19th century the Black family, headed by John G. Black, a

Confederate A confederation (also known as a confederacy or league) is a political union of sovereign states united for purposes of common action. Usually created by a treaty, confederations of states tend to be established for dealing with critical issu ...

veteran, was living in the area and persuaded the C.C. & C. Railroad Company to lay track through the town and build a depot. The town soon became known as "Black's Station" in honor of John G. Black and was incorporated as Black's Station town in 1876. The legal town was renamed "Blacksburg" in 1888. Major John F. Jones of

Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...

came to live in Blacksburg when hired as superintendent of the C. C. & C. Railroad. He donated his own money to build a school, hotel (the Cherokee Inn), and several other buildings in Blacksburg. He lived in Blacksburg until 1922, when he was appointed the South Carolina Internal Revenue Collector by the President of the United States. In the 1890s large amounts of

iron ore Iron ores are rocks and minerals from which metallic iron can be economically extracted. The ores are usually rich in iron oxides and vary in color from dark grey, bright yellow, or deep purple to rusty red. The iron is usually found in the f ...

were found in the area, and many people hoping to make a fortune from mining it flocked to the town. Blacksburg became a boom town, and hotels and saloons were built for the new visitors. The town went by the name "Iron City" for a short time. Because of the "iron rush" the town became quite wealthy. It installed the first electric street lights in Upstate South Carolina and perhaps in the entire state. The town was renamed in 1888 as "Blacksburg" but still holds the nickname of "Iron City". The Kings Mountain State Park Historic District was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

in 2008.

Geography

Blacksburg is located in northeastern Cherokee County at (35.120676, -81.516291). It is south of the

North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...

border. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the town has a total area of , all land. Whitaker Mountain is partially in the northern corner of the town, with a summit elevation outside the town limits of approximately .

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 1,889 people, 785 households, and 329 families residing in the town.

2000 census

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2000, there were 1,880 people, 785 households, and 503 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 911 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 74.52%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 23.56%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.21% Native American, 0.11% Asian, 0.05%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, and 1.54% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 0.53% of the population. There were 785 households, out of which 31.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.3% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 19.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.8% were non-families. 32.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 3.04. In the town, the population was spread out, with 28.2% under the age of 18, 7.8% from 18 to 24, 27.9% from 25 to 44, 21.8% from 45 to 64, and 14.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 80.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 76.6 males. The median income for a household in the town was $26,453, and the median income for a family was $35,208. Males had a median income of $27,384 versus $21,207 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the town was $16,833. About 13.7% of families and 17.4% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 20.3% of those under age 18 and 29.4% of those age 65 or over.

Major transportation routes

runs northwest of the town, with access from Exits 100 and 102. There is a South Carolina Welcome Center at milemarker 103. *

US 29 U.S. Route 29 or U.S. Highway 29 (US 29) is a north–south United States Numbered Highway that runs for from Pensacola, Florida, to Ellicott City, Maryland, just west of Baltimore, Maryland, in the Eastern United States, connect ...

is a two-lane highway that runs through the downtown area and serves as the main street (Cherokee Street). It leads southwest to downtown Gaffney and northeast to

Grover, North Carolina Grover is a town in Cleveland County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 708 at the 2010 census. History Grover is classified as a small town where railway and highway routes Interstate 85 and U.S. Route 29 cross the state line ...

. *

South Carolina Highway 5 South Carolina Highway 5 (SC 5) is a primary state highway in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The highway, signed as north–south, travels in a northwest–southeast direction connecting the cities of Rock Hill, York and Blacksbu ...

is a four-lane road that passes east of the town center. SC 5 North ends at the south end of the bridge over I-85 at exit 102, north of the center of town. SC 5 South leads southeast to

York York is a cathedral city in North Yorkshire, England, with Roman Britain, Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers River Ouse, Yorkshire, Ouse and River Foss, Foss. It has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a Yor ...

and to Rock Hill. * South Carolina Highway 198 is a four-lane road that begins at the north end of the bridge over I-85 at exit 102 and leads north to

Shelby, North Carolina Shelby is a city in and the county seat of Cleveland County, North Carolina. It lies near the western edge of the Charlotte, North Carolina, Charlotte-Concord, North Carolina, Concord, North Carolina, NC-South Carolina, SC Charlotte metropolitan a ...

Education

Public education in Blacksburg is administered by Cherokee County School District. The district operates Blacksburg Primary School, Blacksburg Elementary School, Blacksburg Middle School, and Blacksburg High School. Blacksburg has a

public library A public library is a library, most often a lending library, that is accessible by the general public and is usually funded from public sources, such as taxes. It is operated by librarians and library paraprofessionals, who are also Civil servic ...

, a branch of the Cherokee County Library System.

Media

''The Cherokee Chronicle'', a newspaper serving Cherokee County, is published Tuesdays and Thursdays. ''The Gaffney Ledger'', a newspaper of the city of Gaffney located southwest of Blacksburg, is published Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.

Arts and culture

The Iron City Festival was held for the first time in 2006. The festival commemorates the founding of the town and is sponsored by the Blacksburg Business Association, Inc. Iron City Festival is held the third weekend in April. The anniversary of the

Battle of Kings Mountain The Battle of Kings Mountain was a military engagement between Patriot and Loyalist militias in South Carolina during the southern campaign of the American Revolutionary War, resulting in a decisive victory for the Patriots. The battle took pl ...

is held annually on October 7–8 at the Kings Mountain National Military Park and honors those who fell at the Battle of Kings Mountain during the Revolutionary War.

Kings Mountain National Military Park Kings Mountain National Military Park is a National Military Park near Blacksburg, South Carolina, along the North Carolina/South Carolina border. The park commemorates the Battle of Kings Mountain, a pivotal and significant victory by Ameri ...

and State Park, commemorating a battle of the Revolutionary War, are located about northeast of the town. The famous

Peachoid The Peachoid is a tall water tower in Gaffney, South Carolina, U.S., that resembles a peach. The water tower holds one million U.S. gallons (3.78541 million litres) of water and is located off Peachoid Road by Interstate 85 in South Carolina, I ...

, a water tank shaped like a peach, is located west of the town, in Gaffney.

Notable people

* Jason Gilfillan, professional baseball player, graduated from Blacksburg High School in 1994 *

James Rhyne Killian James Rhyne Killian Jr. (July 24, 1904 – January 29, 1988) was the 10th president of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, from 1948 until 1959. He also held a number of government roles, such as Chair of the President's Intelligence A ...

, 10th president of

MIT The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Established in 1861, MIT has played a significant role in the development of many areas of modern technology and sc ...

, from 1948 until 1959 *

Mikki Moore Clinton Renard "Mikki" Moore (pronounced "MY-key"; born November 4, 1975) is an American former professional basketball player. Early life and college Born in Orangeburg, South Carolina, Moore graduated from Blacksburg High School at Blacksburg ...

, professional basketball player, graduated from Blacksburg High School in 1993 *

Judy Rose Judith Wilkins Rose is the former director of athletics for the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte 49ers. Playing career Rose played women's basketball for the Winthrop Eagles from 1970 to 1974. Education Rose graduated from ...

, director of athletics at

UNC Charlotte The University of North Carolina at Charlotte (UNC Charlotte, or simply Charlotte) is a public research university in Charlotte, North Carolina, United States. UNC Charlotte offers 24 doctoral, 66 master's, and 79 bachelor's degree programs thr ...

References

External links

Town of Blacksburg official website
{{authority control Towns in Cherokee County, South Carolina Towns in South Carolina