Greer is a city in
Greenville and
Spartanburg
Spartanburg is a city in and the county seat of Spartanburg County, South Carolina, United States. The city had a population of 38,732 as of the 2020 census, making it the 11th-most populous city in the state. The Office of Management and Budg ...
counties in the
U.S. state
In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...
of
South Carolina
South Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders North Carolina to the north and northeast, the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, and Georgia (U.S. state), Georg ...
. As of the
2020 census, the population was 35,308, making it the
14th-most populous city in South Carolina.
Greer is included in the
Greenville-Anderson-Greer, SC Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is part of the
Greenville-Spartanburg-Anderson, SC Combined Statistical Area in Upstate South Carolina.
History
Greer was named for James Manning Greer, who was
Scottish
Scottish usually refers to something of, from, or related to Scotland, including:
*Scottish Gaelic, a Celtic Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family native to Scotland
*Scottish English
*Scottish national identity, the Scottish ide ...
. Many of his descendants still reside in the region. James Manning Greer was a descendant of John Greer Sr., who surveyed his land in
Laurens County in 1750. John and his family were already in Laurens County, prior to the Greer passengers who arrived aboard the ship ''The Falls'' in 1764. John, Sr.'s great grandson, James Manning Greer, settled his family near Greenville in an area that eventually became known as Greer's Station.

The area now known as Greer was once part of the "Domain of the
Cherokees
The Cherokee (; , or ) people are one of the Indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands of the United States. Prior to the 18th century, they were concentrated in their homelands, in towns along river valleys of what is now southwestern ...
" prior to the
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...
. In 1777, the area was added to the state of South Carolina. Development toward the birth of the town occurred in 1873, when the Richmond and Danville Air Line Railway (now the
Norfolk Southern Railway
The Norfolk Southern Railway is a Class I freight railroad operating in the Eastern United States. Headquartered in Atlanta, the company was formed in 1982 with the merger of the Norfolk and Western Railway and Southern Railway. The comp ...
) established a line between
Atlanta
Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...
and
Charlotte. A station was built on land that belonged to James Manning Greer, and was named Greer's Station. The first post office was located in the new depot, Greer's Depot.
That depot was a red brick, Victorian structure with a slate roof and a
cupola
In architecture, a cupola () is a relatively small, usually dome-like structure on top of a building often crowning a larger roof or dome. Cupolas often serve as a roof lantern to admit light and air or as a lookout.
The word derives, via Ital ...
. It was located immediately adjacent to the current Norfolk Southern rail line between Trade Street and Depot Street, facing toward Moore Street. It was demolished in 1976 by its then owner, the Southern Railway System, in order to avoid property taxes. When the town was incorporated in 1876, it was named Town of Greer's. One hundred years later, the name was officially changed to the City of Greer without an "s" on the end.
Merchants, blacksmiths and physicians set up shop in what is now the downtown area of Greer. In 1900, Greer's first bank, the Bank of Greer's, opened. The
Piedmont and Northern Railway laid a second railroad line through Greer in 1914. With two active train lines, Greer became an attractive site for commerce. The railway meant big business for local farmers, enabling them to ship their crops, mainly cotton and
peach
The peach (''Prunus persica'') is a deciduous tree first domesticated and Agriculture, cultivated in China. It bears edible juicy fruits with various characteristics, most called peaches and the glossy-skinned, non-fuzzy varieties called necta ...
es, out of state. Greer also became a textile-manufacturing center, with flourishing mills that included Victor, Franklin, Apalache and Greer Mills. The communities that grew up around the mills were as close-knit as the outlying farming communities.
In 1939, artist
Winfred Walkley painted a mural, ''Cotton and Peach Growing'', for the town's
old post office as one of thirteen works commissioned by the
U.S. Treasury Department's Section of Fine Arts between 1938 and 1941 for post offices and federal buildings throughout South Carolina. The building is now home to the Greer Heritage Museum.
After
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, the city began to grow and diversify its industrial base. A new hospital and high school were built. People came to downtown Greer from Spartanburg and Greenville to shop. In the early 1960s,
Interstate 85 was opened, as well as the
Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport. Imports derailed the textile industry in the 1970s and threatened to turn Greer into a ghost town, but the citizens of Greer worked together to attract new industry.
Geography
Greer is located northeast of Greenville and west of Spartanburg.
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 city has a total area of , of which is land and (8.29%) is water.
Greer has three lakes: Apalache Lake, Lake Robinson, and Lake Cunningham. The South
Tyger River runs through the northern part of Greer, part of the
Broad River watershed.
Climate
Demographics
2020 census
As of the
2020 census, there were 35,308 people, 11,531 households, and 7,507 families residing in the city.
As of 2023, of the 35,308 people, about 25,587 are in Greenville County and about 9,721 are in Spartanburg County.
2000 census
At the
2000 census,
there were 16,843 people, 6,714 households, and 4,511 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 7,386 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 73.39%
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 ...
, 19.49%
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 ...
, 1.16%
Asian, 0.22%
Native American, 0.06%
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 ...
, 4.42% from
other races, and 1.26% 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 8.18% of the population. 21.6% were of American, 9.5% Irish, 8.9%
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany, the country of the Germans and German things
**Germania (Roman era)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...
and 8.4% English ancestry according to
Census 2000. 90.6% spoke English and 8.5% Spanish as their first language. Since 2000, the city has seen an explosive increase in Hispanic immigration.
There were 6,714 households, out of which 31.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.1% were married couples living together, 15.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.8% were non-families. 27.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.47 and the average family size was 2.99.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 24.8% under the age of 18, 9.2% from 18 to 24, 33.4% from 25 to 44, 18.9% from 45 to 64, and 13.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 90.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.6 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $33,140, and the median income for a family was $41,864. Males had a median income of $33,147 versus $23,566 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,546. About 12.2% of families and 15.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.5% of those under age 18 and 15.1% of those age 65 or over.
Economy
Greer is adjacent to
Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport (GSP), which serves
Greenville,
Spartanburg
Spartanburg is a city in and the county seat of Spartanburg County, South Carolina, United States. The city had a population of 38,732 as of the 2020 census, making it the 11th-most populous city in the state. The Office of Management and Budg ...
, and Upstate South Carolina. Greer is also the site of the largest
BMW manufacturing facility in North America. According to a June 2005 article in ''
The Greenville News
''The Greenville News'' is a daily morning newspaper published in Greenville, South Carolina. After ''The State (newspaper), The State'' in Columbia and Charleston's ''The Post and Courier'', it is the third largest paper in South Carolina.
Hi ...
'', BMW's Greer plant employs about 9,000 people, and has attracted dozens of suppliers in South Carolina, providing jobs for more than 12,000 people. Greer is home to the
South Carolina Inland Port, an
intermodal facility that receives and sends containers by rail to the
Port of Charleston. The city is also home to the
National Weather Service
The National Weather Service (NWS) is an Government agency, agency of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government that is tasked with providing weather forecasts, warnings of hazardous weather, and other weathe ...
office that serves Upstate South Carolina, Northeastern
Georgia
Georgia most commonly refers to:
* Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus
* Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States
Georgia may also refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Georgia (name), a list of pe ...
and Southwestern
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 ...
including the
Charlotte Metropolitan Area
The Charlotte metropolitan area is a metropolitan area of the U.S. states of North and South Carolina, containing the city of Charlotte, North Carolina. The metropolitan area also includes the cities of Gastonia, Concord, Huntersville, and ...
.
Arts and culture
Greer 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 Greenville County Library System.
The
Arthur Barnwell House,
Davenport House,
Gilreath's Mill,
Greer Depot,
Greer Downtown Historic District,
Greer Post Office
Greer Heritage Museum is a local history museum in Greer, South Carolina, near the Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport. The museum was founded by Carmela B. Hudson (1920-2017), a native of New Haven, Connecticut, a member of the U.S. Army ...
,
Louie James House,
R. Perry Turner House,
Robert G. Turner House and
Earle R. Taylor House and Peach Packing Shed are 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 ...
.
[National Register listing](_blank)
''National Park Service.'
/ref>
Parks and recreation
The Greer City Stadium is a Works Project Administration, WPA project completed in 1938; it currently seats 3,000. The stadium has hosted little league, scholastic, The American Legion World Series, and semi-professional sports.
In 2012, the Cannon Center, a former National Guard
National guard is the name used by a wide variety of current and historical uniformed organizations in different countries. The original National Guard was formed during the French Revolution around a cadre of defectors from the French Guards.
...
armory, became a basketball gym. The facility was originally built in 1936.
The City of Greer Municipal Complex was completed in 2008, and includes the Greer City Park.
Infrastructure
Healthcare
Pelham Medical Center, part of Spartanburg Regional Healthcare System, is a 48-bed hospital providing emergency services, general surgery, gynecology, orthopedics, cardiology (non-invasive), endocrinology, gastroenterology, general medicine, oncology, and intensive care services. This campus includes Pelham Medical Center Medical Office Building, the Surgery Center at Pelham, and the Gibbs Cancer Center and Research Institute at Pelham, which provides radiation oncology, medical oncology, and Cyberknife M6 surgery.
Greer Memorial Hospital is an 82-bed facility with emergency, ICU and maternity care.
Transportation
Airports
Greer is served by the Greenville–Spartanburg International Airport Roger Milliken Field, which in 2012 handled over 1.7 million passengers. The airport is a commercial Class C airport, with cargo and passenger facilities.
Railroads
Greer is served by Amtrak
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, Trade name, doing business as Amtrak (; ), is the national Passenger train, passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates intercity rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous United Stat ...
, the national passenger rail system, which operates to both Greenville and Spartanburg. Greer is the location o
Inland Port Greer
one of two inland ports in South Carolina, built to handle containerized goods. Inland Port Greer is served by Norfolk Southern
The Norfolk Southern Railway is a Class I freight railroad operating in the Eastern United States. Headquartered in Atlanta, the company was formed in 1982 with the merger of the Norfolk and Western Railway and Southern Railway. The comp ...
, and connects Greer to the Port of Charleston.
Highways
One two-digit Interstate highway
The Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways, commonly known as the Interstate Highway System, or the Eisenhower Interstate System, is a network of controlled-access highways that forms part of the National Hi ...
runs through Greer. Interstate 85 passes south of the city center, with access from Exits 57 through 60. I-85 leads northeast to 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 ...
, and southwest to Atlanta
Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...
. U.S. Route 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, Baltimore, Maryland, in the Eastern United Stat ...
runs through Greer, connecting Greenville and Spartanburg. South Carolina Highway 14 and South Carolina Highway 290 both run through Greer. SC 14 leads north to Landrum, near 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, and south to Simpsonville, while SC 290 leads east to Duncan and northwest to U.S. Route 25 north of Travelers Rest.
Education
Residents of Greenville County are in the Greenville County School District
Greenville County School District (GCSD) is a public school district in Greenville County, South Carolina, United States. It is the largest school district in the state of South Carolina and the 44th largest in the US.
As of the 2019–2020 ...
. Within Spartanburg County, portions are in the Greenville County district, while other portions are in the Spartanburg School District 5.
Notable people
* Jonah Biggar, soccer player
* Kris Bruton, Harlem Globetrotters; 1994 NCAA college dunk champion and 1994 NBA draft pick of the Chicago Bulls
* Bill Haas, golfer; multiple winner on the PGA Tour
The PGA Tour (stylized as PGA TOUR by its officials) is the organizer of professional golf tours in North America. It organizes most of the events on the flagship annual series of tournaments also known as the PGA Tour, the PGA Tour Champion ...
and winner of the 2011 Fedex Cup
* Jay Haas, golfer; multiple winner on the PGA Tour
The PGA Tour (stylized as PGA TOUR by its officials) is the organizer of professional golf tours in North America. It organizes most of the events on the flagship annual series of tournaments also known as the PGA Tour, the PGA Tour Champion ...
and Champions Tour
* Kaleigh Kurtz, National Women's Soccer League player, North Carolina Courage
The North Carolina Courage are an American professional Association football, soccer team based in Cary, North Carolina, that competes in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). It was founded on January 9, 2017, after Stephen Malik acqui ...
, 2018–
* Daniel Palka, Major League Baseball Player, Chicago White Sox
The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The club plays its ...
, 2018–2019; 2018 White Sox home run leader and 2010 McDonald's All American game player in basketball
See also
* List of municipalities in South Carolina
South Carolina is a state located in the Southern United States. According to the 2020 United States census, South Carolina is the 23rd-most populous state with inhabitants, but the 11th-smallest by land area spanning of land. South Caroli ...
References
External links
*
*
Greater Greer Chamber of Commerce
{{Authority control
Cities in South Carolina
Cities in Greenville County, South Carolina
Cities in Spartanburg County, South Carolina
Upstate South Carolina