Spartanburg, South Carolina
Spartanburg is a city located in Spartanburg County in South Carolina, a state of the United States of America, and 98 miles (158 km) northwest of Columbia. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 39,673. It is the county seat of Spartanburg CountyTemplate:GR. Spartanburg is second largest city of the three primary cities in The Upstate region.
History
When the United States entered World War I in 1917 one of the 16 divisional cantonments, Camp Wadsworth, for the training of National Guard troops, was established near the town. Most of the New York State troops were trained there.
Origin of Name
The name Spartanburg is believed to be derived from the Spartan Regiment, which was formed in this area in 1776. The regiment served with distinction throughout the American Revolution. This explanation appears both in the WPA History of Spartanburg County and in J.B.O. Landrum’s History of Spartanburg County. Mr. Landrum goes on to state that the people of this area "Were indeed a Spartan people, and were willing to sacrifice their lives, if necessary, to meet all the difficulties which surrounded them. They had already, in previous wars with the Indians, undergone trials and sacrifices which justly entitled them to this honored name. Like the ancient Spartans of Greece, they were inured to hardship and sacrifices, and cherished the heroic virtues of courage, fortitude, patriotism, and public spirit."
Geography
Spartanburg is located at 34°56'48" North, 81°55'39" West (34.946771, -81.927603)Template:GR.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 49.9 km² (19.2 mi²). 49.6 km² (19.1 mi²) of it is land and 0.2 km² (0.1 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 0.47% water.
The average annual temperature is 60.6 °F (15.9 °C), with the average January temperature being 41.8 °F (5.4 °C) and the average July temperature as 80.5 °F (26.9 °C). There are four distinct but not extreme seasons. Average precipitation is 47.5 inches (1206 mm) and the average growing season is 231 days.
Government
The mayor, elected in January 2002, is William Barnet III. Located on East St. Johns street is Barnet Park which was named for Mayor Barnet. The city court/municipal building is located on S. Church Street (which is also known as highway 221 in rural areas, which runs from Greenwood South Carolina, overpasses Interstate 26, and ends in Spartanburg), and is across the street from the Spartanburg Memorial Auditorium.
Economy
The economy of the Spartanburg mostly revolves around the BMW manufacturing facility located in the western end of Spartanburg County. Manufacturing began in 1996 with certain types of the 3 Series (from the E36 platform) and with the Z4 roadster. However, a year later when the newer 3 Series (E46) platform emerged, BMW decided not to build it at the Spartanburg plant, but instead exclusively manufacture variants of the popular Z4. The plant currently manufactures its Z4 roadster and X5 SUV.
The world headquarters of Denny's restaurants is also located in Spartanburg. QS/1, a data systems corporation, has its headquarters in Spartanburg. Extended Stay America has its world headquarters in a new building in downtown Spartanburg.
Spartanburg is serviced by two airports, Spartanburg Memorial Airport, a small, mostly private airport, and Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport (GSP), an large, international airport.
Education
Spartanburg is served by the Spartanburg County School System, which is divided into seven individual districts. The city of Spartanburg is located in District 7 of Spartanburg County School System; Duncan is located in District 5 of Spartanburg County School System.
Spartanburg also holds the Spartanburg Day School, a K-12 private school with multiple recent state championships in several sports. Its headmaster is Chris Dorrance.
Spartanburg is home to the University of South Carolina Upstate. Other institutions of higher education in Spartanburg and Spartanburg County include:
- Converse College
- Spartanburg Methodist College
- Spartanburg Technical College
- Wofford College- One of the premier liberal arts colleges in the US
- Sherman College
Attractions
Spartanburg is home to many of the Upstate's attractions and arts/cultural venues as well as Greenville. Spartanburg is home to Ballet Spartanburg which has hosted over 22 national and international ballet companies.
Spartanburg also has several golf courses, including two private 18-hole courses at the Country Club of Spartanburg and the Carolina Country Club.
Spring Fling, a weekend festival typically held in early May, has many live artists, rides, and other assorted attractions.
The Beacon Drive-In is a landmark of regional proportions; it has stood since 1946 and has become a famous restaurant for old-fashioned service and good Southern cooking.
Arts/Culture
- The Arts Center
- Spartanburg Memorial Auditorium
- Twichell Auditorium
Spartanburg is experiencing major changes in its downtown area as of recent times. The 'Renaissance Project' is a large-scale revamping plan. A nine-floor, 240-room Marriot has been built downtown. The small historic downtown is centered around Morgan Square, which as of June 2005 is experiencing a major rennovation. QS/1, a data systems corporation, completed construction of their new regional headquarters in late 2004, at the intersection of North Daniel Morgan Avenue and West St John Street (see photo, above). Extended Stay America and Advance America have both built their world headquarters in recent times downtown.
The Spartanburg Memorial Auditorium is located on S. Church Street, across from the municipal building in the southeast end of the city of Spartanburg. The "SMA" has hosted various famous celebrities such as Harry Connick Jr., Gerald Lavert, Dave Chappelle, and many others.
Twitchell Auditorium is located on the campus of all girl Converse College. Home of the Spartanburg Symphonic Orchestra, Twitchell Auditorium has served as hosts to other groups such as The Spartanburg All-County High School Band and Boston Brass.
Media
Spartanburg is part of the Greenville-Spartanburg-Anderson-Asheville DMA, which is the 35th largest demographic market area in the nation. Spartanburg's primary newspaper is the Herald-Journal, a member of the New York Times Regional Newspaper Group. The paper is on the Web at [1]
Transportation
Spartanburg is located along the Interstate 85 corridor, between Charlotte, North Carolina and Greenville, South Carolina. Two spurs of Interstate 85 are located in the area: Interstate 585, which morphs into Pine Street and carries traffic downtown, and Business Interstate 85, which brings traffic closer to Spartanburg while main Interstate 85 loops around the north of Spartanburg. Interstate 26 is the other major interstate on which Spartanburg lies, allowing commuters to travel to Asheville, North Carolina, to the north, and Columbia, South Carolina, to the south.
Suburban Greer, located on the Greenville and Spartanburg County border, is home to Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport, which serves Greenville as well as Spartanburg.
Amtrak's Crescent train connects Spartanburg with the cities of New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington, Charlotte, Atlanta, Birmingham and New Orleans. The Amtrak station is situated at 290 Magnolia Street.
Demographics
As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there are 39,673 people, 15,989 households, and 9,721 families residing in the city. The population density is 799.9/km² (2,071.2/mi²). There are 17,696 housing units at an average density of 356.8/km² (923.9/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 47.15% White, 49.55% African American, 0.18% Native American, 1.33% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 0.76% from other races, and 0.96% from two or more races. 1.78% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 15,989 households out of which 28.9% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 34.0% are married couples living together, 23.0% have a female householder with no husband present, and 39.2% are non-families. 34.0% of all households are made up of individuals and 13.2% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.33 and the average family size is 3.00.
In the city the population is spread out with 25.2% under the age of 18, 12.2% from 18 to 24, 26.6% from 25 to 44, 20.6% from 45 to 64, and 15.4% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 35 years. For every 100 females there are 79.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 73.9 males.
The median income for a household in the city is $28,735, and the median income for a family is $36,108. Males have a median income of $30,587 versus $23,256 for females. The per capita income for the city is $18,136. 23.3% of the population and 19.4% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 34.6% of those under the age of 18 and 15.4% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
List of Neighborhoods
- Arcadia
- Asheville Highway
- Beaumont Mills
- Ben Avon
- Camp Croft
- Cannons Campground
- Carolina Country Club
- Cedar Springs
- Clevedale
- Cleveland Heights
- Cleveland Park
- Converse Heights
- Drayton
- Duncan Park
- Eastway Park
- Fairforest
- Fernwood
- Fernwood-Glendale Rd.
- Glendale
- Hampton Heights
- Hillbrook
- Hillcrest
- Hilltop
- Hwy. 9
- John B. White Sr. Blvd.
- Londonderry
- Mayfair
- Oak Forest
- Poplar Springs
- Roebuck
- Saxon
- Shadow Lakes
- Shoresbrook
- Springdale
- Swan Estates
- Una
- Union Street
- Woodland Heights
- Woodridge
- Westgate
- Westview
- Whitestone
- Whitney
Famous People from Spartanburg
- Pink Anderson (1900-1974) -- Blues Musician.
- David Ball (1953-- ) -- Country Musician.
- Kate Barry (1752-1823) -- Scout and heroine of the revolution, she warned of the British attack at Cowpens.
- Wilson Casey (1954--) -- Trivia Guinness World Record Holder, Nationally Syndicated Newspaper Trivia Columnist.
- David Daniels (1966--) -- Countertenor.
- Stephen Davis - American football running back
- Grace Annette DuPre (1894-1984) -- Renowned South Carolina violinist and portraitist. James F. Byrnes and Harry S. Truman were among her subjects.
- Dennis Hayes (1950--) -- Inventor of the Hayes Modem.
- Walter Hyatt (1950-1996) -- Country Musician.
- Kenneth Law -- cellist
- Margaret Law (1871-1956) -- Artist who studied with William Chase and Robert Henri.
- D.H. 'Buck' Long (1929-2002) -- Former president and general manager of WKRG-TV, Inc. in Mobile, Alabama
- David Pearson (1940--) -- Race car driver.
- Donald S. Russell (1906-1998) -- Former South Carolina governor, president of the University of South Carolina, US Senator, and member of the US 4th Circuit Court of Appeals.
- Archibald Rutledge (1883-1973) -- South Carolina poet laureate who resided in Spartanburg for about 20 years.
- William "Singing Billy" Walker (1809-1875) -- Developed a distinct method of teaching called "shape-note" singing. Author of Southern Harmony. Buried in Magnolia Cemetery.
- David Duncan Wallace (1874-1951) -- Historian and author.
- General William C. Westmoreland (1914-2005) -- Served in World War II and the Korean War and was senior US military commander in Vietnam.
- The Marshall Tucker Band -- Southern rock band featuring Doug Grey, Jerry Eubanks, Toy Caldwell, Tommy Caldwell, et. al.