Spartanburg

Spartanburg is a city in and the seat of Spartanburg County, South Carolina, United States. The city has a municipal population of 38,732 as of the 2020 census, making it the 11th-largest city in the state. It is the home of Wofford College, Converse University, and Spartanburg Community College. Spartanburg was ranked number 24 on the "150 Best Places to Live in the U.S. in 2021-2022" by US News & World Report. During World War I, Camp Wadsworth was used to train 100,000 soldiers for the war. Camp Croft trained soldiers during World War II. It became a center of textile manufacturing in the late 19th century, with around 40 textile mills being established through the early 1900s. The most common soil series is Cecil. The bedrock is mostly biotite gneiss. It has a humid subtropical climate with long, hot, and humid summers, and cool to semimild winters. In the summer from June through September, average highs are in the 80s °F (20s °C) to low 90s °f (30s°C) In the winter, average high is in the mid-50s ° F (10s ° C) Spartanburg receives very little snowfall, with the annual average being only 1.4 inches (3.6 cm) Average precipitation is 51.3 inches (130 cm) and the average growing season is 231 days.

History

Spartanburg was formed in 1785, after a deal was made with the Cherokee Nation in 1753. It was named after a local militia called the Spartan Regiment in the American Revolutionary War. In 1831, Spartanburg was incorporated, later becoming known as the "Hub City" It became a center of textile manufacturing in the late 19th century, with around 40 textile mills being established through the early 1900s. During World War I, Camp Wadsworth was used to train 100,000 soldiers for the war. Camp Croft trained soldiers during World War II. The facility was transferred to the state and adapted as Croft State Park. By the 1950s, the production in these mills began to decline as wages increased. Most textile manufacturing jobs were moved offshore by the companies. The city is located on the banks of the Little Rappahannock River, which runs through the center of the town. It is the site of the South Carolina Turnpike, which was built in 1858. The town is also home to the University of South Carolina at Greenville, which opened in 1864. It also has the College of Arts and Sciences, which dates back to the 17th century. The Spartanburg area is known for its textile manufacturing, which began in the 1800s. It has also been home to a number of colleges, including Spartanburg University and Spartanburg State College. The area is also known for being a popular tourist destination, especially in the summer months.

Geography

The city has a humid subtropical climate with long, hot, and humid summers, and cool to semimild winters. Spartanburg receives very little snowfall, with the annual average being only 1.4 inches (3.6 cm) Average precipitation is 51.3 inches (130 cm) and the average growing season is 231 days. The most common soil series is Cecil. The bedrock is mostly biotite gneiss. The average annual temperature is 61.6 °F (16.4 °C) in the summer from June through September. In the winter, average highs are in the mid-50s °F. The annual average rainfall is spread fairly evenly throughout the whole year. The city is located in the state of South Carolina, on the eastern edge of the Blue Ridge Mountains. It is located at an elevation of 603 feet (200 meters) and has a population of 2,856. The area is covered by water, with 0.1 square miles (0.26 km²) of which 0.47% is water-covered. The climate is very humid, with average highs in the 80s to low 90s°F (30s to 30s°C) during the summer and mid-to-low 90s °F in the winter. It has an average annual rainfall of 51.2 inches (130 cm) and an average growth rate of 1.7 inches (4.4 cm) per year.

Demographics

In the 2010 census, 37,013 people, 15,989 households, and 9,721 families were residing in the city. The racial makeup was 49.55% African American, 47.15% Native American, 1.33% Asian, 0.82% from other races, and 0.96% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 1.78% of the population. In the city, the age distribution was 25% under 18, 12.2% from 18 to 24, 20.6% from 25 to 44, and 15.4% who were 65 or older. The median income for a household in theCity was $28,735, and for a family was $36,108. The per capita income for the city was $18,136. About 29.3% of families and 23.4%. of the city were below the poverty line, including 34.6%. of those under age 18 and 15,4% of those age 65 or over. The average household size was 2.33, and the average family size was 3.00. The city has a population of 15,154, with a population density of 2,066.3 people per square mile (799.9/km²). The city's population is expected to reach 38,732 by the 2020 U.S. census, with an estimated population of 17,000 by that time. It is the largest city in the state.

Economy

Spartanburg is home to many large companies, including Denny's, KYMCO, Smith Drug Company, Advance America Cash Advance, Southern Conference, Spartanburg Herald-Journal, RJ Rockers Brewing Company, American Credit Acceptance, and Upward Sports. The economy of Spartanburg benefits from the BMW manufacturing facility located in the city of Greer, South Carolina, which is in Spartanburg County. As of February 2017, the plant employed around 8,800 people with an average daily output of about 1,400 vehicles. Spartanburg is also home to the world headquarters and research facility for Milliken & Company, a textile and chemical manufacturer. According to Spartanburg's 2015 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the principal employers in the City are: Denny’s, Smith drug Company, and American Creditacceptance. The city's unemployment rate is 3.7 per cent, the lowest in the state of South Carolina. The average household income is $44,000, and the average household wealth is $75,000. The unemployment rate for Spartanburg residents is 2.9 per cent; the national average is 4.1 per cent. The rate of poverty is 1.8 per cent and the rate of unemployment for Spartanbur residents is 3%. The city has a high rate of youth unemployment, and it has a low unemployment rate of 1.7 percent. The highest rate of female unemployment is 1 in 10; the lowest rate of male unemployment is 2 in 10.

Arts and culture

The Chapman Cultural Center is the city's cultural anchor for history, art, theatre, dance, music, and science. Converse University is a nationally known four-year liberal arts institution recognized for its strong music and visual art programs. The Cottonwood Trail is a walking trail located in the Edwin M. Griffin Nature Preserve that runs along part of Lawson's Fork Creek. Wofford College is a liberal arts college not traditionally known for its arts and cultural strength, but has made notable strides to develop arts programs in recent years. The Spartanburg County Public Library headquarters is home to a voluminous collection of fiction, nonfiction, children's literature, A/V materials and items relating to local history and genealogy. The Walnut Grove Plantation is an 18th-century Plantation which now provides a haven for birds and other wildlife. Lawson's Fork creek, a tributary of the Pacolet River, was once known. for its plentiful wildlife and crystal clear waters. It stretches from the northern end of the county to the eastern end, where it empties into thePacolet. Larger animals that can be found here include raccoons, white-tailed deer, wild turkeys, woodpeckers, mallard ducks, Canada geese and snapping turtles. Few remnants of the early pioneering days of these early pioneers can still be found in these early pioneering areas of Spartanburg, but traces of them can be. found in more rural areas.

Sports

Spartanburg is host to the NFL's Carolina Panthers training camp each year. Duncan Park Stadium is the oldest minor league baseball stadium in the country. The Shrine Bowl of the Carolinas is held each year at Wofford's Gibbs Stadium. Upward Sports, a Christian-based sports organization for kids, is headquartered in Spartanburg. The city hosts the Spartanburg Criterium, which is part of the USA Crits bicycle racing series and billed as the fastest night in the city. The Spartanburg Phillies were a minor league team of the Philadelphia Phillies, and are now the home of Spartanburg High School's baseball team. The USC Upstate Spartans, Spartanburg Methodist College Pioneers, and the W offord College Terriers offer a variety of sports for both men and women. Converse College also offers NCAA Division II women's sports teams and is home to the NCAA Division I women's basketball team. It is one of the main cities in the South Carolina Coastal Plain League, a college baseball league that was founded in the early 1900s. It was the first professional baseball league in the United States. It now is the home stadium for the baseball teams of Spartansburg High School and the Spartan Burgers. The criterium is a yearly event and is usually one of. the events associated with Speed Week which ispart of theUSA Crits bike racing series. The event is billed as. the fastest evening in Spartansburg. It has been called the "fastest night" in the state by local media.

Government

The current mayor, Jerome Rice, was elected in 2021. Spartanburg operates under a city manager form of government. City Hall is located at 145 West Broad Street. The Spartanburg County Administration Building (this is the old Sears building which was vacated in the mid-1970s when Sears moved to Westgate Mall and renovated in the late 1980s or early 1990s) is Located at 366 North Church Street. It is across the street from the Spartanburg Memorial Auditorium. The city manager is responsible for the daily administration of city governmental affairs. The mayor and six city council members have equal votes. Council members represent districts within the city and the mayor is elected at large. The council appoints a city Manager, who is responsible to the mayor for the city's day-to-day operations. The current mayor is Jerome Rice and he is expected to be re-elected in 2021, when he will be in his second term as mayor of the city of Spartanburg, South Carolina. He will be the seventh mayor to be elected in the city since the city was founded in 1872. The former mayor was William "Bill" Smith, who was in his first term in office from 1969 to 1971. The first mayor to serve a full term was William Smith, from 1872 to 1971, and he was in the second term from 1971 to 1973. The last mayor to die in office was William Brown, who died in a car accident in 1973. He was the third mayor to leave office in a single term, in 1981.

Education

Spartanburg is a college town, with four institutions of higher learning. Most of the City of Spartanburg's public schools are run by Spartanburg County School District 7. The city is also home to Spartanburg Preparatory School, a K-8 public charter school that is the only "brick and mortar" charter school in the Upstate. The Spartanburg area is home to the main campus of the South Carolina School for the Deaf and the Blind, which is outside of the city limits in an unincorporated area. The Meeting Street Academy is a branch of a Charleston-based private school and currently offers PreK and Kindergarten. St. Paul the Apostle Catholic School is located in downtown Spartanburg. It is affiliated with the Diocese of Charleston and isK-8. The Montessori Academy of Spartanberg is a PreK- 8 private school providing a MontessorI educational approach. The University of South Carolina Upstate (formerly known as University of. South Carolina Spartanburg, or USCS), in Valley Falls, is a four-year, private college. Spartanburg Methodist College is a 2-year private, residential college in Saxon. The Sherman College of Chiropractic is South Carolina's only chiropractic college. It offers the International Baccalaureate in grades K-4, and offers K-12 private schools, including Oakbrook Preparatory and Westgate Christian schools, both K- 12 private schools.

Air Quality, Water Quality, Superfund Sites & UV Index

The Air Quality index is in Spartanburg, Spartanburg County, South Carolina = 19.2. These Air Quality index is based on annual reports from the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The number of ozone alert days is used as an indicator of air quality, as are the amounts of seven pollutants including particulates, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, lead, and volatile organic chemicals. The Water Quality Index is 27. A measure of the quality of an area’s water supply as rated by the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The EPA has a complex method of measuring the watershed quality, using 15 indicators such as pollutants, turbidity, sediments, and toxic discharges. The Superfund Sites Index is 80. Higher is better (100=best). Based upon the number and impact of EPA Superfund pollution sites in the county, including spending on the cleanup efforts. The UV Index in Spartanburg = 4.7 and is a measure of an area's exposure to the sun's ultraviolet rays. This is most often a combination of sunny weather, altitude, and latitude. The UV Index has been defined by the WHO (www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/radiation-the-ultraviolet-(uv)-index) and is uniform worldwide.

Employed

The most recent city population of 38,732 individuals with a median age of 35.9 age the population dropped by -2.85% in Spartanburg, Spartanburg County, South Carolina population since 2000 and are distributed over a density of 1,912.41 residents per square mile of area (738.37/km²). There are average 2.3 people per household in the 15,592 households with an average household income of $30,577 a year. The unemployment rate in Alabama is 25.80% of the available work force and has dropped -4.23% over the most recent 12-month period and the projected change in job supply over the next decade based on migration patterns, economic growth, and other factors will increase by 5.74%. The number of physicians in Spartanburg per 100,000 population = 194.5.

Weather

The annual rainfall in Spartanburg = 49.5 inches and the annual snowfall = 1.6 inches. The annual number of days with measurable precipitation (over .01 inch) = 101. The average number of days per year that are predominantly sunny = 225. 91 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily high temperature for the month of July and 29.4 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily low temperature for the month of January. The Comfort Index (higher=better) is 34, where higher values mean a more pleasant climate. The Comfort Index measure recognizes that humidity by itself isn't the problem. (Have you noticed nobody ever complains about the weather being 'cold and humid?) It's in the summertime that we notice the humidity the most, when it's hot and muggy. Our Comfort Index uses a combination of afternoon summer temperature and humidity to closely predict the effect that the humidity will have on people.

Median Home Cost

The percentage of housing units in Spartanburg, Spartanburg County, South Carolina which are owned by the occupant = 44.06%. A housing unit is a house, apartment, mobile home, or room occupied as separate living quarters. The average age of homes = 43 years with median home cost = $75,340 and home appreciation of -5.97%. This is the value of the years most recent home sales data. Its important to note that this is not the average (or arithmetic mean). The median home price is the middle value when you arrange all the sales prices of homes from lowest to highest. This is a better indicator than the average, because the median is not changed as much by a few unusually high or low values. The property tax rate of $6.32 shown here is the rate per $1,000 of home value. If for simplification for example the tax rate is $14.00 and the home value is $250,000, the property tax would be $14.00 x ($250,000/1000), or $3500. This is the 'effective' tax rate.

Study

The local school district spends $4,895 per student. There are 9 students for each teacher in the school, 436 students for each Librarian and 395 students for each Counselor. 5.10% of the area’s population over the age of 25 with an Associate Degree or other 2-year college degree, 15.42% with a master’s degree, Ph.D. or other advanced college degree and 10.56% with high school diplomas or high school equivalency degrees (GEDs).