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Cherokee County
Gaffney is the County Seat
Formed:  1804
Zip Codes of Cherokee County:  Gaffney is 29340, Blacksburg is 29702,
Time Zone:  Eastern
 2005 Population of Gaffney and Blacksburg area:  53,844  
 Total Population of all counties that touch:  656,000
(The above population statistics are 2000 Census numbers and are considered very low €“ the number above is estimated to be close to 1,000,000 today)

Cherokee County Courthouse

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Gaffney's History:  Michael Gaffney emigrated to America in 1797 from Ireland, arriving in New York and moving to Charleston, South Carolina a few years later. Gaffney moved again in 1804 to the South Carolina Upcountry (The Upstate), and established a tavern and lodging house at what became known as "Gaffney's Cross Roads." The location was perfect for growth because of the two major roads which met here, one from the mountains of North Carolina to Charleston and the other from Charlotte into Georgia. Michael Gaffney died here on September 6, 1854. Click Here to learn more about Michael Gaffney

In 1872, the area became known as "Gaffney City." Gaffney became the county seat of Cherokee County which was formed out of parts of York, Union, and Spartanburg Counties in 1897.  The name "Cherokee" was selected over "Limestone Springs."  Our area once had a bustling Limestone quarry and springs.  There was once a city called Limestone Springs and its main hotel's structure is part of Limestone College's Administration building.

Gaffney became a major center for the textile industry in South Carolina until the 1980s - today Upstate South Carolina has become a technology, automotive, advanced materials, and logistics and distribution center in the southeast US along the Interstate 85 corridor; more than 215 companies now make their home in the Upstate.

Blacksburg's History:  Around the late 1800's the Black family, headed by John G. Black, a Confederate veteran, were living in the area and persuaded the C.C. & C. Railroad Company to lay track through the town and a depot was built. The town soon became known as Black's Station in honor of John G. Black and was renamed Blacksburg in 1888.

In the 1890's large amounts of iron ore were found in the area and many people hoping to make a fortune from mining the mineral 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 and the fist electric street lights in the upstate of S.C. were installed in Blacksburg. The city was incorporated in 1888 as "Blacksburg" but still holds its nickname "Iron City" to this day.

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Weather

If you love weather that will touch upon all four seasons and yet be mild, with mountain foothills in the distance of our landscape, there may be no better weather on earth than Cherokee County. 

Mean Annual Temperature:  60 degrees
Average July temperature:  78 degrees
Earliest freezing day:  October 22
Last freeze day:  April 6

Click On Image

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From Cherokee County to:

Spartanburg: 23 miles
Greenville Spartanburg International Airport: 39 miles
Charlotte International Airport:  41 miles
Greenville: 50 miles
Columbia: 90 minute drive
Atlanta:   Under 3 hour drive
Charleston/Kiawah Island/Beaches: 3 hour drive

We are under an hour to 2 International airports, the mountains are in view, Charlotte and Spartanburg/Greenville are adjacent to us, and Atlanta or the beach are under 3 hours!

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Cost of Living Comparison
Salary.com
(Closest city to us on this website is Spartanburg, and we consider our cost of living,
housing and taxes, to be much less)

State Income Tax:  South Carolina's individual income tax rate is up to 7%, which is less than Cherokee County neighbor, NC's highest bracket of 8.25% (www.sctax.org)
Real Estate Tax: Considered is to be "very low" in Cherokee County (see Real Estate section)

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South Carolina Stats & Demographics

 

South Carolina is "The Palmetto State," probably after the soft wood of the palmetto, which was used to fortify forts against British cannon balls in the revolutionary war.
State Motto, "While I breathe I hope."
State Flower, Yellow Jessamine
State Tree, Cabbage Palmetto
State Bird, Great Carolina Wren
Highest Elevation, Sassafras Mountain, South Carolina's highest point
(elevation 3560 ft.)
Lowest Elevation, is the Coastal Plain, which is nearly flat, composed entirely of
recent sediments such as sand, silt, and clay.
Capital City:  Columbia
The 8^th state admitted to Union in 1788

The Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that revolted against British rule in the American Revolution. It was the first state to secede from the Union to found the Confederate States of America. The state is named after King Charles I of England.

As of 2004, the state's population is 4,198,068 (Ranked 23^rd in the US)
Largest Metro area: Greenville-Spartanburg
Largest City:  Columbia

The racial makeup of the state is:
66.1% White
29.5% Black
2.4% Hispanic
0.9% Asian
0.3% American Indian
1.0% Mixed race

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South Carolina Topography Map:

Topographical Map and Legend This page features a topographical map of South Carolina and a legend which specifies elevations and indicates their corresponding map colors.  South Carolina's highest mountain is Sassafras Mountain, whose peak is 3,560 feet above sea level.  South Carolina's lowest elevation is sea level, at the Atlantic Ocean.  The topography of South Carolina features a lowland coastal plain in the southeast which rises to a Piedmont Plateau in the northwest.   Major rivers in South Carolina include the Pee Dee, Savannah, Ashley, Combahee, and Edisto.

Map Legend

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Resources and Credit:
www.sctax.org
www.south-carolina-map.org/topo-map.htm

 Our area boasts high-tech, National Parks and country drives, and touches of history, like Gaffney's new City Hall, with its clock tower, which emulates the original one from the late 1800s.

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