Anderson is a city in and
the county seat of Anderson
County
, South
Carolina
, United States
. The population was 25,514 at the
2000 census, and the city was the
center of an urbanized area of 70,530.
It is the principal
city of the Anderson, South Carolina Metropolitan Statistical Area
(population: 165,740, according to the 2000 census), which is
further included in the larger Greenville
-Spartanburg
-Anderson, South Carolina Combined Statistical Area
(population: 1,185,534, according to 2005 U.S. Census Bureau
estimates).
Anderson
is the smallest of the three primary cities that makes up the
Upstate
region and is nicknamed "The Electric
City" and "The Friendliest City in South
Carolina." Anderson's spirit and quality of life has
earned national recognition as Anderson County was named an
"
All-America City" in 2000.
History
Anderson was named for a Revolutionary War hero,
Robert Anderson. General
Anderson and
Andrew
Pickens surveyed the land in the area. The
Cherokees lived in the area until 1777. The land
was then ceded to South Carolina by the Cherokee in a treaty
negotiated by Pickens. This area was then called the
Pendleton District for
official purposes. In 1826, the Pendleton District was divided into
two districts — Anderson and Pickens.
Because the town of
Pendleton
was at the top of the county, too close to the
Pickens border, a new courthouse was built at the center of the
county. A small town, named Anderson Courthouse, built
around the courthouse, and this community eventually became known
as Anderson. The original courthouse was built of logs, but 10
years later, a courthouse made of bricks was erected to replace it.
A still-standing Anderson County Courthouse, built in 1898, now
faces the current courthouse and is built on the site of the
original.
The
settlers of this area were mostly Scots-Irish who came from Virginia
and Pennsylvania
to farm. Farmers grew corn and raised hogs.
Much later, cotton became the cash crop of the area. By the late
1800s, the Anderson area was filled with numerous textile mills.
Due to the innovation of Anderson engineer William Whitner,
electricity could be conducted by wire to mills throughout the
county. Anderson was the first city in the United States to have a
continuous supply of electric power, which in turn was supplied by
a water mill located in the high shoals area of the Rocky River in
Anderson County. The first cotton gin in the world to be operated
by electricity was built in Anderson County in 1897. Several areas
of Anderson are named in Whitner's honor, including a downtown
street. Anderson became known as "The Electric City," a nickname
that it still holds today.
On November 14, 1931, famous aviator
Amelia Earhart flew into the Anderson, SC
airport in her
Pitcairn PCA-2
Autogyro, attracting over 1,000 spectators. Mayor G.T. McGregor and
other city leaders met her at the airport. She was piloting the
Autogiro on a nation wide tour promoting
Beech-Nut products. Earhart landed at the original
Anderson County Airport, founded in 1928 on the highest land
Anderson County owned. This "airport," a mere grass strip
originally planned as an emergency landing field, later became a
joint city county facility where planes delivering air mail landed.
The field functioned until the land for the current airport on
Highway 24 was purchased and developed in the mid 1930's
Geography
Anderson is located at (34.514506, −82.648944) .
Anderson
is located in the northwest corner of South Carolina
on the Piedmont plateau. At the foothills of
the Blue Ridge Mountains, Anderson is a 1-hour drive from the
Appalachian
Mountains
, and a 4-hour drive from the South Carolina
coast. Anderson lies roughly at the midpoint of the
busy I-85 corridor between Atlanta, Georgia
and Charlotte, North Carolina
.
According to the
United
States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of
13.9 square miles (35.9 km²), of which 13.8 square
miles (35.7 km²) is land and 0.07% is water.
Economy
Anderson's economy revolves around manufacturing. Anderson has over
230 manufacturers, including 22 international companies. In the
county, Anderson has a thriving business climate. The top major
industries in Anderson include manufacturers of automotive
products, metal products, industrial machinery, plastics,
publishing, and textiles. Two industries that many times
interconnect are the plastic and automotive sectors. There are more
than 27 BMW suppliers in the Upstate, which is recognized
internationally as an automotive supplier hub. The plastic industry
has a strong presence in the Upstate with 244 plastic companies
located within the 10 counties of the state's northwest corner.
Anderson County, in particular, has 11 automotive suppliers and is
a major player in the plastic industry, with 27 plastic companies
located within its borders. It has one unionized company in the
area – Anderson is a growing area in the form of economics.
Education
The city of Anderson is served by the Anderson County School System
(specifically, Anderson School District Five). The school district
has 11 elementary schools, three middle schools, and two high
schools. A new middle school is to be built soon. The purpose for
the new middle school is to relieve overcrowding at McCants Middle
School. The school district is refurbishing Concord, Homeland Park,
Centerville, Midway, and Varennes Elementary Schools.
Elementary schools in
Anderson:
- Calhoun Academy of the Arts
- Centerville Elementary
- Concord Elementary
- Homeland Park Elementary
- McLees Elementary
- Midway Elementary
- Nevitt Forest Elementary
- New Prospect Elementary
- Varennes Elementary
- Whitehall Elementary
Middle schools in
Anderson:
High schools in
Anderson:
Private schools in
Anderson
Early childhood schools in Anderson:
Swim Centers
Higher education
There are four colleges and one technical college within a 30-mile
radius of Anderson:
Airport
Anderson
is served by Anderson County Regional Airport (IATA: AND, ICAO
:
KAND). The airport is 3 miles away from
Anderson and has 2 runways; runway 5/23 is 6000 feet and runway
17/35 is 5000 feet. The airport also has helipads. The airport has
no control tower but is able to accommodate regional jet aircraft.
In addition, the airport has a small terminal.
Anderson Mall
Anderson Mall is Anderson's largest shopping center. It opened in
1972 and has undergone many expansions. It currently has 76
tenants, but there is currently a renovation that will add more
stores. The mall is owned by
Simon
Property Group and anchored by
Sears,
Belk,
and
JC Penney. Dillards recently opened at
the mall in the Fall of 2008 as part of the renovation project. The
project also closed the
Goody's outparcel store. The front of the mall was also
remodeled.
Shopping
Anderson
is one of the premier shopping centers in The Upstate
. Locally owned stores such as
Grady's Great Outdoors [20019]as well
as
big box stores occupy Anderson,
mainly on Clemson Boulevard. Midtown Park is a new shopping center
coming to Anderson in 2008 that will feature
Kohl's,
Dick's
Sporting Goods,
Staples,
AT&T,
Hardee's, and a sixth retail establishment.
Other
major shopping centers in Anderson include Anderson Mall, North
Pointe Centre, Anderson Station, and two WalMart
shopping centers.
Demographics
As of the
census of 2000, there were 25,514
people, 10,641 households, and 6,299 families residing in the city.
The
population density was
1,843.7 people per square mile (711.8/km²). There were 12,068
housing units at an average density of 872.1/sq mi
(336.7/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 63.12%
White, 34.01%
African American, 0.22%
Native American, 0.78%
Asian American, 0.04%
Pacific Islander, 0.68% from
other races, and 1.16% from two
or more races.
Hispanic or
Latino of any race were 1.48%
of the population.
There were 10,641 households out of which 25.4% had children under
the age of 18 living with them, 36.9% were
married couples living together, 18.7% had a female
householder with no husband present, and 40.8% were non-families.
36.0% 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 2.22 and the average family size was 2.89.
In the city the population was spread out with 22.2% under the age
of 18, 10.7% from 18 to 24, 26.3% from 25 to 44, 20.4% from 45 to
64, and 20.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was
38 years. For every 100 females there were 82.3 males. For every
100 females age 18 and over there were 77.5 males.
Anderson is the central city of an urbanized area with a total
population of 70,530 (2000 census). This urban area is within the
larger Greenville-Spartanburg metropolitan statistical area.
Government
Anderson is governed using the mayor-council system. The Mayor is
elected at-large. The city council consists of eight members. Six
are elected from districts and the other two are elected at
large.
Notable residents/former residents
- Guy Davenport: prolific novelist,
poet, and scholar
- Shaun Ellis: current professional
football player
- Bailey Hanks: Former star on
Broadway in Legally Blonde the Musical. Portrays Elle Woods
- James Robert "Radio"
Kennedy: subject of the motion picture "Radio", there is now a statue of him in the
town.
- Rafael Little: Current
professional football player for the Tennessee Titans
- Johnny Mann: arranger, composer,
conductor, entertainer, and recording artist
- Charles
Murphey: (1799-1861), United States Congressman from
Georgia
.
- Larry Nance: retired NBA basketball
player with the Phoenix Suns and
Cleveland Cavaliers
- James Lawrence
Orr: former Governor
of South
Carolina
and Speaker of
the United States House of Representatives.
- Lu Parker: Miss
USA 1994
- Jim Ed Rice: former professional
baseball player with the Boston Red
Sox from 1974 to 1989. Member of the Major League Baseball Hall
of Fame
- Class of 2009
- Jessica Stroup: Actress on the CW
TV show 90210
- James Mattison Sullivan:
former Mayor of Anderson; member,South Carolina Senate; South Carolina
Railroad Commissioner, Delegate - South Carolina Constitution of
1895
- Ben Taylor: former
Negro League professional baseball player from 1908 to 1929 and
Manager/Coach from 1929 to 1940. Member of the Major League Baseball Hall
of Fame
- Class of 2006
- James Michael Tyler: actor,
Gunther on the NBC sitcom Friends
- Ray M Dowis: designer for stars such
as Joan Lunden, Usher
- Carol Hannah Whitfield:
Designer on Lifetime's hit television
reality show Project Runway 2009,
alumni of College of Charleston and is now residing in Brooklyn,
NY
- Wesley Quinn: Dancer/singer in
popular boyband V Factory (Asher Book from the remake of Fame is also in V
Factory), graduated from Wren High School in Piedmont, SC
Sister Cities
Anderson has one sister city, as designated by
Sister Cities International.
References
External links