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Blacksburg, South Carolina
Shelby Street in Uptown Blacksburg
Shelby Street in Uptown Blacksburg
Official seal of Blacksburg, South Carolina
Seal
Nickname(s): 
Iron City
Motto(s): 
"Beginning the New Beginning"
Blacksburg, South Carolina is located in South Carolina
Blacksburg, South Carolina
Blacksburg, South Carolina
Location in South Carolina
Country United States
State South Carolina
County Cherokee
Incorporated 1888
Government
 • Type Administrator-Council Government
Area
 • Town 1.87 sq mi (4.85 km2)
 • Land 1.87 sq mi (4.85 km2)
 • Water 0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)
Elevation
761 ft (232 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • Town 1,889
 • Density 1,009.62/sq mi (389.78/km2)
 • Metro
9,655
Time zone UTC5 (Eastern)
 • Summer (DST) UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code
29702
Area codes 864
FIPS code 45-06400
GNIS feature ID 1246907

Blacksburg is a small town in Cherokee County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 1,848 at the 2010 census. The communities of Antioch, Cherokee Falls, Kings Creek, Cashion Crossroads, Buffalo, and Mount Paran are located near the town.

Blacksburg is in Upstate South Carolina on the Interstate 85 corridor about 45 mi (72 km) southwest of Charlotte, North Carolina. It is part of the Greenville-Spartanburg-Anderson Combined Statistical Area (CSA) which has a population of 1,478,648 according to 2018 estimates by the U.S. Census Bureau.

History

Located near the northern border of the state, the present-day site of Blacksburg was first settled by a man named Stark. Mr. Stark, who had lived in Charleston, South Carolina prior to moving to the area, had gotten several people to come along with him on an agriculture venture, but this venture would fail. Those who stayed behind named the area "Stark's Folly".

Bburgtrain
The railroad played a major role in the history of Blacksburg.

In the late 19th century the Black family, headed by John G. Black, a Confederate veteran, was living in the area and persuaded the C.C. & C. Railroad Company to lay track through the town and build a depot. The town soon became known as "Black's Station" in honor of John G. Black and was incorporated as Black's Station town in 1876. The legal town was renamed "Blacksburg" in 1888.

Major John F. Jones of Massachusetts came to live in Blacksburg when hired as superintendent of the C. C. & C. Railroad. He donated his own money to build a school, hotel (the Cherokee Inn), and several other buildings in Blacksburg. He lived in Blacksburg until 1922, when he was appointed the South Carolina Internal Revenue Collector by the President of the United States.

In the 1890s large amounts of iron ore were found in the area, and many people hoping to make a fortune from mining it 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. It installed the first electric street lights in Upstate South Carolina and perhaps in the entire state. The town was renamed in 1888 as "Blacksburg" but still holds the nickname of "Iron City".

The Kings Mountain State Park Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2008.

Geography

Blacksburg is located in northeastern Cherokee County at 35°7′14″N 81°30′59″W / 35.12056°N 81.51639°W / 35.12056; -81.51639 (35.120676, -81.516291). It is 4 miles (6 km) south of the North Carolina border.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 1.87 square miles (4.85 km2), all land.

Whitaker Mountain is partially in the northern corner of the town, with a summit elevation outside the town limits of approximately 1,169 ft (356 m).

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop.
1880 145
1890 1,245 758.6%
1900 1,285 3.2%
1910 1,110 −13.6%
1920 1,512 36.2%
1930 1,747 15.5%
1940 1,917 9.7%
1950 2,056 7.3%
1960 2,174 5.7%
1970 1,977 −9.1%
1980 1,873 −5.3%
1990 1,907 1.8%
2000 1,880 −1.4%
2010 1,848 −1.7%
2020 1,889 2.2%
U.S. Decennial Census

2020 census

Blacksburg racial composition
Race Num. Perc.
White (non-Hispanic) 1,282 67.87%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic) 433 22.92%
Native American 7 0.37%
Asian 13 0.69%
Other/Mixed 103 5.45%
Hispanic or Latino 51 2.7%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 1,889 people, 785 households, and 329 families residing in the town.

Major transportation routes

  • I-85 (SC).svg Interstate 85 runs northwest of the town, with access from Exits 100 and 102. There is a South Carolina Welcome Center at milemarker 103.
  • US 29.svg US 29 is a two-lane highway that runs through the downtown area and serves as the main street (Cherokee Street). It leads southwest 8 miles (13 km) to downtown Gaffney and northeast 6 miles (10 km) to Grover, North Carolina.
  • South Carolina 5.svg South Carolina Highway 5 is a four-lane road that passes east of the town center. SC 5 North ends at the south end of the bridge over I-85 at exit 102, 2 miles (3 km) north of the center of town. SC 5 South leads southeast 19 miles (31 km) to York and 34 miles (55 km) to Rock Hill.
  • South Carolina 198.svg South Carolina Highway 198 is a four-lane road that begins at the north end of the bridge over I-85 at exit 102 and leads north 14 miles (23 km) to Shelby, North Carolina.

Education

Public education in Blacksburg is administered by Cherokee County School District. The district operates Blacksburg Primary School, Blacksburg Elementary School, Blacksburg Middle School, and Blacksburg High School.

Blacksburg has a public library, a branch of the Cherokee County Library System.

Media

The Cherokee Chronicle, a newspaper serving Cherokee County, is published Tuesdays and Thursdays.

The Gaffney Ledger, a newspaper of the city of Gaffney located 10 mi (16 km) southwest of Blacksburg, is published Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.

Arts and culture

The Iron City Festival was held for the first time in 2006. The festival commemorates the founding of the town and is sponsored by the Blacksburg Business Association, Inc. Iron City Festival is held the third weekend in April.

The anniversary of the Battle of Kings Mountain is held annually on October 7–8 at the Kings Mountain National Military Park and honors those who fell at the Battle of Kings Mountain during the Revolutionary War.

Kings Mountain National Military Park and State Park, commemorating a battle of the Revolutionary War, are located about 8 miles (13 km) northeast of the town.

The famous Peachoid, a 1,000,000 US gal (3,800,000 L; 830,000 imp gal) water tank shaped like a peach, is located 10 miles (16 km) west of the town, in Gaffney.

Notable people

  • Jason Gilfillan, professional baseball player, graduated from Blacksburg High School in 1994
  • James Rhyne Killian, 10th president of MIT, from 1948 until 1959
  • Mikki Moore, professional basketball player, graduated from Blacksburg High School in 1993
  • Judy Rose, director of athletics at UNC Charlotte

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Blacksburg (Carolina del Sur) para niños

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