Blacksburg, South Carolina Demographics

The population of Blacksburg, South Carolina is 1,880 at the 2000 census, The communities of Cherokee Falls, Kings Creek, Cashion Crossroads, Buffalo, and Mt. Paran are located within or near the town. Blacksburg is in the Upstate area of South Carolina and on the busy I-85 corridor about 45 minutes southwest of Charlotte, North Carolina. Blacksburg's official Nickname is the "Iron City" and the town motto is "Beginning the New Beginning". There are four public schools located in Blacksburg. The schools are Blacksburg Primary, Blacksburg Elementary, Blacksburg Middle, and Blacksburg High School.

History of Blacksburg, SC

The present day site of Blacksburg, SC was first settled by a man by the name of Stark. Mr. Stark who had lived in Charleston, SC 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.

The railroad played a major role in the history of Blacksburg Around the late 1800s 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.

Major John F. Jones of Massachusetts came to live in Blacksburg to be superintendent of the C. C. & C. railroad. He gave of his own personal money to have a school, hotel (The Cherokee Inn), and several other buildings constructed in Blacksburg. He lived in Blacksburg until 1922, when he was appointed the SC Internal Revenue Collector by the President of the United States. He died in 1939 at the age of 92 in his home state, Massachusetts.

In the 1890s 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 first electric street lights in the Upstate of S.C. and perhaps in the entire state were installed in Blacksburg. The city was incorporated in 1888 as "Blacksburg" but still holds its nickname "Iron City" to this day.

Blacksburg Facts and Trivia

  • Blacksburg got its nickname "Iron City" for the large amounts of iron ore discovered in the town in the late 1800s.

  • Blacksburg was the first town in the state of South Carolina to have electric street lights.

  • The Ed Brown Championship Rodeo attracts an estimated 22,000 people to the town on the first Friday and Saturday of August each year. The town has a "Rodeo Days" Festival with several events including, a parade, car show, and street dance.

  • The Blacksburg High School Marching Band has won the Class A state championship four times: 2002, 2003, 2004, and 2005.

  • The Blacksburg High School football team won the state football championship in 1976

Attractions and Events

  • Mountain National Military Park and State Park, commemorating a battle of the Revolutionary War, are located about 5 miles northeast of the town.

  • The famous Peachoid, a 1,000,000 gallon water tank shaped like a peach, is located just 10 minutes south of the town in Gaffney, SC.
  • The Bike Ride for Iron City Ministries is held each year and raises money for Iron City Ministries, a non-profit organization which helps people in Cherokee County, SC with needs such as food and clothing.

  • The Iron City Festival was held for the first time on April 1, 2006 and is scheduled to be held April 18, 2009. The festival commemorates the founding of the town and is sponsored by the Blacksburg Business Association.

  • The Ed Brown Championship Rodeo is held the first Friday and Saturday in August every year. The rodeo, started in 1968, features bareback riding, saddle bronc riding, calf roping, steer wrestling, ladies barrel racing, bull riding and other events.

  • The Anniversary of the Battle of Kings Mountain is held annually on October 7-8th at the Kings Mountain National Military Park and honors those that fell at the Battle of Kings Mountain during the Revolutionary War.

Local Media

  • The Blacksburg Times - Is the town's newspaper and is published once weekly on Thursday.

  • The Cherokee Chronicle - Newspaper serving Cherokee County is published Tuesdays and Thursdays.

  • The Gaffney Ledger - Newspaper of the City of Gaffney located 10 miles southwest of Blacksburg. Published Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.


Learn more about Blacksburg, South Carolina