Cherokee County is located in the upstate area of South Carolina. The county was formed in 1897 and was formed from parts of York, Union and Spartanburg counties. Cherokee County has 4 main municipalities, Gaffney, Blacksburg, Chesnee, and Cowpens. The total square miles of Cherokee county is 397 of which 393 are land and 5 square miles is water.
Cherokee County is home to two National Parks, Cowpens National Battlefield and Kings Mountain National Military Park
Population Statistics for Cherokee County:
Cherokee County, South Carolina Statistics
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| Demographics
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Cherokee County |
South Carolina |
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Population |
53,886 |
4,321,249 |
|
Population Change |
2.6% |
7.7% |
|
Population, 2000 |
52,537 |
4,012,012 |
|
Persons under 5 years old |
6.8% |
6.6% |
|
Persons under 18 years old |
25.3% |
24.1% |
Persons 65 years old and over |
12.4% |
12.6% |
|
Female persons, percent |
51.4% |
51.3% |
|
White persons, percent |
78.1% |
68.4% |
|
Black persons, percent |
20.5% |
29.2% |
American Indian and Alaska Native persons |
0.2% |
0.4% |
|
Asian persons |
0.5% |
1.1% |
|
Persons of Hispanic or Latino origin |
2.8% |
3.3% |
|
White persons not Hispanic |
75.6% |
65.5% |
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| Population and Education Demographics |
Cherokee County
|
South Carolina |
|
Living in same house in 1995 and 2000 5 yrs old and over |
61.2% |
55.9% |
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Foreign born persons |
1.3% |
2.9% |
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Language other than English spoken at home age 5+ |
3.0% |
5.2% |
|
High school graduates, percent of persons age 25+ |
66.7% |
76.3% |
|
|
Bachelor's degree or higher persons age 25+ |
11.8% |
5.00% |
|
Persons with a disability, age 5+ |
13,102 |
810,857 |
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Mean travel time to work (minutes), workers age 16+ |
23.0 |
24.3 |
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| Housing Information
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Cherokee County
|
South Carolina |
|
Housing units |
23,123 |
1,927,864 |
Homeownership rate |
73.9% |
72.2% |
Housing units in multi-unit structures, percent |
10.7% |
15.8% |
|
Median value of owner-occupied housing units |
$74,100 |
$94,900 |
|
Persons per household |
2.53 |
2.53 |
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Median household income |
$35,374 |
$39,454 |
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Per capita money income |
$16,421 |
$18,795 |
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| Business Information
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Cherokee County
|
South Carolina |
|
Private nonfarm establishments |
1,020 |
103,416 |
|
Private nonfarm employment |
18,205 |
1,584,914 |
|
Private nonfarm employment, percent change |
-11.4% |
-1.0% |
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Total number of firms |
2,751 |
292,984 |
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Black-owned firms |
9.2% |
9.8% |
|
Women-owned firms |
31.0% |
26.2% |
|
Asian-owned firms |
N/A |
1.5% |
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| Sales Demographics |
Cherokee County
|
South Carolina |
|
Manufacturers shipments ($1000) |
2,338,013 |
81,132,781 |
|
Wholesale trade sales ($1000) |
N/A |
32,988,974 |
|
Retail sales ($1000) |
472,082 |
40,629,089 |
|
Retail sales per capita |
$8,815 |
$9,895 |
|
Accommodation and foodservices sales, 2002 ($1000) |
48,110 |
6,104,316 |
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Building permits, 2006 |
141 |
50,776 |
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Federal spending, 2004 ($1000) |
240,158 |
30,051,171 |
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| Geography Demographics |
Cherokee County
|
South Carolina |
|
Land area, 2000 (square miles) |
392.69 |
30,109.47 |
|
Persons per square mile |
133.7 |
133.2 |
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Metropolitan or Micropolitan Statistical Area |
Gaffney, SC Micro Area |
N/A |
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Transportation
The lifeline of Cherokee County, I-85 runs through the city limits of Gaffney, contributing to much of the growth along Floyd Baker Blvd, the county's main thoroughfare, which bisects I-85. Much of the county's growth occurs along I-85. One of the nation's busiest airports, Charlotte/Douglas International Airport is located in nearby Charlotte 45 minutes away.
For regional and national air travel Greenville-Spartanburg Airport is located in Greer, SC about 40 minutes away. A study to determine the feasibility of building an airport in the county reveals that a general aviation airport is desperately needed in the county. Master Plan calls for runway size of 5,500 ft. Ultimately expanding to 7,000 ft. FAA approved site has been chosen. Site is north of Broad River, located between I-85 and US 29. Hwy 18 and Hwy 5 also provide easy access to the proposed site. Funding is provided by the federal govt. (95%), State of South Carolina (2 1/2 %) and Cherokee County (2 1/2 %).
The county is also served by US 29 which parallels I-85 and is mostly used for local traffic. US 29 also serves as a major road in the downtown area of Gaffney (Granard St.). US 29 North continues at the 5 Points Intersection and becomes Cherokee Avenue which runs through the main street of Blacksburg.
Several of the other major South Carolina highways that serve the county are: SC Highway 11, SC Highway 150, SC Highway 105, SC Highway 18 serve the Gaffney area. SC Highway 5 serves the Blacksburg area from York County (east) and Cleveland County (west) and intersects with I-85.
Employment
Major Employers:
| Nestle Prepared Foods |
1,450 |
| Cherokee County School District |
1,350 |
| The Timken Comany |
700 |
| Freightliner Custom Chasis |
500 |
| Sanders Brothers (fabrication) |
420 |
| Hamrick Mills, Inc. |
400 |
| Upstate Carolina Medical Center |
375 |
| Magnolia Finishing (Milliken) |
350 |
Employment by Sector:
| Manufacturing |
45.3% |
| Wholesale/Retail |
19.7% |
| Others |
12.9% |
| Services |
11.2% |
| Construction |
7.8% |
| Transportation/Utilities |
4.4% |
| Finance/Insurance/Real Estate |
1.7% |
Entertainment
Cherokee County is the only county to have three national parks within its boundaries: Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail, this trail follows the path of major victories of American troops during the Revolutionary War, and spans South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, and Tennessee, Kings Mountain National Military Park, and Cowpens National Battlefield. Other historic homes dot the landscape of Cherokee County and while many of them are not open to the public several annual tours take place to display these beautiful and historic homes.
Gaffney Little Theatre and Limestone College serve theatre enthusiasts, offering plays and musicals ten to twelve times a year.
A major shopping center is Prime Outlets-Gaffney, which attracts almost 3,000,000 visitors per year, and contains 80 retail outlets. Floyd Baker Boulevard is one of the fastest-growing commercial areas in Cherokee County, with a traffic count of almost 40,000 cars per day and a large number of stores and restaurants. Uptown Gaffney offers many upscale boutiques, shops, cafes, and pubs.
One of the newest entertainment-oriented developments to take place in the county is the opening of a large entertainment facility. Known as Starmax Gaffney the facility contains eight state of the art movie theaters, 16-lane bowling alley, two large arcades, and a sports bar.
The area's newest attraction is the Cherokee County History and Arts Museum. Located at the old Central school, it is a true chance to find your roots! Cherokee County's history and its contributions to the arts weave a captivating and inspiring story of the region and its role in shaping the culture of the southeast and the nation.
Nuclear Power Plant
On March 16, 2006 Duke Power announced that a Cherokee County site had been selected for a potential new nuclear power plant, to be called the William States Lee III Nuclear Generating Station. The site is jointly owned by Duke Power and Southern Company. Duke plans to develop the site for two Westinghouse Electric Company AP1000 (advanced passive) pressurized water reactors.
Each reactor is capable of producing approximately 1,117 megawatts. On December 14, 2007 Duke Power submitted a Combined Construction and Operating License to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, with an announcement that it will spend $160 million in 2008 on the plant with a total cost of 5-6 billion dollars.
This site will be adjacent to the old Cherokee Nuclear Power Plant site, which was never completed and ultimately abandoned. It was used by James Cameron as a set for the 1989 film The Abyss.
