Blacksburg, South Carolina

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Blacksburg
Shelby Street in Downtown Blacksburg
Shelby Street in Downtown Blacksburg
Nickname: "Iron City"
Motto: Beginning the New Beginning
Location of Blacksburg
Location of Blacksburg
County Cherokee
Incorporated 1888
Government
 - Mayor David Hogue
Area
 - City 4.9 km²  (1.9 sq mi)
 - Land 4.9 km² (1.9 sq mi)
 - Water 0 km² (0.0 sq mi)
Population (2000)
 - City 1,880 (Town proper)
 - Density 393.4/km² (1,018.8/sq mi)
 - Metro 9,655 (Greater Blacksburg)
Time zone Eastern (UTC5)
Website: http://www.blacksburgsc.net

Blacksburg is a town in Cherokee County, South Carolina, United States. As of the 2000 census, the town had a total population within the city limit of 1,880. The population of greater Blacksburg is approximately 9,655. The communities of Cherokee Falls, Kings Creek, Cashion Crossroads, Buffalo, and Mt. Paren are located within or near the town.

Blacksburg is in The Upstate of SC on the I-85 corridor about 45 miles southwest of Charlotte, NC and is part of the Greenville-Spartanburg-Anderson Combined Statistical Area (CSA) which has a population of 1,173,433 according to 2004 estimates by the U.S. Census Bureau.

Contents

[edit] Brief 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
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 Chrokee 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 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.

[edit] Other Information

Interesting Facts & 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 for four consecutive years: 2002, 2003, 2004, and 2005.

Nearby Attractions:

  • Kings 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.

Annual Events:

  • 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 20, and 21st, 2007. 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.
  • WAGI 105.3 FM--Radio station broadcasting from Gaffney, SC. The station broadcasts local news and sports for Gaffney and Blacksburg. Playing mostly Country and Gospel music, the station has a morning show called "Carolina in the Morning" and a popular show called "Swap & Shop" where listeners can call in to buy, sell, or trade items.

Major Transportation Routes

  • I-85--Exits 106, 104, 102, & 100 serve the town. There is a SC Welcome Center at milemarker 103.
  • US 29--2 Lanes. Runs through the downtown area and serves as main street (Cherokee Street)
  • SC 5--4 Lanes. SC 5 North ends at SC 18. SC 5 South ends just southeast of Rock Hill, SC.
  • SC 198--4 Lanes. SC 198 West ends in Shelby, NC. SC 198 East ends at intersection with US 29 & SC 5.

Schools: There are four public schools located in Blacksburg. The schools are Blacksburg Primary School, Blacksburg Elementary School, Blacksburg Middle School, and Blacksburg High School.

[edit] Geography

Blacksburg is located at 35°7′14″N, 81°30′59″W (35.120676, -81.516291)GR1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 4.8 km² (1.9 mi²), all land.

[edit] Demographics

As of the censusGR2 of 2000, there were 1,880 people, 785 households, and 503 families residing in the town. The population density was 392.4/km² (1,018.8/mi²). There were 911 housing units at an average density of 190.1/km² (493.7/mi²). The racial makeup of the town was 74.52% White, 23.56% African American, 0.21% Native American, 0.11% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, and 1.54% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.53% of the population.

There were 785 households out of which 31.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.3% were married couples living together, 19.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.8% were non-families. 32.6% 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 2.39 and the average family size was 3.04.

In the town the population was spread out with 28.2% under the age of 18, 7.8% from 18 to 24, 27.9% from 25 to 44, 21.8% from 45 to 64, and 14.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 80.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 76.6 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $26,453, and the median income for a family was $35,208. Males had a median income of $27,384 versus $21,207 for females. The per capita income for the town was $16,833. About 13.7% of families and 17.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 20.3% of those under age 18 and 29.4% of those age 65 or over.

[edit] External links

Blacksburg High school band has set a record of four consecutive state marching band championships. The first year was under the direction of Virgil Hampton and Shane Dixon. The second and third year were under the direction of Shane Dixon and Rebecca Northcutt and the fourth year was under the direction of Shane Dixon and Jenifer Cantrell. This year the band place third in upper state and state competitions.

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