Seneca is known as the "Golden Corner" of South Carolina because of our climate, spectacularly beautiful lakes and foothill mountains. Our quality of life is to be envied and is a source of pride to us.
We are a rapidly growing area with many businesses either relocating to or establishing new businesses in the Seneca area. Proudly we can note that cultural and recreational opportunities abound, thus ensuring a rich and varied lifestyle, while still retaining the "old rural southern" flavor. Our support infrastructure of healthcare facilities, educational system, city and county services, transportation accessibility, etc. make the quality of life well above average.
Many recreational facilities are available to tourists and residents alike, including fishing streams, lakes for fishing, swimming, boating, water skiing, campgrounds, mountain trails for hiking, and excellent golf courses.
The Seneca Recreation Department conducts an excellent recreation program that offers activities and facilities for every age group. The department's newest facility is The Shaver Recreation Complex, offering active and passive recreation opportunities. The facilities are available for use by city residents and visitors to the area.
Lakes of all sizes sparkle amid the towering mountains and rolling countryside of our area. These include 55,000 acre Lake Hartwell and 18,500 acre Lake Keowee, and the rainbow trout filled Lake Jocassee. All three provide some 1,300 miles of picturesque shoreline. Oconee County is the home of the famous Sumter National Forest which covers 33,000 square miles.
The sport of boating is made easy by the number of lakes in the area. On a pretty day, boats dot the water of Lakes Jocassee, Keowee, and Hartwell. Canoeing and rafting are popular sports on the famous Chattooga River.
There are 20 public schools within the county: eleven elementary schools, four middle schools, four high schools, and one career center. An additional facility, the Family Learning Center, houses the district's adult education and alternative programs. All Oconee schools are accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and by the South Carolina Department of Education.
The curriculum in the schools of Oconee County exceeds the recommended course offering by the South Carolina Department of Education. The district offers a parents' program, advanced placement classes, an exemplary fine arts program, and a myriad of career education courses.
Each of the schools in the county is a part of the single district and is subject to the policies set forth by the elected board of trustees. Oconee County is the only county in the state of South Carolina with an elected Superintendent of Education.
There are approximately 820 teachers, media specialists, and counselors, as well as 60 district-wide administrators employed by the school district. In addition to the professional staff, there are approximately 520 classified employees making a total of 1,400 working in the school system.
The student population for the school district is approximately 10,100 in grades K-12, which makes the School District of Oconee County the 17th largest of 87 school districts in South Carolina. Oconee students have generally shown steady improvement on standardized norm and criterion-referenced tests. In almost all areas, students score at or above the state average and near or above average on similar national standardized tests. 57.8% of Oconee's graduating seniors enter junior or senior colleges and universities.
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