South Carolina Real Estate & Relocation Guide

Spartanburg, South Carolina

Population: 39,673

Located in Spartanburg County

Located in the foothills of the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains, Spartanburg is the jewel of the upstate region. Our mild climate with four distinct seasons provides fine weather for outdoor activities year-round. Spartanburg is full of exciting attractions, beautiful scenery, historically significant sites, and friendly people.

Our flourishing business climate is highlighted by affordable building and development sites, a well-educated workforce, and a comprehensive array of business services. We are the hub of the southern automotive industry, home to BMW Manufacturing Corporation and its many suppliers. Also home to a growing number of national and international corporate headquarters, and the site of growing high-tech services and manufacturing, Spartanburg County boasts the highest per capita income rates in South Carolina.

Home to more than 250,000 people, Spartanburg County is consistently ranked among the best places to live in America. Families, singles, retirees, entrepreneurs, movers and shakers and rockers and rollers all call Spartanburg home. Historic neighborhoods, downtown lofts, patio homes, condominium developments, quaint farms--Spartanburg is home to beautiful, affordable and contemporary housing opportunities. Hampton Heights Historic District, the city's oldest downtown neighborhood, is undergoing a dramatic revitalization. Architectural styles in this neighborhood range from large Queen Anne and Neo-classical homes to cozy early-twentieth- century bungalows. Two interstates intersecting here make commuting quick and easy.

Spartanburg is served by the Spartanburg County School System, divided into seven individual districts. Over 13 private and parochial schools are also located in Spartanburg, as is the South Carolina School for the Deaf and Blind. We are truly a "College Town," boasting six institutions of higher learning: the University of South Carolina Upstate, Converse College, Spartanburg Methodist College, Spartanburg Community College, Sherman College of Straight Chiropractic and Wofford College. With more than 10,000 students matriculating in Spartanburg County each year, we have the highest per capita college student population of any major city in South Carolina.

Morgan Square, the city’s primary downtown hub, is the original courthouse village. The oldest existing buildings on the square date to the 1880s. It is now a thriving center for daytime commerce as well as nightlife. The Magnolia Street Train Depot, one of the oldest buildings in the city, stands as a reminder of Spartanburg’s old nickname “the Hub City,” referring to the many transportation routes that connected Spartanburg with cities throughout the region. It is now the home of the Amtrak station, the Visitor’s Bureau and the Hub City Farmers' Market.

Spartanburg is the first and only city in South Carolina to be named a Bicycle Friendly Community by the League of American Bicyclists. Despite its small size, Spartanburg has always been a supportive home to a creative community. Cultural events and institutions abound in the city and county and consistently draw large crowds. The Chapman Cultural Center, opened in 2007, is the hub of cultural activity, housing the Museum of Art, the Regional Museum of History, the Science Center, Little Theatre, a ballet, a music foundation and other groups. The Showroom, a center for progressive arts, houses a gallery, film screen, stage, and concert venue and is home to a nationally-recognized artist residency program.

From our national "Bike Town" status to the acclaimed Hub City Writers Project, from Hub-Bub's Showroom to the Chapman Cultural Center, the signs of a creative renaissance are all over Spartanburg. It can be seen in the growing number of works of art in our public spaces and in the downtown corporate headquarters of QS/1, the first privately-owned, multi-storied building in the state to be LEED-certified. Peaceful lakes, majestic rolling mountains, acres of woods and pastoral glades abound. To live in Spartanburg is truly one of life's pleasures.