Anderson, South Carolina

Downtown Anderson in 1876

Cherokee first settled the area of what is today the city of Anderson. During the American Revolution, the Cherokee sided with the British. After the American Revolutionary War, the Cherokee's land was acquired as war reparations and colonized. In 1791, the South Carolina Legislature created the Washington District, which comprised Greenville, Anderson, Oconee, and Pickens Counties. The Washington District was then divided into Greenville and Pendleton districts. Anderson, Pickens, and Oconee comprised the newly created Pendleton district. Anderson was settled in 1826 and incorporated in 1828 as Anderson Court House, separate from the Pendleton district. The name Anderson is in honor of Robert Anderson, who fought in the American Revolutionary War and also explored the Anderson region in the mid-18th century. Anderson District (later Anderson County after 1867) was also established in 1826 out of the Pendleton district.

In 1851, the Johnson Female Seminary was established in Anderson as the first college of the town, and was named after William Bullein Johnson. One year later, the seminary was renamed Johnson University.[9] During the American Civil War, Johnson University was closed and converted into a Confederate treasury. On May 1, 1865, Union forces invaded Anderson looking for the Confederate treasury. The treasury office of Anderson was ransacked by Union forces, and the main building of Johnson University was used as a Union headquarters. A minor skirmish erupted at the Battle of Anderson, leading to two Union casualties.[10] After the war, a Union garrison was stationed in Anderson.

Portman Shoals Power Plant around 1920.

Anderson became one of the first cities in the Southeastern United States to have electricity. Electricity to Anderson was established by William C. Whitner in 1895 at a hydroelectric plant on the Rocky River, giving the city the name the Electric City. Anderson also became the first city in the world to supply a cotton gin by electricity. In 1895, Anderson Court House was renamed to Anderson.[11][12] In 1897, Whitner's plant was upgraded with a 10,000-volt generating station at Portman Shoals. Whitner's power plant at Portman Shoals became the first hydroelectric plant in the United States to generate high voltage without step-up transformers .[13] The Portman Dam was swept away in 1901, forcing Anderson into darkness until it was rebuilt in 1902.[14]

In 1911, Anderson College was established by the Anderson Chamber of Commerce. Anderson College was successor to Johnson University and is affiliated with the South Carolina Baptist Convention. Anderson College became Anderson University.[15] It is accredited as a Level VI institution (offers bachelors, masters, Ph.D. degrees) by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges.[16] As of October 2022, it is the largest private university in South Carolina.[17]

• Anderson College Historic District
• Anderson Downtown Historic District
• Anderson Historic District
• McDuffie Street Historic District
• South Boulevard Historic District
• Westside Historic District
• Whitner Street Historic District

Other historical locations

• Caldwell-Johnson-Morris Cottage
• Denver Downs Farmstead
• Kennedy Street School
• North Anderson Historic District
• Dr. Samuel Marshall Orr House
• Ralph John Ramer House

• Anderson Memorial Stadium, ballfield/stadium on 12 acres (4.9 ha) of land on White Road, it was renovated in 2007 with stadium-style seating. It is home to the Anderson University Trojans.
• Anderson Sports and Entertainment Center, 300-acre (120 ha) park, it includes the Anderson Civic Center, a 37,000-square-foot (3,400 m²) facility, as well as one of South Carolina's largest amphitheaters that can accommodate 15,000 people, a huge castle-like play structure with play equipment, a 64-acre (26 ha) sports center with seven baseball/softball fields, three soccer fields, a disc golf course, and eight tennis courts. The lake has a park, picnic shelters, and miles of nature trail. The center is Anderson's largest recreational area.
• Rocky River Nature Conservancy, nature reserve started by Anderson University to protect wetlands habitats. It has a lot of trails and a boardwalk over the wetlands. It is named after the Rocky River which runs through the conservancy.

• Calhoun Academy of the Arts
• Centerville Elementary
• Concord Elementary
• Homeland Park Primary School
• McLees Academy of Leadership
• Midway Elementary School of Science and Engineering
• Nevitt Forest Community School of Innovation
• New Prospect STEM Academy
• North Pointe Elementary School
• Varennes Academy of Communications and Technology
• Whitehall Elementary, A Global Communication School

• McCants Middle School
• Southwood Academy of the Arts
• Robert Anderson Middle School
• Glenview Middle School

Anderson University

• Westside High School
• T. L. Hanna High School
• Anderson Five Career Campus

• Anderson Christian School (PK-12)
• First Presbyterian Church Day School (PK)
• Grace Kindergarten
• Montessori School of Anderson (PK-12)
• New Covenant School (PK-12)
• Learn Upstate Hybrid Academy (PK-12)
• Oakwood Christian School (K-12)
• St. Joseph Catholic School (PK-8)
• Temple Christian Academy (K-12)
• West Anderson Christian Academy (PK/K)

• Anderson University
• Tri-County Technical College

Anderson has a public library, a branch of the Anderson County Library System.[22]

Anderson is served by Anderson Regional Airport. The airport is 3 miles (4.8 km) away from Anderson and has 2 runways; runway 5/23 is 6,000 feet (1,800 m) and runway 17/35 is 5,000 feet (1,500 m). The airport also has helipads. The airport has no control tower, but is able to accommodate regional jet aircraft. In addition, the airport has a small terminal.

Anderson has five signed exits on I-85, currently the city's only freeway. Several notable highways pass through the city, including US 29, US 76, US 178 (co-signed along Clemson Boulevard, also known as SC 28 Bus.), and SC 187.

In 2011, construction began on a new east–west connector that is about 3 mi long between Clemson Boulevard and South Carolina Highway 81.[23] On August 16, 2010, the connector was voted to have four lanes with turn and bike lanes, and a completion date set in October 2012.[24]

On November, 8th, 2013, the East-West Parkway formally opened to traffic.

Anderson has four bus routes that travel to most major areas of the city, running every hour.[25] The city also receives service from Clemson Area Transit (CATS) via the 4U route.[26] The city uses both newer hybrid buses and older style trolleys resembling Anderson's old streetcars. Inter-city bus travel is available through Greyhound Lines.

One of the Southeast High Speed Rail Corridor alternatives for a Charlotte - Greenville - Atlanta route includes a stop at Anderson.[27][28] This would mark the first time that passenger rail reached Anderson, since the passing of Piedmont and Northern Railway in ca. 1947[29][30] and the Blue Ridge Railway in ca. 1951 from Anderson.[31][32]

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 28,106 people, 11,412 households, and 6,112 families residing in the city.

At the census[35] of 2000, 25,514 people, 10,641 households, and 6,299 families were residing in the city. The population density was 1,843.7 people/sq mi (711.8/km²). The 12,068 housing units averaged 872.1/sq mi (336.7/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 63.12% White, 34.01% African American, 0.22% Native American, 0.78% Asian American, 0.72% from other races, and 1.16% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 1.48% of the population.