Greer, South Carolina
Encyclopedia
Greer is a city in Greenville
and Spartanburg counties in the U.S. state
of South Carolina
, between the cities of Greenville
and Spartanburg
. The population was 25,515 at the 2010 census. It is projected to hit 30,000 within 4 years. Each day, more than three times that number of people pass through the city on the two highway
s which run through the city. The Greenville County portion of Greer is part of the Greenville–Mauldin
–Easley
Metropolitan Statistical Area
, while the Spartanburg County portion is part of the Spartanburg Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Greer is adjacent to Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport
(GSP), which serves Greenville
, Spartanburg
, and the Upstate
. Greer is also the site of the only BMW manufacturing facility in North America. According to a June 2005 article in The Greenville News
, BMW's Greer plant employs about 4,600 workers, and has attracted dozens of suppliers in South Carolina, providing jobs for more than 12,000 workers.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the city has a total area of 16.1 square miles (41.8 km²). Greer has three lakes: Lake Robinson, Apalache Lake and Lake Cunningham. Greer also has the Middle Tyger River running through it and the Apalache River.
, through Ireland
. Many of his descendents still reside in the region. James Manning Greer was a descendant of John Greer who arrived in Charleston
aboard the ship The Falls in 1764. The Greer family settled at Duncans Creek which eventually became Greer Station.
The commonly accepted origin of the Greer name is that it is derived from the Clan Gregor - the MacGregors or sons of Gregor. Note there is no distinction between McGregor and MacGregor, both being anglicised versions of the Gaelic
name.
Located in the picturesque foothills of the Upstate region of South Carolina, Greer enjoys a distinguished past, from its days as a hunting ground for local Cherokees, to its settlement by pioneering families in the 1700s, to the advent of the railroad in the 1800s. Today, Greer possesses a combination of small-town charm and big-city opportunities, attracting a wide variety of businesses and people from across the country and the world.
The area now known as Greer was once part of the “Domain of the Cherokees” prior to the American Revolutionary War
. In 1777, the area was added to the state of South Carolina. Development toward the birth of the town occurred in 1873 when the Richmond and Danville Air Line Railway (now the CSX Railway) established a line between Atlanta and Charlotte
. A station was built on land that belonged to James Manning Greer, and was named Greer’s Station. The first post office was located in the new depot, Greer’s Depot. When the town was incorporated in 1876, it was named Town of Greer’s. One hundred years later, the name was officially changed to the City of Greer without an “s” on the end.
Merchants, blacksmiths and physicians set up shop in what is now the downtown area of Greer. In 1900, Greer’s first bank, the Bank of Greer’s, opened. The Piedmont and Northern Railway
laid a second railroad line through Greer in 1914. With two active train lines, Greer became an attractive site for commerce. The railway meant big business for local farmers, enabling them to ship their crops, mainly cotton
and peach
es, out of state. Greer also became a textile
-manufacturing center, with flourishing mills that included Victor, Franklin, Apalache and Greer Mills. The communities that grew up around the mills were as close-knit as the outlying farming communities.
After World War II, the city began to grow and diversify its industrial base. A new hospital and high school were built. People came to downtown Greer from Spartanburg and Greenville to shop. In the early 1960s, Interstate 85
was opened, as well as the Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport
. Foreign imports derailed the textile industry in the 1970s and threatened to turn Greer into a ghost town, but the citizens of Greer worked together to recruit new industry.
of 2000, there were 16,843 people, 6,714 households, and 4,511 families residing in the city. The population density
was 1,044.5 people per square mile (403.2/km²). There were 7,386 housing units at an average density of 458.0 per square mile (176.8/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 73.39% White, 19.49% African American, 1.16% Asian, 0.22% Native American, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 4.42% from other races
, and 1.26% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 8.18% of the population. 21.6% were of American
, 9.5% Irish
, 8.9% German
and 8.4% English
ancestry according to Census 2000. 90.6% spoke English
and 8.5% Spanish
as their first language. Since 2000, the city has seen an explosive increase in Hispanic immigration.
There were 6,714 households out of which 31.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.1% were married couples
living together, 15.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.8% were non-families. 27.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.47 and the average family size was 2.99.
In the city the population was spread out with 24.8% under the age of 18, 9.2% from 18 to 24, 33.4% from 25 to 44, 18.9% from 45 to 64, and 13.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 90.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.6 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $33,140, and the median income for a family was $41,864. Males had a median income of $33,147 versus $23,566 for females. The per capita income
for the city was $17,546. About 12.2% of families and 15.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.5% of those under age 18 and 15.1% of those age 65 or over.
In the summer of 2010, the combined team of two schools, (Blue Ridge Middle School, and Greer Middle) the 11-12 year old Little League softball team went to the regional tournament in Warner Robins, Georgia, but lost the first two games and was eliminated.
City Stadium in Greer is a Works Project Administration project completed in 1938; it currently seats 3,000. Throughout the years the stadium has hosted little league, scholastic, The American Legion World Series, and semi-professional sports and received a major renovation in 1997. http://www.cityofgreer.org/departments/city_stadium.php
Greenville County, South Carolina
- External Links :*...
and Spartanburg counties in the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of South Carolina
South Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
, between the cities of Greenville
Greenville, South Carolina
-Law and government:The city of Greenville adopted the Council-Manager form of municipal government in 1976.-History:The area was part of the Cherokee Nation's protected grounds after the Treaty of 1763, which ended the French and Indian War. No White man was allowed to enter, though some families...
and Spartanburg
Spartanburg, South Carolina
thgSpartanburg is the largest city in and the county seat of Spartanburg County, South Carolina, United States. It is the second-largest city of the three primary cities in the Upstate region of South Carolina, and is located northwest of Columbia, west of Charlotte, and about northeast of...
. The population was 25,515 at the 2010 census. It is projected to hit 30,000 within 4 years. Each day, more than three times that number of people pass through the city on the two highway
Highway
A highway is any public road. In American English, the term is common and almost always designates major roads. In British English, the term designates any road open to the public. Any interconnected set of highways can be variously referred to as a "highway system", a "highway network", or a...
s which run through the city. The Greenville County portion of Greer is part of the Greenville–Mauldin
Mauldin, South Carolina
Mauldin is a city in Greenville County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 15,224 at the 2000 census. It is a principal city of the Greenville–Mauldin–Easley Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...
–Easley
Easley, South Carolina
Easley is a city in Pickens County in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It is a principal city of the Greenville–Mauldin–Easley Metropolitan Statistical Area. Most of the city lies in Pickens County, with only a very small portion of the city in Anderson County...
Metropolitan Statistical Area
Greenville-Mauldin-Easley metropolitan area
The Greenville–Mauldin–Easley Metropolitan Statistical Area, as defined by the United States Office of Management and Budget and used by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purpose only, is an area consisting of three counties in Upstate South Carolina, anchored mainly by...
, while the Spartanburg County portion is part of the Spartanburg Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Greer is adjacent to Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport
Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport
Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport , also known as GSP International Airport or Roger Milliken Field, is a public airport located in unincorporated Greenville and Spartanburg counties in South Carolina, United States, 3 miles south of central Greer; the airport serves Greenville and...
(GSP), which serves Greenville
Greenville, South Carolina
-Law and government:The city of Greenville adopted the Council-Manager form of municipal government in 1976.-History:The area was part of the Cherokee Nation's protected grounds after the Treaty of 1763, which ended the French and Indian War. No White man was allowed to enter, though some families...
, Spartanburg
Spartanburg, South Carolina
thgSpartanburg is the largest city in and the county seat of Spartanburg County, South Carolina, United States. It is the second-largest city of the three primary cities in the Upstate region of South Carolina, and is located northwest of Columbia, west of Charlotte, and about northeast of...
, and the Upstate
The Upstate
The Upstate is the region in northwestern South Carolina, United States, also known as The Upcountry, which is the historical term. Although loosely defined among locals, the general definition includes the 10 counties of the commerce-rich I-85 corridor in the northwest corner of South Carolina. ...
. Greer is also the site of the only BMW manufacturing facility in North America. According to a June 2005 article in The Greenville News
The Greenville News
The Greenville News is a daily morning newspaper published in Greenville, South Carolina. Along with The State in Columbia and Charleston's Post and Courier, it is one of the three largest papers in South Carolina.-History:...
, BMW's Greer plant employs about 4,600 workers, and has attracted dozens of suppliers in South Carolina, providing jobs for more than 12,000 workers.
Geography
Greer is located at 34°55′49"N 82°13′30"W (34.930304, -82.225052).According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the city has a total area of 16.1 square miles (41.8 km²). Greer has three lakes: Lake Robinson, Apalache Lake and Lake Cunningham. Greer also has the Middle Tyger River running through it and the Apalache River.
History
Greer was founded by James Manning Greer, a man from the Clan McGregor whose ancestry traces from ScotlandScotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, through Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
. Many of his descendents still reside in the region. James Manning Greer was a descendant of John Greer who arrived in Charleston
Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston is the second largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It was made the county seat of Charleston County in 1901 when Charleston County was founded. The city's original name was Charles Towne in 1670, and it moved to its present location from a location on the west bank of the...
aboard the ship The Falls in 1764. The Greer family settled at Duncans Creek which eventually became Greer Station.
The commonly accepted origin of the Greer name is that it is derived from the Clan Gregor - the MacGregors or sons of Gregor. Note there is no distinction between McGregor and MacGregor, both being anglicised versions of the Gaelic
Gaelic
Gaelic is an adjective that means "pertaining to the Gaels", including language and culture. As a noun, it may refer to the group of languages spoken by the Gaels, or to any one of the languages individually.-Gaelic languages:...
name.
Located in the picturesque foothills of the Upstate region of South Carolina, Greer enjoys a distinguished past, from its days as a hunting ground for local Cherokees, to its settlement by pioneering families in the 1700s, to the advent of the railroad in the 1800s. Today, Greer possesses a combination of small-town charm and big-city opportunities, attracting a wide variety of businesses and people from across the country and the world.
The area now known as Greer was once part of the “Domain of the Cherokees” prior to the American Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
. In 1777, the area was added to the state of South Carolina. Development toward the birth of the town occurred in 1873 when the Richmond and Danville Air Line Railway (now the CSX Railway) established a line between Atlanta and Charlotte
Charlotte, North Carolina
Charlotte is the largest city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the seat of Mecklenburg County. In 2010, Charlotte's population according to the US Census Bureau was 731,424, making it the 17th largest city in the United States based on population. The Charlotte metropolitan area had a 2009...
. A station was built on land that belonged to James Manning Greer, and was named Greer’s Station. The first post office was located in the new depot, Greer’s Depot. When the town was incorporated in 1876, it was named Town of Greer’s. One hundred years later, the name was officially changed to the City of Greer without an “s” on the end.
Merchants, blacksmiths and physicians set up shop in what is now the downtown area of Greer. In 1900, Greer’s first bank, the Bank of Greer’s, opened. The Piedmont and Northern Railway
Piedmont and Northern Railway
The Piedmont & Northern Railway was a heavy electric interurban company operating over two disconnected divisions in North and South Carolina. Tracks spanned total between the two segments, with the northern division running from Charlotte, to Gastonia, North Carolina, including a three-mile ...
laid a second railroad line through Greer in 1914. With two active train lines, Greer became an attractive site for commerce. The railway meant big business for local farmers, enabling them to ship their crops, mainly cotton
Cotton
Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective capsule, around the seeds of cotton plants of the genus Gossypium. The fiber is almost pure cellulose. The botanical purpose of cotton fiber is to aid in seed dispersal....
and peach
Peach
The peach tree is a deciduous tree growing to tall and 6 in. in diameter, belonging to the subfamily Prunoideae of the family Rosaceae. It bears an edible juicy fruit called a peach...
es, out of state. Greer also became a textile
Textile
A textile or cloth is a flexible woven material consisting of a network of natural or artificial fibres often referred to as thread or yarn. Yarn is produced by spinning raw fibres of wool, flax, cotton, or other material to produce long strands...
-manufacturing center, with flourishing mills that included Victor, Franklin, Apalache and Greer Mills. The communities that grew up around the mills were as close-knit as the outlying farming communities.
After World War II, the city began to grow and diversify its industrial base. A new hospital and high school were built. People came to downtown Greer from Spartanburg and Greenville to shop. In the early 1960s, Interstate 85
Interstate 85
Interstate 85 is a major interstate highway in the Southeastern United States. Its current southern terminus is at an interchange with Interstate 65 in Montgomery, Alabama; its northern terminus interchanges with Interstate 95 in Petersburg, Virginia, near Richmond...
was opened, as well as the Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport
Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport
Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport , also known as GSP International Airport or Roger Milliken Field, is a public airport located in unincorporated Greenville and Spartanburg counties in South Carolina, United States, 3 miles south of central Greer; the airport serves Greenville and...
. Foreign imports derailed the textile industry in the 1970s and threatened to turn Greer into a ghost town, but the citizens of Greer worked together to recruit new industry.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 16,843 people, 6,714 households, and 4,511 families residing in the city. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 1,044.5 people per square mile (403.2/km²). There were 7,386 housing units at an average density of 458.0 per square mile (176.8/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 73.39% White, 19.49% African American, 1.16% Asian, 0.22% Native American, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 4.42% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 1.26% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 8.18% of the population. 21.6% were of American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, 9.5% Irish
Irish people
The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...
, 8.9% German
Germans
The Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages....
and 8.4% English
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
ancestry according to Census 2000. 90.6% spoke English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
and 8.5% Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
as their first language. Since 2000, the city has seen an explosive increase in Hispanic immigration.
There were 6,714 households out of which 31.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.1% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 15.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.8% were non-families. 27.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.47 and the average family size was 2.99.
In the city the population was spread out with 24.8% under the age of 18, 9.2% from 18 to 24, 33.4% from 25 to 44, 18.9% from 45 to 64, and 13.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 90.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.6 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $33,140, and the median income for a family was $41,864. Males had a median income of $33,147 versus $23,566 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the city was $17,546. About 12.2% of families and 15.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.5% of those under age 18 and 15.1% of those age 65 or over.
Athletics
The city of Greer has a thriving recreation sports program. Greer Recreation (Greer Rec) has many sports opportunities. One of the best accomplishments that the city claimed was their 2007 9-10 Little League softball state championship.In the summer of 2010, the combined team of two schools, (Blue Ridge Middle School, and Greer Middle) the 11-12 year old Little League softball team went to the regional tournament in Warner Robins, Georgia, but lost the first two games and was eliminated.
City Stadium in Greer is a Works Project Administration project completed in 1938; it currently seats 3,000. Throughout the years the stadium has hosted little league, scholastic, The American Legion World Series, and semi-professional sports and received a major renovation in 1997. http://www.cityofgreer.org/departments/city_stadium.php
Notable natives and residents
- Jay HaasJay HaasJay Dean Haas is an American professional golfer.Haas was born in St. Louis, Missouri, and grew up in Belleville, Illinois. He attended Wake Forest University and was a member of the NCAA Championship team of the middle 1970s with Curtis Strange and Bob Byman that Golf World has called "the...
, golfer; multiple winner on the PGA TourPGA TourThe PGA Tour is the organizer of the main men's professional golf tours in the United States and North America...
and Champions TourChampions TourThe Champions Tour, a golf tour run by the PGA Tour, hosts a series of events annually in the United States and the United Kingdom for golfers 50 years of age and older. Many of the PGA Tour's most successful golfers have gone on to play on the Champions Tour.The Senior PGA Championship, founded in...
External links
- City of Greer official website
- Greer Development Corporation
- "BMW executive says Greer plant is vital to company's future", a June 2005 article from The Greenville NewsThe Greenville NewsThe Greenville News is a daily morning newspaper published in Greenville, South Carolina. Along with The State in Columbia and Charleston's Post and Courier, it is one of the three largest papers in South Carolina.-History:...
- BMW Zentrum, the only BMW museum in North America, near BMW's plant