Greer, South Carolina

Greer is a city in Greenville and Spartanburg counties in the U.S. state of South Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 35,308, making it the 14th-most populous city in South Carolina. Greer is included in the Greenville-Anderson-Greer, SC Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is part of the Greenville-Spartanburg-Anderson, SC Combined Statistical Area in Upstate South Carolina.

History

Greer was named for James Manning Greer, who was Scottish. Many of his descendants still reside in the region. James Manning Greer was a descendant of John Greer Sr., who surveyed his land in Laurens County in 1750. John and his family were already in Laurens County, prior to the Greer passengers who arrived aboard the ship The Falls in 1764. John, Sr.'s great-grandson, James Manning Greer, settled his family near Greenville in an area that eventually became known as Greer's Station.

thumb|left|[[Greer Downtown Historic District]]

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 Norfolk Southern 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.

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 peaches, 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. The building is now home to the Greer Heritage Museum.

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. 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 attract new industry.

Geography

Greer is located northeast of Greenville and west of Spartanburg.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and (8.29%) is water.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, there were 35,308 people and 7,507 families residing in the city; the median age was 36.1 years, 25.9% of residents were under the age of 18, and 13.7% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 90.1 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 86.3 males age 18 and over.

{| class="wikitable"

|+ Racial composition as of the 2020 census

! Race !! Number !! Percent

| White || 21,498 || 60.9%

| Black or African American || 5,640 || 16.0%

| American Indian and Alaska Native || 179 || 0.5%

| Asian || 1,877 || 5.3%

| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander || 14 || 0.0%

| Some other race || 2,906 || 8.2%

| Two or more races || 3,194 || 9.0%

| Hispanic or Latino (of any race) || 5,630 || 15.9%

99.1% of residents lived in urban areas, while 0.9% lived in rural areas.

There were 13,857 households in Greer, of which 36.8% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 46.7% were married-couple households, 16.4% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 31.3% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 28.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

2000 census

At the 2000 census,

Arts and culture

Greer has a public library, a branch of the Greenville County Library System.

The Arthur Barnwell House, Davenport House, Gilreath's Mill, Greer Depot, Greer Downtown Historic District, Greer Post Office, Louie James House, R. Perry Turner House, Robert G. Turner House and Earle R. Taylor House and Peach Packing Shed are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Parks and recreation

The Greer City Stadium is a WPA project completed in 1938; it currently seats 3,000. The stadium has hosted little league, scholastic, The American Legion World Series, and semi-professional sports.

In 2012, the Cannon Center, a former National Guard armory, became a basketball gym. The facility was originally built in 1936.

The City of Greer Municipal Complex was completed in 2008, and includes the Greer City Park.

Landmarks

Greer City Park, a large downtown park with a playground, pavilion, sports fields, walking trails, and amphitheater.
Greer Heritage Museum, first opened to the public in 1996 and now located in the historic 1935 Greer Post Office.
Greer Station, a former railroad depot with space for downtown meetings and events. Surrounding brick-paved streets offer boutiques, restaurants, and entertainment sites.
BMW Zentrum Museum, the only BMW museum in North America.
Lake Robinson, an recreational man-made lake for boating, fishing, kayaking, and paddleboarding.

Infrastructure

Healthcare

Pelham Medical Center, part of Spartanburg Regional Healthcare System, is a 48-bed hospital providing emergency services, general surgery, gynecology, orthopedics, cardiology (non-invasive), endocrinology, gastroenterology, general medicine, oncology, and intensive care services. This campus includes Pelham Medical Center Medical Office Building, the Surgery Center at Pelham, and the Gibbs Cancer Center and Research Institute at Pelham, which provides radiation oncology, medical oncology, and Cyberknife M6 surgery.

Greer Memorial Hospital is an 82-bed facility with emergency, ICU and maternity care.

Transportation

Airports

Greer is served by the Greenville–Spartanburg International Airport Roger Milliken Field, which in 2012 handled over 1.7 million passengers. The airport is a commercial Class C airport, with cargo and passenger facilities.

Railroads

Greer is served by Amtrak, the national passenger rail system, which operates to both Greenville and Spartanburg. Greer is the location of Inland Port Greer, one of two inland ports in South Carolina, built to handle containerized goods. Inland Port Greer is served by Norfolk Southern, and connects Greer to the Port of Charleston.

Highways

One two-digit Interstate highway runs through Greer. Interstate 85 passes south of the city center, with access from Exits 57 through 60. I-85 leads northeast to Charlotte, North Carolina, and southwest to Atlanta. U.S. Route 29 runs through Greer, connecting Greenville and Spartanburg. South Carolina Highway 14 and South Carolina Highway 290 both run through Greer. SC 14 leads north to Landrum, near the North Carolina border, and south to Simpsonville, while SC 290 leads east to Duncan and northwest to U.S. Route 25 north of Travelers Rest.

Education

Residents of Greenville County are in the Greenville County School District. Within Spartanburg County, portions are in the Greenville County district, while other portions are in the Spartanburg School District 5.

Notable people

Kris Bruton, Harlem Globetrotters; 1994 NCAA college dunk champion
Bill Haas, golfer; multiple winner on the PGA Tour and winner of the 2011 FedEx Cup
Jay Haas, golfer; multiple winner on the PGA Tour and Champions Tour
Kaleigh Kurtz, National Women's Soccer League player, North Carolina Courage, 2018–
Daniel Palka, Major League Baseball Player, Chicago White Sox, 2018–2019

References

External links

Greater Greer Chamber of Commerce