The Upstate is the region in northwestern South Carolina, United States also known as The Upcountry[1], which is the historical term. Although loosely defined among locals, the general definition includes the 8 counties of the Greenville-Spartanburg-Anderson CSA which has an overall population of 1,162,459. The Upstate is the fastest growing region in the state, and given its strategic position between Atlanta and Charlotte, future development and growth prospects are bright. After BMW's initial investment, foreign companies especially from Germany have made a substantial presence in the Upstate, and several large corporations have established regional, national, or continental headquarters in the region. Greenville is the largest city in the region and the base of most commercial activity. Spartanburg is the second largest city in the region.
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Counties
There are eight counties included in the upstate of South Carolina: Greenville, Spartanburg, Anderson, Pickens, Cherokee, Oconee, Union, and Laurens.
Cities
Primary cities
The primary cities in the upstate area are Greenville, Spartanburg, and Anderson.
Other Cities with at least 20,000 residents
Taylors, Wade Hampton, Simpsonville, and Greer most likely have over 20,000 by now at current growth rate.
Other cities with more than 10,000 residents
Other cities in the upstate with over 10,000 residents are Clemson, Easley, Gaffney, and Mauldin.
Cities with fewer than 10,000 inhabitants
Cities in the upstate with under 10,000 residents include Belton, Blacksburg, Boiling Springs, Buffalo, Central, Chesnee, Clinton, Cowpens, Duncan, East Gaffney, Gray Court, Inman, Landrum, Laurens, Liberty, Lyman, Mayo, Pacolet, Pelzer, Pendleton, Pickens, Piedmont, Seneca, Travelers Rest, Union, Walhalla, Williamston, and Woodruff.
Institutions of higher education
Colleges and universities in this area include: Anderson University, Bob Jones University, Clemson University, Converse College, Erskine College, Furman University, Greenville Tech, Limestone College, Presbyterian College, Southern Wesleyan University, Spartanburg Methodist College, Spartanburg Community College, Tri-County Technical College, University Center - Greenville, USC-Upstate, USC-Union, Wofford College, and North Greenville College.
Economy
The majority of business and commerce in the Upstate takes place in Greenville County. Greenville has the largest concentration of businesses and financial institutions in its downtown area. Many financial institutions have regional offices located in downtown Greenville. These include Wachovia and Bank of America. Other major industries of commerce in the Upstate include the auto industry which is concentrated mainly along the corridor between Greenville and Spartanburg around the BMW manufactuing facility in Greer. The other major industry in the Upstate is the healthcare and pharmaceuticals. Greenville Hospital System and Bon Secours St. Francis Health System are the area's largest in the healthcare sector, while the pharmaceutical corporation of Bausch & Lomb have set up regional operations alongside smaller recently developed local companies like IRIX Manufacturing, Incorporated and Pharmaceutical Associates. Clemson University, BMW, IBM, Microsoft, and Michelin have combined their resources to create International Center for Automotive Research (ICAR), a research park that specializes in the development of automotive technology.
Corporations based in or with a major presence in the Upstate
The following corporations have a major presence in the Upstate: Bank of America, Bi-Lo, BMW of North America, Bon Secours St. Francis Health System [1], Bosch North America, Bowater, Central Carolina Bank, Charter Communications, Denny's Restaurants, Dunlop Slazenger Group, Ernst and Young, Fluor Corporation, Freightliner LLC, GE Power Systems, Greenville Hospital System [2], IBM, Liberty Corporation, Michelin of North America, Microsoft, Milliken & Co., and Perrigo Company of South Carolina
Transportation
The Upstate is served by two major interstate highways, I-85 and I-26. Other major interstate spurs include I-185, I-385, and I-585. The major airport in the region is Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport, located nearly halfway between Greenville and Spartanburg in suburban Greer. Greenville, Spartanburg, Anderson, Clemson, Pickens, Union, and Gaffney each have smaller airfields. AMTRAK service along the Crescent Line stops in Spartanburg, Greenville, and Clemson.
Media
The Upstate region is served by 3 regional newspapers: The Greenville News, the (Spartanburg) Herald-Journal and the Anderson Independent-Mail, each of which serves their individual city and surrounding area respectively. The Upstate is part of the vastly larger Greenville-Spartanburg-Anderson-Asheville designated market area, which extends into western North Carolina and northeastern Georgia. The following television stations serve the region:
- WYFF Channel 4 - Greenville (NBC)
- WSPA-TV Channel 7 - Spartanburg (CBS)
- WLOS-TV Channel 13 - Asheville, North Carolina (ABC)
- WGGS-TV Channel 16 - Greenville (TBN)
- WHNS Channel 21 - Greenville (FOX)
- WMYA-TV Channel 40 - Anderson (MNTV)
- WYCW Channel 62 - Asheville, North Carolina (CW)
See also
References
- ^ Hollis, Daniel Walker, University of South Carolina, Volume I, South Carolina College, 1951, Columbia: University of South Carolina Press, p 342
External links
- South Carolina Upstate Info
- South Carolina Appalachian Council of Governments
- The Upcountry website
- The Greenville News
- (Spartanburg) Herald Journal
- Anderson Independent-Mail
