Anderson, South Carolina, United States

🇺🇸 Anderson is a city in and the county seat of Anderson County, South Carolina, United States. The city is one of the principal cities in the Greenville-Anderson-Mauldin metropolitan statistical area. It is further included in the larger Greenville-Spartanburg-Anderson, South Carolina combined statistical area. It is located just off Interstate 85 and is 120 miles (190 km) from Atlanta and 140 miles (230 km) from Charlotte. Anderson is the smallest of the three primary cities that make up the Upstate region, and is nicknamed the "Electric City" and the "Friendliest City in South Carolina". Anderson is the home of Anderson University, a selective private comprehensive university of roughly 3,900 undergraduate and graduate students.

Anderson Court House 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. 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. After the war, a Union garrison was stationed in Anderson.

The Electric City 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. 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 . The Portman Dam was swept away in 1901, forcing Anderson into darkness until it was rebuilt in 1902.

Anderson University In 1911, Anderson College was established by the Anderson Chamber of Commerce. Anderson College was a successor to the Johnson Female Seminary and is affiliated with the South Carolina Baptist Convention, in particular the First Baptist Church of Anderson. Anderson College became a co-educational, two-year junior college in 1930, and in 2006, it became Anderson University.

Geography Anderson is located in the north-west corner of South Carolina on the Piedmont plateau. Anderson is a 1-hour drive from the Blue Ridge Mountains and a 4-hour drive from the South Carolina coast. Anderson lies roughly at the midpoint of the busy I-85 corridor between Atlanta and Charlotte.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 14.6 square miles (37.9 km²), of which 0.039 square miles (0.1 km²), or 0.30%, is covered by water.

Historic districts • 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.

Parks • Anderson Memorial Stadium — A 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 — A 300-acre (120 ha) area, 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 centre 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 centre is Anderson's largest recreational area.

Economy Anderson is home to the largest Glen Raven, Inc. manufacturing centre facility, which focuses on manufacturing Sunbrella fabrics. Anderson's economy revolves around manufacturing. It has over 230 manufacturers, including 22 international companies. In the county, Anderson has a thriving business climate. Its top major industries include manufacturers of automotive products, metal products, industrial machinery, plastics, publishing, and textiles. Two industries that many times interconnect are the plastic and automotive sectors. More than 27 BMW suppliers are the Upstate region, which is recognised internationally as an automotive supplier hub. The plastics industry has a strong presence in the Upstate, with 244 plastic companies located within the 10 counties of the state's north-west corner. Anderson County, in particular, has 11 automotive suppliers, and is a major player in the plastic industry, with 27 plastics companies located within its borders.

Education • Anderson University • Tri-County Technical College.

Airport Anderson is served by Anderson County Regional Airport (IATA: AND, ICAO: KAND). 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.

Roads and highways Anderson has five signed exits on I-85, currently the city's only freeway. Several notable highways pass through the city, including U.S. Route 76 and U.S. Route 178 co-signed along Clemson Boulevard, also known as SC-Bus 28, and U.S. Route 29 and Route 187 leading to Hartwell, Georgia, to the south and Greenville to the north.

In 2011, construction began on a new east–west connector that is about 3 mi long between Clemson Boulevard and South Carolina Highway 81. 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.

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

Public transit Anderson has four bus routes (Blue, Green, Red, and Gold) that travel to most major areas of the city, running every hour. and also receives service from Clemson Area Transit (CATS) via the 4U route. 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, located on West Whitner Street near downtown.

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