Spartanburg is located in the northwest corner of South Carolina. A mid-sized city with a population of 39,407 and a county population of 253,791, Spartanburg has transformed itself from a textile manufacturing center to a vibrant City with a diversified tax base and a revitalized downtown.

Spartanburg gained national attention recently in an important quality-of-life measure when Bert Sperling and Peter Sanders ranked it one of the top 50 communities in North America in their book, Cities Ranked and Rated 2007. Cataloguing and ranking 400 cities in the United States and Canada, the two authors placed Spartanburg as number 48, a significant leap from last year’s ranking of 80, and the highest ranking in South Carolina.

Home to six colleges, including two private liberal arts institutions (Wofford College and Converse College) that US News & World Report consistently ranks as top colleges and best values for education, Spartanburg also has an excellent public school system and a number of private schools. Spartanburg received kudos from Relocate America’s Top 25 Places to Live and Go to School in 2007, with a write-up that touts high rates of student academic improvement, excellent faculty and staff, and ongoing commitment to constant improvement. The beautiful Spartanburg County Public Library Headquarters building is located downtown, and 10 library branches are sprinkled throughout Spartanburg County.

Spartanburg has traditionally enjoyed tremendous support for the arts. Residents recently celebrated the opening of the $48.5-million Chapman Cultural Center. Located downtown, the center’s three beautiful new buildings are home to Ballet Spartanburg, the Spartanburg History Museum, the Spartanburg Art Museum, the Spartanburg Science Center, Spartanburg Little Theatre and Spartanburg Youth Theatre, the Spartanburg Repertory Company, and the Artists Guild of Spartanburg. Additional venues for arts and entertainment include Spartanburg Memorial Auditorium, Twichell Auditorium, Barnet Park, and theatres and galleries at local colleges.

Spartanburg’s ground-breaking efforts to attract creative young professionals downtown won kudos from the Municipal Association of South Carolina when the Hub City Writer’s Project and the City of Spartanburg won first place in the category of Public Service in 2007. The project’s creation of the Hub-Bub.com website as a virtual gathering place, and the renovation of the former Gilbert Shoe Company on South Daniel Morgan Avenue into The Showroom with live entertainment, art displays, and loft apartments for artists-in-residence as a real gathering place is earning national attention as the first of its kind in the country.

Recreational opportunities abound in Spartanburg – from fishing, hunting, camping, and hiking in nearby state parks, to recreational opportunities for sports and play, including more than 100 golf courses open to the public across the Upstate. Spartanburg hosts summer training camp for the Charlotte Panthers NFL football team, and the Wofford College Terriers are strong competitors in the Southern Conference. The City’s support of bicycling earned it designation as the first Bicycle-Friendly Community in South Carolina by the Washington-based League of American Bicyclists in 2007. Events such as the Assault on Mount Mitchell bicycle ride and the City’s participation in May’s National Bike Month caught the attention of the League, in addition to its efforts in safety education, bicycle law enforcement, and creation of bike-friendly roads and facilities.

Good eating! Spartanburg is famous for The Beacon Restaurant, a Southern staple known nationally for its chili cheeseburgers and gigantic ice cream sundaes. Wade’s Restaurant has an award-winning ad campaign built around the vegetables for which it’s known. Brassiere Ecose features authentic brassiere food. Spartanburg also features excellent Indian and Thai food, plus Chinese and Japanese restaurants.

Spartanburg Quick Facts:

• Median Family Income: $45,430
• Per Capita Income: $20,219
• Median Age: 35.5

Spartanburg Kudos!

• top 50 communities in North America in Cities Ranked and Rated 2007, Sperling and Sanders – the highest ranking in South Carolina
• Greenville-Spartanburg metro area is ranked in the Top 10 for overall real estate market by Expansion Management (October 2006.)
• Greenville-Spartanburg-Anderson MSA ranked seventh among all MSAs by site consultants for top markets for economic development in the millennium
• the first Bicycle-Friendly Community in South Carolina by the Washington-based League of American Bicyclists in 2007
• first place in the category of Public Service in 2007 from the Municipal Association of South Carolina for the Hub City Writer’s Project and the City of Spartanburg
• US News & World Report consistently ranks Wofford College and Converse College as top colleges and best values for education
• Relocate America’s Top 25 Places to Live and Go to School in 2007