Spartanburg, South Carolina

Spartanburg is located in the foothills of the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains. The mild climate, with its four distinct seasons, provides fine weather for outdoor activities all year-round. The city of 40,000--which is part of a metropolitan area of 250,000--is conveniently situated at the junction of I-26 and I-85, making it easily accessible to both mountain and beach resorts.  

Spartanburg's neighborhoods are as diverse as its population and culture, as there is everything from newer, family friendly suburban developments to communities surrounding golf courses to locations within Spartanburg's abundance of farmland; from giant, plantation-style homes to hip apartment communities, Spartanburg has it.  

Named for the "Spartan" militia that fought during the Revolutionary War, the city helped to defeat the British in the Battle of Cowpens and, with the help of its railroads, went on to expand its commercial acumen, thus prompting many cultural advances. Being an educational center since its beginning, the city quickly constructed the Wofford and Converse colleges with plenty of nearby residences, a public library and an Opera House known throughout the South for its musical offerings. This, combined with the vast expansion of several rail lines passing through the city, the state's first municipal airport, several mineral springs resorts within the county, a busy agricultural center and the ever-present textile mills, Spartanburg became known as "the Hub of the Piedmont."  Today, it's the center of so much more--an arts revival, historic preservation, all deserving the title of being an active lifestyle city.  

With many recent accomplishments through revival and renewal, Spartanburg has earned several accolades for its progressive initiatives.  It was ranked has having the second largest housing market in the nation by Business Week, was recently named one of the 31 founding cities of the Playful City USA initiative for its long-range goal accomplishments of parks and recreation, was awarded the State Treasurer's Award for Financial Excellence in 2008, and is the first and only city in the state of South Carolina to receive the designation as a Bicycle-Friendly Community by the Washington-based League of American Bicyclists.  Residents are proud and boastful of these notable achievements, which overall speak of the general happiness and high quality of life within Spartanburg.