Greenwood

Formed January 1, 1897 (39^th county)

Greenwood County (69,661), Greenwood (23,222)                

The Modern 1967 tan/brown brick courthouse replaced the 1898 traditional structure.  It is located on Monument Street at Court Avenue.  United States Highway 25 is two blocks east of the site.  Coleman & Townes are the architects of the column structure.  The county was formed on January 1, 1897 from parts of Abbeville and Edgefield counties as the 39^th county with Greenwood as the only county seat.  The county and its county seat are named for the home of Judge John McGeeheeto.  Greenwood County is the birthplace for 1 South Carolina Governor, John G. Evans. 

Greenwood County government consists of a sheriff and 7 Council Members.  Three Circuit Court Judges and Two Family Court Judges serve Greenwood, Abbeville, Laurens, and Newberry counties.  The county is in western South Carolina.  Greenville, South Carolina is northwest and Columbia, South Carolina is east of the county.  The county center is in Greenwood 3.1 miles Southeast of the city center.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Laurens, Newberry, Saluda, Edgefield, McCormick, and Abbeville counties. 

The area of the county is 463 square miles.  It is 38 out of 46 in the state.  It ranks 19 out of 46 in population in the state.  It has a density of 150.46 persons per square mile making it 14 out of 46 in the state.  Greenwood County has 38.9% of its population in its incorporated areas.  United States Highway 25 crosses the county north to south from Abbeville County to McCormick County.  United States Highway 178 comes from Abbeville County, north, and goes into Saluda County, southeast.  United States Highway 221 enters from the northeast, Laurens County, and exits to the southwest, McCormick County.  The county is shaped like a small letter d.  The City of Greenwood is in the western quarter of the county.  Greenwood is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 33.3% of the county population.  This county is in the Greenwood Micropolitan Statistical Area.