Spartanburg

Formed January 1, 1785 (18^th county)

Spartanburg County (328,002), Spartanburg (38,740)

A gray stone and concrete Modern building was constructed in 1958.  There was a classier courthouse built in 1892.  The county was established on January 1, 1785 as the 18^th county with Spartanburg as the only county seat.  The county and county seat were named for the Spartan Regiment of the state militia.  Spartanburg County is the birthplace for 1 South Carolina Governor, Ibra C. Blackwood.  The courthouse sits at Magnolia and Saint John streets.  United States Highway 29 is Saint John Street.  Harold Woodward designed the courthouse.  A new courthouse is under construction in 2022. 

Spartanburg County government consists of a sheriff and 7 Council Members.  Two Circuit Court Judges and Five Family Court Judges serve Spartanburg and Cherokee counties.  Spartanburg County is on the northern border with North Carolina.  Greenville, South Carolina is directly west and Columbia, South Carolina is southeast of the county.  The county center is 4.7 miles West-Northwest of Spartanburg.  The county is surrounded clockwise by North Carolina and Cherokee, Union, Laurens, and Greenville counties.  

The area of the county is 820 square miles.  It is 10 out of 46 in the state.  It ranks 5 out of 46 in population in the state.  It has a density of 400.0 persons per square mile making it 4 out of 46 in the state.  Spartanburg County has 24.2% of its population in its incorporated areas.  Interstate Highway 26 crosses the county from north to south from North Carolina to Laurens County.  Interstate Highway 85 goes east to west from Cherokee County to Greenville County.  United States Highway 29 parallels Interstate Highway 85 from Cherokee to Greenville counties.  United States Highway 176 comes from North Carolina, north, and goes to Union County, southeast.  United States Highway 221 enters from Cherokee County and exits to Laurens County.  Spartanburg County looks like the head of a pencil.  The City of Spartanburg dominates the eastern third of the county.  Spartanburg is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 11.8% of the county population.  This county is in the Spartanburg Metropolitan Statistical Area.