Greenwood County, South Carolina

Greenwood County Education, Geography, and History

Greenwood County is a county located in the state of South Carolina. Based on the 2010 census, its population was 69,661. Greenwood County was formed in 1897 from portions of Abbeville County and Edgefield County, which had originally been part of the old Ninety-Six District. It was named for its county seat, Greenwood, which had been named around 1824 after a plantation owned by John McGehee, an early resident. Its county seat is Greenwood.

Greenwood County is included in the Greenwood, SC Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the Greenville-Spartanburg-Anderson, SC Combined Statistical Area.

Etymology - Origin of Greenwood County Name

Greenwood County takes its name from its county seat, Greenwood. The town of Greenwood was named around 1824 for the plantation of an early resident, John McGehee.

Demographics:

County QuickFacts: CensusBureau Quick Facts

Greenwood County History

Greenwood County takes its name from its county seat, Greenwood. The town of Greenwood was named around 1824 for the plantation of an early resident, John McGehee. Greenwood County was formed in 1897 from parts of Abbeville and Edgefield counties, which were originally part of the old Ninety Six District. This part of the backcountry was not settled until the mid-eighteenth century. The town of Ninety Six was established as a frontier trading post around 1730, and it was the site in November 1775 of one of the first South Carolina battles of the American Revolution. In May 1781 American forces besieged the British-held Star Fort at Ninety Six for over a month but were forced to withdraw when British reinforcements approached. The arrival of the railroad in 1852 stimulated cotton growing and textile manufacturing in this area. Local plantation owner Francis Salvador (1747-1776), who was killed fighting Cherokees during the Revolutionary War, was the first Jewish person elected to the state legislature. US Congressman Preston Smith Brooks (1819-1857) and educator Benjamin Mays (1894-1984) were also residents of Greenwood County.

Geography: Land and Water

As reported by the Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 463 square miles (1,199 km²), of which, 456 square miles (1,180 km²) of it is land and 7 square miles (19 km²) of it (1.60%) is water.

Neighboring Counties

Bordering counties are as follows:

• Laurens County, South Carolina - north
• Newberry County, South Carolina - northeast
• Edgefield County, South Carolina - southeast
• Saluda County, South Carolina - southeast
• McCormick County, South Carolina - southwest
• Abbeville County, South Carolina - west

Education

Greenwood County has three school districts: Greenwood School District 50 (Greenwood Metro), Greenwood School District 51 (Ware Shoals), and Greenwood School District 52 (Ninety Six).

School districts

• Greenwood School District 50 serves families in the Greenwood metro area. This school system consists of 8 elementary schools, 3 middle schools, 2 high schools, a career center, and an adult education center. The current superintendent of District 50 is Dr. Darrell Johnson.
• District 51 serves families in the Ware Shoals community, as well as students from Abbeville and Laurens counties. Two of the three schools are located in the town limits of Ware Shoals (Greenwood County) while the other school is located in Laurens County.
• District 52 serves families in the Ninety Six community.

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