“S” is for Spartanburg

“S” is for Spartanburg (Spartanburg County; 2020 population 38,732). The town of Spartanburg was incorporated in 1831, its name originating from a local Revolutionary War regiment: the Spartan Rifles. During the antebellum years, the village was the commercial center of an overwhelmingly agricultural district in which cotton and corn were major crops. In the years following the Civil War the city's commercial and financial role expanded following a flurry of cotton mill building. In 1930 the first commercial radio station in the state, WSPA, went on the air. After World War II, the city's Chamber of Commerce, working in conjunction with state officials, endeavored to diversify the area's industry beyond its dependence on textiles. During the last half of the twentieth century, opposition to annexation severely limited the growth of Spartanburg and reduced its tax base.