LOCATION 

Pickens County is located in the northwestern corner of the State of South Carolina.  The county is bounded to the north by the crest of the Blue Ridge Mountains and Transylvania County, North Carolina.  Lakes Jocassee, Keowee, and Hartwell establish the western border, which separate Pickens and Oconee Counties.  To the south, the border consists of Lake Hartwell and Anderson County; while, to the east, the Saluda River forms the boundary with Greenville County.  The county is a part of the six county Appalachian Region of South Carolina.  The influence of the mountains and the lakes is important in defining the physical character of the county.  Yet at the same time, the location of the county within the Piedmont Industrial corridor has played a significant part in the development of the county over much of the past century.  Proximity to the cities of Greenville, Spartanburg, and Anderson continues to influence growth within the county, as does the growing regional pull of the cities of Charlotte (to the northeast) and Atlanta (to the southwest) along Interstate 85.

CLIMATE

 Pickens County encompasses two of the state's seven climate districts.  The extreme northwestern part of the county is in the mountain district while the remainder of the county is in the northwest district.  The climate of the area is temperate and classified generally as humid, sub-tropic.  Because of its location and comparative elevation, temperature readings for the county tend to be somewhat cooler than the state average.  The main temperature in Pickens over the past thirty years has been 60.7 degrees with an average high of 71.0 degrees and an average low of 49.0 degrees.  Still, average temperature readings in the county range from 56 to 61 degrees with cooler temperatures to the northwest and warmer temperatures to the southeast.

Precipitation levels tend to be higher in the northwestern region than in other areas of the state influenced by the proximity to the mountains.  The average annual precipitation at Pickens in 51.0 inches, the sixth highest precipitation level among 82 stations in the state.  Within the county, average rainfall varies from 53 to 75 inches, within the highest readings occurring in the mountains.

TOPOGRAPHY

 The county is situated within the Piedmont Plateau and Blue Ridge Division topographic regions.  Elevation ranges from 600 to 3,548 above sea level, within an average elevation of 800 feet above sea level.  The highest elevations are found in the extreme northwestern portion of the county.  This section of the county comprises about 14% of the land area, situated within the Blue Ridge topographic division.  The remainder of the county, amounting to 86% of the land area, is situated in the Piedmont Plateau topographic region.  The location of the county within and adjacent to the Blue Ridge Mountains has important topographical and development implications.  Slopes are generally quite steep and flat land is in scarce supply.  Only 2.1% of all land in the county has a slope of 0.6%, considered ideal for development purposes.  The severity of the slope in some regions of the county imposes significant development constraints.  Still greater attention should be given to land suitability incorporating slope, soil, and drainage characteristics in terms of generalized planning and on a case-by-case basis for individual development projects.

HYDROLOGY

 The county is bordered to the east and west by major waterways.  Lakes Jocassee, Keowee, and Hartwell establish the western boundary.  The three lakes are manmade impoundments built for hydroelectric and cooling purposes.  Lake Hartwell completed in 1962 by the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers along the Savannah River and its upland tributaries, backs up into Pickens County along the old Seneca River Stream bed.  The lake covers 56,000 acres in South Carolina and Georgia with a volume of 2,549,000 acres-feet of water.  Lake Keowee, completed in 1970 along the Keowee River, covers 18,372 acres in Pickens and Oconee Counties and holds nearly one million acres-feet of water.  Lake Jocassee, completed upstream of Lake Keowee in 1974 by Duke Power, inundated the upper reaches of the Keowee River extending up the Toxaway and White Water Stream Beds.  The lake covers 7,565 acres and contains 1,185,000 acre-feet of water.  Although built and operated principally for power generation, the lakes offer significant regional opportunity as well as water supply from both Lakes Hartwell and Keowee.

 The Saluda River establishes the eastern boundary separating the county from Greenville County.  Twelve Mile Creek forms the largest drainage basin within the county, encompassing much of the central area of the county and emptying ultimately into Lake Hartwell above Clemson.  Eighteen Mile Creek flows southwest along the southern portion of the county, draining into Lake Hartwell in Anderson County.  Other important streams are Estatoe Creek, a tributary of the Keowee River (now Lake Keowee), and the Oolenoy and South Saluda Rivers, tributaries of the Saluda River.

POPULATION

1. The green line shows how the population of Pickens County has changed since 1900. During this time the population of South Carolina almost tripled, and the population of the United States increased more than 3.5 times.
2. The actual population of Pickens County on April 1 of each decennial census year is shown below the graph.
3. The rankings below the population figures show how Pickens County's population ranked among South Carolina's 46 counties (28 counties in 1900, 37 in 1910). 1 = highest population; 46 = lowest population.
4. Data sources: US Census Bureau, 1900-1990 and 2000.

INCOME

 The per capita personal income for 2000 is $16,269 and is projected to be $18,767 in 2005.  In 2000, the median household income is $36,797 and in the year 2005 it is projected to be $42,238.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis

Source: Can Community Profile: Pickens County Commission.

EMPLOYMENT

 The economy of Pickens County has evolved considerably in the past century.  From a relatively poor sharecropper system at the turn of the century, the county industrialized like much of the rest of the Piedmont South Carolina.  Textile manufacturing was the principal catalyst to this industrialization.  Employment opportunities within Pickens County include agricultural, forestry, fisheries, mining, construction, manufacturing, transportation and utilities, wholesale and retail trade, services and government.  The principal industries in Pickens County are textiles, machinery, lumber products, and garment manufacturing.  There is a trend toward diversification in the county.  The annual average for 1999 was 56,476.  Unemployment over the last five years has ranged from 2.5 percent to 5.0 percent. 

TRANSPORTATION 

Pickens County's air, rail, and highway systems, as well as the trucking industry, provides a link to the Upstate's core cities and employment clusters.  Transportation improvements have increased individual opportunities for employment and have provided employers better access to the regions labor force. 

Pickens county has over 719 miles of state maintained highway, and 750 miles maintained by Pickens County.  Pickens location along major transportation corridors is a major factor in the growth of Pickens County.  Access to I-85 on its way to Charlotte an Atlanta is easy an plentiful; limited access U.S. 123 speeds traffic into Greenville, or toward Atlanta; and four-lane U.S. 76 cuts travel time to Anderson.  Scenic Highway 11 forms a loop from I-85 in Gaffney through the Upcountry, passing throughout northern Pickens County and returning to I-85 at the Georgia line.  Clemson University is the largest traffic generator in the county, not only with students and employees, but also with spectator events and seminars.

Southern Railway and a subsidiary of a national railway utilization corporation called the Pickens Railroad Company provide rail service to Pickens County.  Norfolk and Southern Railroad is the major rail carrier, with a busy mainline through Clemson, Central, Liberty and Easley.  AMTRAK runs through nightly with service from New Orleans to New York.  Between the cites of Pickens and Easley, the Pickens Railroad continues to haul freight. 

 At least 10 trucking companies operate out of Pickens County.  Over 75 others serve local business and industry from neighboring counties.

 Pickens County is presently served by two major aviation facilities, Pickens County airport and the Greenville/Spartanburg airport. The Greenville-Spartanburg Jetport is less than an hour's drive from most of Pickens County.  It is located on I-85 in Greer.  Six major airlines currently provide service to the areas, including American Airlines, Delta, Northwest Air, US Air, Conquest, and United Express.  Passengers totaled 1,097,287 in 1992, while more than 12 million pounds of freight were shipped.  Over the next two years, this facility will be expanded in order to accommodate the needs of the new BMW plant in Spartanburg County.  Expansion plans include increasing the runway from 7,800 to 11,000 feet.  This will allow larger aircraft to utilize the facility and will open up the potential for international flight service. 

The Pickens County airport is located near Liberty, and is a general aviation facility.  The airport provides service to private aircraft serving local businesses and residents. It features a 5,001-foot runway and provides 100LL aviation fuel and jet fuel with additive.  The Oconee County airport located southwest of the City of Seneca also serves Southern Pickens County and is a general aviation facility providing private air service to the County, along with Anderson County airport, which is situated on 950 acres near the city of Anderson.  This facility provides numerous services, including charter flights, flight instruction, rentals, minor repairs and is equipped with ILS and approach lights.  Daily airfreight service is available to Atlanta. 

COMMUNICATIONS

 BellSouth is the sole provider of telephone services for the county.  Southern Bell, AT&T, MCI, Centel Cellular and Metro Mobile provide other major telecommunication services.  Four weekly newspapers, The Pickens Sentinel, The Easley Progress, The Liberty Monitor and The Clemson Messenger are published in the county.  Area dailies are the Greenville News, Greenville Piedmont and the Anderson Independent-Mail.

WATER AND UTILITIES

 Water is provided to the municipalities within Pickens County by either public or private water systems.  Five of the county’s incorporated areas (Central, Clemson, Easley, Liberty, and Pickens) have their own sewage treatment facilities.  Two private utilities for water and sewage include Piedmont Utilities, Inc. and Madera Utilities, Inc.  Duke Energy Corporation, Blue Ridge Cooperative and Easley Combined Utility provide electricity to Pickens County.  Fort Hill Natural Gas Authority provides natural gas.

EDUCATION 

Pickens County is a countywide system that includes four high schools, four junior high schools, one middle school, fifteen elementary, eight private school facilities, a district career center, an alternative school and three child development centers.  The school District of Pickens County is the state's eighth largest, with an instructional staff of 908 and a student population of 14,841 during the 1990-91 school year.  Higher education is available in Pickens County through Clemson University, the state's second largest higher education facility, which had an enrollment of 16,526 students in fall of 1996.  It is a land grant school with nationally prominent research centers in the areas of engineering, agriculture, physical and life sciences, architecture, forestry, and textiles it also offers 68 undergraduate and 97 graduate degree programs.  Southern Wesleyan College in Central is a four-year liberal arts college.  In addition to its regular curriculum, the school offers classes to individuals who wish to finish their degrees through the LEAP Program (Leadership Education for Adult Professionals). Tri-County Technical College serves Pickens, Oconee and Anderson Counties and lies across the line in Anderson County, near Pendleton.

HEALTHCARE 

The Pickens County Health Department located in Pickens is the major public health provider.  There are two private hospitals located in the county, Cannon Memorial Hospital in Pickens and Baptist Medical Center-Easley, these hospitals serve the county and the surrounding area.   Each hospital provides a full range of health care needs, including a 24-hour, physician-staffed emergency room; out-patient services; fully-equipped surgical suites; CAT scan; radiology; mammography; and intensive care unit; wellness programs; and Lifeline.  Cannon Memorial is a 55-bed facility with an active staff of 19 physicians and 21 more with privileges.  Baptist Medical Center-Easley, a 109-bed hospital with an active staff of 52 physicians and a privilege staff of 90, recently opened a satellite facility (Clemson) with 12 medical specialists.  A first in the state is Baptist's off-campus Healthcare Education Center, located in the Town's Country Mall.  Nine nursing homes provide various levels of care for convalescents, the handicapped and the elderly throughout the county.  Also, there are two retirement centers with a variety of services.  Pickens county Emergency Medical Services is a county-operated agency that provides pre-hospital emergency care and transportation for the ill and injured; as well as non-emergency convalescent transportation to and from medical facilities.  EMS units operate around the clock, seven days a week and are full equipped to provide advanced life support care.  

GOVERNMENT 

A Council-Administrator form of government governs Pickens County, with the Council elected for four-year terms.  Pickens County shares two state senators with Anderson and Oconee Counties, and has four seats in the S. C. House of Representatives. All of Picken's municipalities have Mayor-Council governments.  Services include police protection by municipal police departments, the County Sheriff's Department and State Troopers.  Fire protection is provided by professional and volunteer fire departments.

RECREATION 

Pickens County has extensive natural beauty with a continuous chain of large lakes.  The scenic Blue Ridge Mountains along the northern portion of the county and Lakes Jocassee, Keowee, and Hartwell form the western border.  The Franklin L. Gravely Wildlife Management Area (also known as Horse pasture Game Management area) and Clemson University Forest provide extensive preservation and open space areas to Pickens County.  In addition, there are two state parks, Table Rock State Park and Keowee State Park, in the northern part of the county along Highway 11.  Both of these parks have overnight camping facilities.  The Corps of Engineer provides the recreational facilities and maintains the access areas in at least five lake locations in the county.  Some of the most commonly used areas include the Twin Lakes Park, Twelve Mile Park, and the Clemson Park.  In 1985, Pickens County opened the 155 Mile Creek Park located on Lake Keowee, which offers full facilities to residents.  Natural attractions in the area consist of Sassafras Mountain (highest point in SC), Cherokee Foothills Scenic Highway, Foothills Trail, and Glassy Mountain.  Historic points of interest include Pickens County Museum of History and Art, Haggood Mill, Hanover House, Fort Hill, Central Heritage Museum, and Old Stone Church to name a few.  

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