Gaffney

Gaffney is a city in and the seat of Cherokee County, South Carolina, in the Upstate region of South Carolina. The population was 12,539 at the 2010 census, with an estimated population of 12,609 in 2019. It is the principal city of the Gaffney Micropolitan Statistical Area (population 55,662 according to 2012 estimates by the U.S. Census Bureau) The city will hold more of the weekly Indian football games on Friday nights in 2009, this time from April to October. Two serial killers have attacked residents at different times of the year. The city is known as the "Peach Capital of South South Carolina" and is the home of the South Carolina Highlanders football team. The town is home to the Cherokee County History & Arts Museum, which is one of the city's three nationally registered historic sites. The museum offers new cultural opportunities for locals and visitors, while having a positive economic impact for the downtown area. There are plans to create a more permanent site for the farmer's market at that location. A partial replica of the old train depot that was once located there will house a portion of the market and also act as a landmark that calls back to the days of a popular concert series entitled "Shindig at the GAffney Cabin" The city plans to build a 20-acre park that is currently being developed on the grounds of a recently demolished mill (Gaffneys Manufacturing Co.) A plaza has been completed beside city hall and includes a refurbished fountain and extensive landscaping. Highlights to the upgrade of the City's park system include a skatepark, two passive parks, and several children's playgrounds.

History

Gaffney is a small city in Cherokee County, South Carolina. The city was founded in 1872 and became the county seat in 1897. The Cherokee County History & Arts Museum opened on College Drive in the historic Central Elementary School building in 2008. Two serial killers have at different times attacked residents of Gaffney. In 2009, a series of shootings led to five deaths in the city. The town is home to three nationally registered historic sites: 38C44, 38K44, and 38K45. Gaffneys is also home to the South Carolina Museum of Art, which was established in 1854. The museum is located on the mustering ground of the South. Carolina militia (1812-1914). The museum offers new cultural opportunities for locals and visitors, while having a positive. economic impact for the downtown area. The  city plans to build a partial replica of the old train depot that was once located there. The replica will house a portion of the farmer's market and also act as a landmark that calls back to the days of the former train depot. In 1967, known as the 1967-1968 In 1968, Lee Roy Martin killed four women in the town. In 1969, the town was the site of the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history, when five people were killed by a serial killer. In the 1990s, the city was the scene of the first mass shooting of a black man in the state of South Carolina, when four women were shot by a white man.

Geography

Gaffney is located in northern South Carolina at 35°418N 81°3900W (35.071667, -81.650000), near the center of Cherokee County. It is located 55 miles (89 km) southwest of Charlotte, North Carolina and 50 miles (80 km) northeast of Greenville, both reached via Interstate 85. The closest large city is Spartanburg, which is 21 miles (34km) southwest via I-85. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Gaffney has a total area of 8.35 square miles (21.63 km²), of which 8.32 square miles [21.56 km²] is land and 0.03 square miles (0.07 km²) is water. The town is served by the Charlotte and Greenville major airports, both of which are almost equidistant from the town. Gaffneys is also approximately 190 miles (310 km) northwest of Atlanta, Georgia, the state's largest city and the nation's second-largest city. It has a population of 2,816. Gaffeney is a suburb of Charlotte and is located on the North Carolina-South Carolina border, near the town of Cowpens. The city of Spartanburg is just over 20 miles (32 km) to the north. The state's capital, Charlotte, is only a few miles (4 km) away. The county seat is Charlotte, and the town's population is 2,715.

Demographics

As of the 2000 U.S. census, there were 12,968 people, 5,304 households, and 3,336 families residing in the city. The racial makeup of the city was 50.48% White, 47.19% African American, 0.15% Native American,0.45% Asian, 0.,03% Pacific Islander, 0,99% from other races, and 0.71% from two or more races. The city's population was spread out, with 23.4% under the age of 18, 10.8% from 18 to 24, 25.7% from 25 to 44, 22.6% from 45 to 64, and 17.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median income for a household in theCity was $29,480, and the median income. for a family was $38,449. About 13.3% of families and 26.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.2 per cent of those under age 18 and 18.0% of those age 65 or over. The average household size was 2.32 and the average family size was2.96. For every 100 females, there are 82.1 males. For each 100 females aged 18 and over, there is 78.7 males. The per capita income for the city is $17,755. For. every 100,000 people, the city has a population of 12,764.

Government

Mayor: Dr. Randall Moss. City Council members: Harold D. Littlejohn, Sr. (District 1), Stephanie Smith (District 2), Monita Dawkins (District 3), Missy Reid Norris (District 4) Kim F. Phillips (District 5) and Kasey Dill Carnley (District 6) The City Council is made up of seven members. The city is located on the banks of the Mississippi River. The mayor is Dr Randall Moss, and the city council members are: Harold Littlejohn, Sr. and Stephanie Smith, among others. The Mayor is Dr Moss, who is also the city's first African-American mayor. The council also includes Missy Norris and Kim Phillips. The City's mayor and council members live in the same district. The district is located in the central part of the city, near the downtown area. It has a population of 2,000 people. It is the largest city in the city by far in terms of population, with 1,000 residents living in the district's downtown areas. It also has one of the lowest crime rates in the country. The average household income is $30,000. The lowest crime rate is 1.7 per cent. The highest rate is 2.2 per cent, with the lowest rate being 2.4 per cent in the District of Columbia. The District has a crime rate of 1.2 percent. The rate of poverty is 0.8 per cent and the rate of unemployment is 1 per cent; the city has a poverty rate of 0.9 per cent for women.

Education

Gaffney is served by the Cherokee County School District, which is one unified school district. The Gaffney High School football team is well-known regionally. The program boasts 18 state championships and alumni such as the Washington Redskins' Rocky McIntosh and University of South Carolina All-American and Minnesota Vikings' Sidney Rice. In the 2005-2006 school year the school was chosen as Palmetto's Finest, the highest honor for high schools in the state. The school has succeeded greatly in increasing test scores across the board and increasing the graduation rate. The town has a public library, a branch of the  Cherokee County Library System. It also has a private school, a Christian school, and a community college, Spartanburg Community College. The city is located on the banks of the Yemassee River, which flows into the Little Piedmont River. It has a population of about 3,000 people. It is located in the eastern part of the state, near the border with South Carolina and the state capital of Columbia. The community is known for its love of sports, particularly football and baseball. It was home to the South Carolina Stars football team, which won the National Football League championship in the 1980s and 1990s. The local high school has a football team that has won 18 state championship titles. The football team has won the state championship in each of the last five years. The high school's football program has won more state championships than any other school in South Carolina.

Healthcare

Cherokee Medical Center is a 125-bed acute care facility. Gibbs Cancer Center & Research Institute provides comprehensive cancer care to the Upstate South Carolina community and beyond. Immediate Care Center Gaffney provides a hybrid of urgent and primary care. Medical Group of the Carolinas is a network of more than 100 practices in Upstate S.C., providing family and internal medicine, cardiology, orthopaedics, hematology oncology, urology and women's care. The hospital joined Mary Black Health System in 2015. Mary Black facilities became part of Spartanburg Regional Healthcare System in 2019. For confidential support call the Samaritans on 08457 90 90 90 or visit a local Samaritans branch, see www.samaritans.org for details. In the U.S., call the National Suicide Prevention Line on 1-800-273-8255 or visit http://www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org/. For support in the UK, call the Samaritans on the National Suicide Prevention Line on 0800 273 8255. For information on how to get involved in the fight against suicide, visit www.sussex-suicide.org or click here.

Infrastructure

Gaffney is located on the Interstate 85 corridor, linking it to Atlanta and Charlotte. Public transit is available through the Gaffney Cab Company. Recent studies have proved that an airport is strongly needed in the county. Cherokee County is the only county in South Carolina without an airport. Requests are now being made to the federal government to support the construction of the new airport. Studies are also determining where the airport, if built, should be built. The Peachoid is a water tower shaped like a peach. It serves both artistic and practical functions. It is located along Interstate 85 near exit 92, and is known as the "peach capital of South Carolina" It is also the location of the South Carolina Air National Guard base, which is based in the town of Greenville. The airport is located 40 miles (64 km) to the southwest, and 48 miles (77 km) northeast of Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT), also known as GSP International Airport. The Upstate region is served by two airports, GreenvilleSpartanburg International Airport and Charlotte Douglas Airport, both of which are in the state's eastern part. The city is also known for its peach-shaped water tower, called the "Peachoid" The city has a population of about 2,000 people, about half of whom live in the city of Gaffneys. The town is located in the eastern part of the state, near the state line with North Carolina. It has an estimated population of 4,000.

Air Quality, Water Quality, Superfund Sites & UV Index

The Air Quality index is in Gaffney, Cherokee County, South Carolina = 72.2. These Air Quality index is based on annual reports from the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The number of ozone alert days is used as an indicator of air quality, as are the amounts of seven pollutants including particulates, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, lead, and volatile organic chemicals. The Water Quality Index is 40. A measure of the quality of an area’s water supply as rated by the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The EPA has a complex method of measuring the watershed quality, using 15 indicators such as pollutants, turbidity, sediments, and toxic discharges. The Superfund Sites Index is 81. Higher is better (100=best). Based upon the number and impact of EPA Superfund pollution sites in the county, including spending on the cleanup efforts. The UV Index in Gaffney = 5 and is a measure of an area's exposure to the sun's ultraviolet rays. This is most often a combination of sunny weather, altitude, and latitude. The UV Index has been defined by the WHO (www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/radiation-the-ultraviolet-(uv)-index) and is uniform worldwide.

Employed

The most recent city population of 2,732 individuals with a median age of 38.6 age the population dropped by -5.22% in Gaffney, Cherokee County, South Carolina population since 2000 and are distributed over a density of 1,470.00 residents per square mile of area (567.55/km²). There are average 2.24 people per household in the 5,147 households with an average household income of $33,306 a year. The unemployment rate in Alabama is 16.80% of the available work force and has dropped -6.46% over the most recent 12-month period and the projected change in job supply over the next decade based on migration patterns, economic growth, and other factors will increase by 10.28%. The number of physicians in Gaffney per 100,000 population = 70.1.

Weather

The annual rainfall in Gaffney = 48.5 inches and the annual snowfall = 2.7 inches. The annual number of days with measurable precipitation (over .01 inch) = 112. The average number of days per year that are predominantly sunny = 215. 89 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily high temperature for the month of July and 26.7 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily low temperature for the month of January. The Comfort Index (higher=better) is 34, where higher values mean a more pleasant climate. The Comfort Index measure recognizes that humidity by itself isn't the problem. (Have you noticed nobody ever complains about the weather being 'cold and humid?) It's in the summertime that we notice the humidity the most, when it's hot and muggy. Our Comfort Index uses a combination of afternoon summer temperature and humidity to closely predict the effect that the humidity will have on people.

Median Home Cost

The percentage of housing units in Gaffney, Cherokee County, South Carolina which are owned by the occupant = 56.16%. A housing unit is a house, apartment, mobile home, or room occupied as separate living quarters. The average age of homes = 42 years with median home cost = $95,340 and home appreciation of 4.54%. This is the value of the years most recent home sales data. Its important to note that this is not the average (or arithmetic mean). The median home price is the middle value when you arrange all the sales prices of homes from lowest to highest. This is a better indicator than the average, because the median is not changed as much by a few unusually high or low values. The property tax rate of $5.21 shown here is the rate per $1,000 of home value. If for simplification for example the tax rate is $14.00 and the home value is $250,000, the property tax would be $14.00 x ($250,000/1000), or $3500. This is the 'effective' tax rate.

Study

The local school district spends $4,655 per student. There are 10.6 students for each teacher in the school, 489 students for each Librarian and 332 students for each Counselor. 3.68% of the area’s population over the age of 25 with an Associate Degree or other 2-year college degree, 10.46% with a master’s degree, Ph.D. or other advanced college degree and 6.47% with high school diplomas or high school equivalency degrees (GEDs).