“C” is for Cherokee County [393 square miles; population 52,537]. In 1897 Cherokee County was carved out of Union, Spartanburg, and York Counties. Its creation was made possible by the coming of the railroad in 1873 and the simplified requirements to form new counties under the 1895 Constitution. Gaffney is the county seat. Economically, textiles replaced iron manufacturing after the Civil War.
In the late 19th century, with cotton prices depressed, area farmers turned orchard crops—apples and peaches. In 1900 there were 32,000 peach trees in the county and 150,000 trees by 1940. Symbolic of the presence of this valuable fruit is the giant peach water tower near I-85 and the annual South Carolina Peach Festival. At the beginning of the 21st century, Cherokee County was the fourth largest peach-producing county in the state of South Carolina.
