The Palmetto State is full of wonderful little towns that dot the map. Sometimes it seems the big cities in the state get all of the media hype. But in many ways, small towns are the backbone of South Carolina. Let’s take an armchair tour of some our small towns and salute the folks who make them so perfectly picturesque.
(Note: These are in alphabetical order and not ranked. Also, the population estimates are based on 2013 figures and have been either rounded up or down.)
Cheraw is an historical small town on the Pee Dee River in the Upcountry. The town's population live in either Chesterfield or Marlboro County and number approximately 5,900. This charming community has a bigger-than-life size bronze of one of its most notable natives, jazz musician and composer Dizzy Gillespie.
Edgefield is located on the western side of South Carolina on SC 25 and has a population of around 5,000. Edgefield was the birthplace of Strom Thurmond and is well-known among pottery lovers all over the world as the home David Drake, also known as "the Slave Potter Dave."
People all over the Americas sport window stickers on their cars from Folly Beach that say "FB - The Edge of America." It really is - the edge - but in a good way. Life on Folly, with a population estimated at 2,700, really is unique. Locals love their winters when congestion eases up. But by February they're yearning for the added thriving pulse that visitors and seasonal residents bring to the area. Tourists are always welcome at Folly.
Charming Fountain Inn, SC (pop. est. 8,000) has the distinction of straddling two counties in the Upstate: Greenville and Laurens. The town got its name from stage coach drivers that would stop here along their route and stay at an inn that had a fountain. They referred to the stop as the "Fountain Inn."
Gaffney, with a population of nearly 13,000, was named for Irish immigrant Michael Gaffney who settled in the area in 1804 and started a tavern and lodge. It was the perfect spot since it's located between Charlotte and Georgia. Trips back then took so much longer that people needed to stop along the way . Gaffney is known as "The Peach Capital of the South."
Great Falls is located just to the East of Interstate 77 between Columbia and Charlotte. It's a small place with about 2,000 people, give or take. Small or not, the town has tons of charm and friendly folks.
Most people from South Carolina know Lake City for its tobacco farms - or maybe for the Annual Tobacco Festival here. But did you know this small town with a population of about 7,000, also once led the country in strawberry and bean crops?
Little River is the oldest community in Horry County - even older than Myrtle Beach, which is a short drive to the south. With a population of approximately 9,000, Little River sits on the border of North and South Carolina where the Little River flows into the Atlantic Ocean. Local fishing families have been making a living in the fishing and shrimping business here for generations.
Pendleton is a small town located in the northwestern part of the state with a population of approximately 3,000 people. In the first half of the 1800s it was a choice spot for wealthy folks to build plantation homes, as did Thomas Pinckney - the 26th Governor of South Carolina.
In the Lowcountry of SC elevation matters. Ridgeland was the highest point between Charleston and Savannah when it was founded after becoming a railway stop between the two cities in 1912. Today
it's much more than just a train stop. Ridgeland, pop. est. 4,000, is a growing thriving - and certainly picturesque - community in Jasper County.
Most antiquing enthusiasts are already acquainted with Walterboro. The town's historic downtown area is a regional hotspot for antiques. Walterboro is right off I-95 nearly halfway between I-26 and the Georgia state line. The population of this small town is approximately 5,300.
These are just some of the small wonderfully picturesque towns that make up the heart of the Palmetto State. Did your small town make the list? Fortunately we weren’t ranking or even calling out “the MOST” picturesque places so maybe we’ll feature your town in the next segment of this article. Feel free to make suggestions or comments below. And if you know someone who lives in one of the towns we saluted here, then please share this article with them and let them know we’ve called attention to them for being so picturesque.
OnlyInYourState may earn compensation through affiliate links in this article. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.
