Anderson is a city in and the county seat of Anderson County, South
Carolina, United States. The population was 26,686 at the 2010 census,
and the city was the center of an urbanized area of 75,702. It is one
of the principal cities in the Greenville-Anderson--Mauldin
Metropolitan Statistical Area, which had a population of 824,112 at
the 2010 census. It is further included in the larger
Greenville-Spartanburg-Anderson, South Carolina Combined Statistical
Area, with a total population of 1,266,995, at the 2010 census.
Anderson is just off Interstate 85 and is 120 miles (190 km) from
Atlanta and 140 miles (230 km) from Charlotte. Anderson is the
smallest of the three primary cities that makes up the Upstate region
and is nicknamed "The Electric City" and "The Friendliest City in
South Carolina". Anderson County was named an "All-America City" in
2000.[citation needed] Anderson is the home of Anderson University, a
selective private comprehensive university of approximately 3,900
undergraduate and graduate students.Cherokee first settled the area of
what is today the city of Anderson. During the American Revolution the
Cherokee sided with the British. After the American Revolutionary War
the Cherokee's land was acquired as war reparations and colonized. In
1791 the South Carolina legislature created the Washington District
which comprised Greenville, Anderson, Oconee and Pickens counties. The
Washington District was then divided into Greenville and Pendleton
districts. Anderson, Pickens and Oconee comprised the newly created
Pendleton district. Anderson was settled in 1826 and incorporated in
1828 as Anderson Court House separating from the Pendleton district.
The name Anderson is in honor of Robert Anderson who fought in the
American Revolutionary War and also explored the Anderson region in
the mid-18th century. Anderson District (later Anderson County after
1867) was also established in 1826 out of the Pendleton
district.Cherokee first settled the area of what is today the city of
Anderson. During the American Revolution the Cherokee sided with the
British. After the American Revolutionary War the Cherokee's land was
acquired as war reparations and colonized. In 1791 the South Carolina
legislature created the Washington District which comprised
Greenville, Anderson, Oconee and Pickens counties. The Washington
District was then divided into Greenville and Pendleton districts.
Anderson, Pickens and Oconee comprised the newly created Pendleton
district. Anderson was settled in 1826 and incorporated in 1828 as
Anderson Court House separating from the Pendleton district. The name
Anderson is in honor of Robert Anderson who fought in the American
Revolutionary War and also explored the Anderson region in the
mid-18th century. Anderson District (later Anderson County after 1867)
was also established in 1826 out of the Pendleton district.In 1851 the
Johnson Female Seminary was established in Anderson as the first
college of the town and was named after William Bullein Johnson. One
year later the seminary was renamed Johnson University. During the
American Civil War Johnson University was closed and converted into a
Confederate treasury. On May 1, 1865 Union forces invaded Anderson
looking for the Confederate treasury. The treasury office of Anderson
was ransacked by Union forces and the main building of Johnson
University was used as a Union headquarters. A minor skirmish erupted
at the Battle of Anderson leading to two Union casualties. After the
war a Union garrison was stationed in Anderson.Anderson became one of
the first cities in the Southeastern United States to have
electricity. Electricity to Anderson was established by William C.
Whitner in 1895 at a hydroelectric plant on the Rocky River giving the
city the name "The Electric City." Anderson also became the first city
in the world to supply a cotton gin by electricity. In 1895 Anderson
Court House was renamed to Anderson. In 1897 Whitner's plant was
upgraded with a 10,000 volt generating station at Portman Shoals.
Whitner's power plant at Portman Shoals became the first hydroelectric
plant in the United States to generate high voltage without step-up
transformers . The Portman Dam was swept away in 1901 forcing Anderson
to be in darkness until it was rebuilt in 1902.[citation needed] Anderson, South Carolina Top Movies & Young Movies