York, South Carolina

Early South Carolina was divided into two areas, the northern Back Country (later called the Up Country) and the Low Country. The government was controlled by the aristocratic rice planters in the Charleston area who gave no representation or local court systems to the Up Country. This resulted in a lawless frontier from 1740 until roughly 1800, when counties and local courts were established.
The city of York developed out of a busy crossroads and was first called Yorkville. It became a major cotton center and was known as "The Charleston of the Up-Country." Its population doubled in the 1850's and at that time it was home to a prestigious prep school for boys and a large prep school for girls. Many of the coastal English planter families established summer homes there. It was a mixture of cultures that led to a mixture of architectural styles in the homes, churches and commercial buildings. In 1976 the city center was nominated as a Historic District to the National Register. This resulted in the grant of one of the largest Historic Districts in South Carolina at the time, encompassing over 180 structures on 340 acres.
I apologize for not including photographs, but I was walking and reading a guide book and trying to avoid tripping and falling on the uneven walk. However, photos are available online at the National Register of Historic Places. There are many interesting structures with equally interesting histories. Many people pivotal to the development of South Carolina and our nation lived in York.
One interesting story is of the circus that chose York as its winter headquarters from 1929 through1945. During this time, Santa rode on the back of an elephant in the annual Christmas parade. Many of the circus performers chose to live in York after retirement. Some local folks were inspired to create a circus of their own that performed just in South Carolina. The larger circus helped them by loaning equipment and animals.
Although many of the downtown buildings are vacant, York remains viable today thanks to a manufacturing base and its proximity to Charlotte. York County is among the fastest growing counties in South Carolina.
Little known fact: they grow peaches here. I would have thought it was too far north.