Nestled in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, Anderson County sits in the state’s northwestern corner—an area commonly referred to as the Upstate. Its position along the I-85 corridor makes it a manufacturing base for numerous Fortune 500 companies including, Walgreens, Arthrex, Dodge Industrial, and Bosch. With a population of roughly 29,000 within the city limits and over 200k in the surrounding area, Anderson’s population center is the sixteenth-largest in the Carolinas. JDI is proud to be many of these companies’ and communities’ first call when they need an Anderson Mechanical Contractor.
The Electric City
For a small, rural place in the foothills of South Carolina, Anderson has never had trouble keeping up with the times. In preparation for the manufacturing boom in the nineteenth century, the town harnessed the energy from a hydroelectric plant on the Rocky River, becoming the first city in the United States to have a continuous supply of electric power and the first in the world to power a cotton gin by electricity. The innovation, which sparked the Industrial Revolution in the South, earned the town its “Electric City” nickname.
In recent years, it has transformed its historic downtown into a vibrant community center with hip breweries and bars, foodie-centric restaurants and a park for concerts and events.
Global Manufacturing Center
While Anderson had its beginnings in textiles, it has since been changed by various industries. Significant growth continued after World War II as Anderson attracted new, nontextile industries. Although most of this industrial expansion occurred just beyond the city limits, Anderson benefited nevertheless and became a regional retail and commercial center attracting people from both South Carolina and Georgia. There are currently over 177 manufacturers in Anderson County from industries such as biotech, automotive, energy, and more.