SALUDA COUNTY
County Offices
400 West Highland Street
Saluda 803-771-0131
http://saludacounty.sc.gov
Chamber of Commerce
120 South Main Street
Saluda 864-445-4100
www.saludachambersc.org
Major Highways
US Highway 178 and 378; Routes 39, 194
Partially bordered on one side by Sumter National Forest, the rolling Saluda River, and beautiful Lake Murray, rural Saluda County surrounds the centrally located county seat of Saluda.
Services
Panoramic Saluda County offers a serene country atmosphere and small-town living on the edge of Metropolitan Columbia, where first-rate urban amenities include major colleges and universities as well as state-of-the-art healthcare facilities and services. Piedmont Technical College serves the Lakelands Region by offering a two-year degree-granting institution close to home. The college serves an expansive area that includes Abbeville, Edgefield, Greenwood, Laurens, McCormick, Newberry, and Saluda counties. With its main campus in Greenwood, the college now provides six county centers, impressive distance learning opportunities, and dynamic partnerships with area employers.
The Saluda County Center was one of the more recent additions to this continually growing college that offers both arts and science associate degrees for those who desire to continue their education at four-year institutions. The Saluda Center provides a technologically advanced facility where students are able to participate in credit or non-credit courses in a traditional classroom setting or take advantage of satellite and two-way video conferencing techniques. The majority of student services are conveniently available at the center, including financial aid, placement testing, career counseling, and registration.
Leading-edge healthcare is available in close proximity to Saluda County in several major hospitals and medical centers. Edgefield County Hospital in Edgefield, Newberry County Memorial Hospital in Newberry, and Self Regional Healthcare in Greenwood combine with Columbia’s network of institutions to meet both routine and highly specialized needs. Self Regional Healthcare serves as a major referral and medical center that provides state-of-the-art services to a population of more than a quarter of a million people in the Lakelands Region. Advanced-care specialties include a cancer center, a heart center, and a women’s center as well as diagnostic imaging, rehabilitation, neurosurgery, neurology, and vascular services. Other advantages include Level III emergency care, transitional care, ambulatory care, and home health services.
Lifestyle
Those who have a passion for outdoor adventure and a relaxed rural lifestyle will feel immediate at home in Saluda County. The county’s rich historical legacy is protected by the Saluda County Historical Society, an active group that has recently added a diorama honoring two heroic native sons. William Barrett Travis and James Butler Bonham lost their lives in Texas during the final siege of the Alamo. Featuring a scaled-down model of the ruined mission complex with hand-painted figures, the exhibit fills an entire room of the Saluda County Museum. Bonham’s birthplace of Flat Grove has been restored as a local, state, and national treasure — the only house still standing where an Alamo hero was born.
The theater adjacent to the museum serves a regional cultural community, frequently offering exhibits of arts and crafts. Historic Saluda Theater remained a focal point of the community from its opening in 1936 until 1981. After several years of decay, this venue on courthouse square along with an adjoining building was transformed by community spirit and support into today’s cultural center. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, this Art Deco treasure now appears much as it did in 1936. This regional jewel hosts dance recitals, graduation exercises, band concerts, talent shows, historical dramas, community theater productions, and civic events.
One of the natural highlights in Saluda County is the 10-mile segment of the Saluda River that begins one mile below the Lake Murray Dam and flows to a confluence with the Broad River. The Lower Saluda River was designated a State Scenic River in 1`991, paying tribute to its beauty and also to its value as an outstanding recreational resource. Tailrace waters from Lake Murray provide a cold-water fishery and varying water levels for recreational boating. Residents are able to enjoy the finest in trout and striped bass fishing as well as whitewater excitement with class II to V rapids or the relaxation of flat-water paddling. The surrounding terrain of dramatic rock outcrops and heavily wooded landscapes make this a popular recreation area for the entire Metropolitan Columbia region. For the pleasures of rural living near a growing, cosmopolitan metropolis, few areas can rival Saluda County.
Batesburg-Leesville
Municipal Offices
803-532-4601
www.batesburg-leesville.org
Chamber of Commerce
803-532-4339
http://batesburg-leesvillechamber.org
“Come Sample the South,” is the invitation extended to visitors by the Batesburg-Leesville community, where natural friendliness and home-owned businesses create a warm and engaging atmosphere. The former towns of Batesburg and Leesville were consolidated in 1992, creating a new and unique municipality that successfully integrated assets and services. Nestled in the Midlands and offering easy access to Interstate 20, Batesburg-Leesville is primarily located in Lexington County’s western corner but extends into Saluda County. The panoramic Lake Murray recreational area is only a 10-minute drive from the community, ensuring outstanding fishing, boating, and water sports. Batesburg-Leesville draws visitors from across the region to its annual South Carolina Poultry Festival, one of the largest in the state. Newcomers are drawn to this area for it unhurried pace, intimate hometown spirit, country pleasures, and close proximity to major urban amenities. Housing options range from fine old Southern homes to modern construction that spans architectural styles and price ranges.
Saluda
Municipal Offices
864-445-3522
www.townofsaluda.com
Chamber of Commerce
864-445-4100
www.saludachambersc.org
“All roads lead to Saluda” is certainly an appropriate description of Saluda County, where the leading city is the focal point of government, commerce, education, and culture. U.S. Highways 178 and 378 as well as several state routes connect this centrally located municipality with Sumter National Forest, Saluda River recreation, and Lake Murray water sports as well as Columbia’s expansive urban amenities. The Saluda County Historical Society Museum and Theater is a cultural jewel for local residents, who are able to enjoy community theater productions, dance and musical concerts, and many special events in a beautifully restored venue with Art Deco styling. Newcomers will find everything from modest bungalows on quiet streets to large family homes surrounded by generous acreage and country manors in and near Saluda.
