"The Golden Strip" is an informal collective title for the South Carolina cities of Fountain Inn, Simpsonville, and Mauldin, which stretch along Interstate 385 in Greenville County south of the city of Greenville.
Historically, the term was used because of new water installments added to the three cities. [1] [2]
The area is often characterized today with its fast-paced economic growth. [2] Several establishments in the cities use the term "Golden Strip" in their titles, such as the "Golden Strip Freeway," a nickname for the portion of Interstate 385 that is in the area, and the Golden Strip Career Center, a vocational high school in Mauldin. [3]
Greenville County is located in the U.S. state of South Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 525,534, making it the most populous county in the state. Its county seat is Greenville. The county is also home to the Greenville County School District, the largest school system in South Carolina. Greenville County is the most populous county in Upstate South Carolina as well as the state. It is the central county of the Greenville-Anderson-Greer, SC Metropolitan Statistical Area, which in turn is part of the Greenville-Spartanburg-Anderson, SC Combined Statistical Area.
Interstate 85 (I-85) is a major Interstate Highway in the Southeastern United States. Its southern terminus is at an interchange with I-65 in Montgomery, Alabama; its northern terminus is an interchange with I-95 in Petersburg, Virginia, near Richmond. It is nominally north–south as it carries an odd number, but it is physically oriented northeast–southwest and covers a larger east–west span than north–south. While most Interstates that end in a "5" are cross-country, I-85 is primarily a regional route serving five southeastern states: Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Alabama.
Dunean is a census-designated place (CDP) in Greenville County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 3,671 at the 2010 census, down from 4,158 in 2000. It is part of the Greenville–Mauldin–Easley Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Gantt is a census-designated place (CDP) in Greenville County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 14,229 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Greenville–Mauldin–Easley Metropolitan Statistical Area and a suburb of the city of Greenville.
Golden Grove is a census-designated place (CDP) in Greenville County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 2,467 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Greenville–Mauldin–Easley Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Greenville is a city in and the county seat of Greenville County, South Carolina, United States. With a population of 70,720 at the 2020 census, it is the sixth-most populous city in the state. The Greenville metropolitan area had 928,195 residents in 2020 and is the largest metro area in South Carolina. Greenville is the anchor city of Upstate South Carolina, an economic and cultural region with an estimated population of 1.59 million as of 2023.
Mauldin is a city in Greenville County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 24,724 at the 2020 census, making it the 19th-most populous city in South Carolina. It is located in the Greenville-Anderson-Greer, SC Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Parker is a census-designated place (CDP) in Greenville County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 11,431 at the 2010 census, up from 10,760 in 2000. It is part of the Greenville–Mauldin–Easley Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Simpsonville is a city in Greenville County, South Carolina, United States. It is part of the Greenville, SC Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 23,354 at the 2020 census, up from 18,238 in the 2010 census. Simpsonville is part of the "Golden Strip", along with Mauldin and Fountain Inn, an area which is noted for having low unemployment due to a diversity of industries including H.B. Fuller, KEMET, Sealed Air and Milliken. It is the 23rd-most populous city in South Carolina.
Clinton is a city in Laurens County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 8,490 as of the 2010 census. It is part of the Greenville–Mauldin–Easley Metropolitan Statistical Area in upstate South Carolina. Clinton is the home of Presbyterian College.
Fountain Inn is a city in Greenville and Laurens counties in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The population was 10,416 at the 2020 census, up from 7,799 in 2010. It is part of the Greenville-Mauldin-Easley Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Interstate 385 (I-385) is an auxiliary Interstate Highway located in the Upstate region of South Carolina. I-385 is a spur route of I-85. The highway provides a connection between Greenville and I-26 to the south, connecting Greenville to Columbia and Charleston. Around Greenville, the last several miles of I-385 forms the northeastern quadrant of a partial beltway around Greenville's southern suburbs along with I-185.
Interstate 185 (I-185) is a 17.7-mile (28.5 km) auxiliary Interstate Highway located entirely in Greenville County, South Carolina. I-185 serves as a spur route of I-85 into the city of Greenville as well as a shortcut route for drivers accessing I-385 from northbound I-85. A portion of this road is tolled and is known as the "Southern Connector". Together with a portion of I-385, it forms a partial beltway through Greenville's southern suburbs.
U.S. Route 276 is a United States highway that runs for 106.4 miles (171.2 km) from Mauldin, South Carolina to Cove Creek, North Carolina. It is known both as a busy urban highway in Greenville, South Carolina and a scenic back-road in Western North Carolina. Despite its numbering, it does not intersect its parent route U.S. Route 76.
The Upstate, historically known as the Upcountry, is a region of the U.S. state of South Carolina, comprising the northwesternmost area of the state. Although loosely defined among locals, the general definition includes the 10 counties of the commerce-rich I-85 corridor in the northwest corner of South Carolina. This definition coincided with the Greenville-Spartanburg-Anderson, SC Combined Statistical Area, as first defined by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) in 2015. In 2023, the OMB issued its most updated definition of the CSA that coincides again with the 10-county region.
Interstate 85 (I-85) in the U.S. state of South Carolina runs northeast–southwest through Upstate South Carolina. Connecting regionally with Atlanta, Georgia, and Charlotte, North Carolina, it became the first Interstate Highway in South Carolina to have its originally planned mileage completed.
North Carolina Highway 11 is a primary state highway in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Traveling 193.2 miles (310.9 km) in a north–south alignment through Eastern North Carolina, it connects the towns and cities of Wallace, Kenansville, Kinston, Greenville and Murfreesboro.
South Carolina Highway 14 is a state highway in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The state highway runs 59.24 miles (95.34 km) from U.S. Route 76 Business in Laurens north to Interstate 26 (I-26) in Landrum. SC 14 connects Laurens and Landrum with Greer, the city between Greenville and Spartanburg where the highway crosses I-85 and US 29. The highway also parallels I-385 through Fountain Inn and Simpsonville, South Carolina in southeastern Greenville County. SC 14 is a part of the National Highway System between I-85 and US 29 in Greer.
South Carolina Highway 417 (SC 417) is a 21.699-mile (34.921 km) state highway in central Greenville and Spartanburg counties in the northwestern part of the U.S. state of South Carolina.
Golden Strip Career Center (GSCC) is one of four part-time secondary vocational schools in the Greenville County School District located in Greenville, South Carolina, United States. The school offers a variety of programs, each with a focus on some specific career field, and students can earn certifications, licenses, and even college credit following the completion of such programs. Most students at Golden Strip Career Center are also enrolled in non-alternative high schools in the school district; therefore, school bus transportation between these schools and the career center is provided on school days.