Editing Cherokee County, South Carolina (section)

==Economy==
Cherokee County is the only county to have three national parks within its boundaries: the [[Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail]], [[Kings Mountain National Military Park]] and [[Cowpens National Battlefield]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=May 7, 2017 |title=National Parks in South Carolina |url=https://everything-everywhere.com/national-park-service-sites-in-south-carolina/ |access-date=June 12, 2022 |website=Everything Everywhere |language=en-US}}</ref> Several historic homes dot the landscape of Cherokee County. While many are not generally open to the public, several annual tours of these homes take place.<ref>{{Cite web |title=National Register Sites in Cherokee County |url=http://www.nationalregister.sc.gov/cherokee/nrcherokee.htm |access-date=June 12, 2022 |website=www.nationalregister.sc.gov}}</ref>

Gaffney Little Theatre and [[Limestone College]] serve theater enthusiasts, offering plays and musicals ten to twelve times a year.

Located outside the city of [[Gaffney, South Carolina|Gaffney]] is the Cherokee Speedway, a 3/8th mile dirt racing track that hosts several short track stock car racing events. Originally constructed in the 1950s, it has had notable early racecar drivers like [[Bobby Isaac]] and [[Curtis Turner]] compete there.<ref>{{Cite web |author=Staff Writer |date=July 15, 1989 |title=Down in the dirt GAFFNEY |url=https://www.goupstate.com/story/news/1989/07/15/down-in-the-dirt-gaffney/29514746007/ |access-date=April 12, 2024 |website=Spartanburg Herald-Journal |language=en-US}}</ref>

A major shopping center is Prime Outlets-Gaffney, which attracts almost 3,000,000 visitors per year, and contains over 80 retail outlets. Floyd Baker Boulevard is a major commercial area in Gaffney. It has numerous stores and restaurants. Uptown Gaffney offers many upscale boutiques, shops and cafes.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Gaffney Historical Marker |url=https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=7245 |access-date=June 12, 2022 |website=www.hmdb.org |language=en}}</ref>

The area's newest attraction is the Cherokee County History and Arts Museum. It is located at the old Central School. Cherokee County's history, its contributions to the arts, and its role in shaping the culture of the southeast are explored.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Society |first=Cherokee Historical and Preservation |title=Museum |url=https://cherokeecountyhistory.org/ |access-date=June 12, 2022 |website=Cherokee Historical and Preservation Society |language=en-US}}</ref>

In 2022, the GDP of Cherokee County was $2.1 billion (roughly $37,764 per capita).<ref>{{Cite web |last=U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis |date=2001-01-01 |title=Gross Domestic Product: All Industries in Cherokee County, SC |url=https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/GDPALL45021 |access-date=2024-05-01 |website=FRED, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis}}</ref> In [[Chained dollars|chained 2017 dollars]], the real GDP was $1.8 billion (about $31,928 per capita).<ref>{{Cite web |last=U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis |date=2001-01-01 |title=Real Gross Domestic Product: All Industries in Cherokee County, SC |url=https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/REALGDPALL45021 |access-date=2024-05-01 |website=FRED, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis}}</ref> Its unemployment rate has fluctuated between 3.2-5.3% during 2022 through 2024.<ref>{{Cite web |last=U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics |date=1990-01-01 |title=Unemployment Rate in Cherokee County, SC |url=https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/SCCHER1URN |access-date=2024-05-01 |website=FRED, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis}}</ref>

{{As of|2024|April}}, [[Dollar Tree]], [[Limestone University]], [[Nestlé]], [[Timken Company]], and [[Walmart]] are some of the largest employers in the county.<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal |date=April 19, 2024 |title=Cherokee County |url=https://lmi.dew.sc.gov/lmi%20site/Documents/CommunityProfiles/04000021.pdf |journal=Community Profiles |publisher=S.C. Department of Employment & Workforce - Business Intelligence Department |publication-place=Columbia, South Carolina |issue=4000021}}</ref>
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+ Employment and Wage Statistics by Industry in Cherokee County, South Carolina<ref name=":0" />
! style="text-align:left;" | Industry
! style="text-align:right;" | Employment Counts
! style="text-align:right;" | Employment Percentage (%)
! style="text-align:right;" | Average Annual Wage ($)
|-
| style="text-align:left;" | Accommodation and Food Services || style="text-align:right;" | 1,739 || style="text-align:right;" | 9.5 || style="text-align:right;" | 20,384
|-
| style="text-align:left;" | Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services || style="text-align:right;" | 1,181 || style="text-align:right;" | 6.5 || style="text-align:right;" | 35,360
|-
| style="text-align:left;" | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting || style="text-align:right;" | 13 || style="text-align:right;" | 0.1 || style="text-align:right;" | 24,336
|-
| style="text-align:left;" | Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation || style="text-align:right;" | 216 || style="text-align:right;" | 1.2 || style="text-align:right;" | 26,520
|-
| style="text-align:left;" | Construction || style="text-align:right;" | 755 || style="text-align:right;" | 4.1 || style="text-align:right;" | 66,300
|-
| style="text-align:left;" | Educational Services || style="text-align:right;" | 1,471 || style="text-align:right;" | 8.1 || style="text-align:right;" | 51,428
|-
| style="text-align:left;" | Finance and Insurance || style="text-align:right;" | 246 || style="text-align:right;" | 1.3 || style="text-align:right;" | 61,776
|-
| style="text-align:left;" | Health Care and Social Assistance || style="text-align:right;" | 1,056 || style="text-align:right;" | 5.8 || style="text-align:right;" | 34,164
|-
| style="text-align:left;" | Information || style="text-align:right;" | 58 || style="text-align:right;" | 0.3 || style="text-align:right;" | 36,400
|-
| style="text-align:left;" | Manufacturing || style="text-align:right;" | 5,782 || style="text-align:right;" | 31.7 || style="text-align:right;" | 55,796
|-
| style="text-align:left;" | Other Services (except Public Administration) || style="text-align:right;" | 418 || style="text-align:right;" | 2.3 || style="text-align:right;" | 27,664
|-
| style="text-align:left;" | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services || style="text-align:right;" | 226 || style="text-align:right;" | 1.2 || style="text-align:right;" | 62,140
|-
| style="text-align:left;" | Public Administration || style="text-align:right;" | 670 || style="text-align:right;" | 3.7 || style="text-align:right;" | 44,876
|-
| style="text-align:left;" | Real Estate and Rental and Leasing || style="text-align:right;" | 121 || style="text-align:right;" | 0.7 || style="text-align:right;" | 48,568
|-
| style="text-align:left;" | Retail Trade || style="text-align:right;" | 2,295 || style="text-align:right;" | 12.6 || style="text-align:right;" | 27,612
|-
| style="text-align:left;" | Transportation and Warehousing || style="text-align:right;" | 1,188 || style="text-align:right;" | 6.5 || style="text-align:right;" | 52,156
|-
| style="text-align:left;" | Utilities || style="text-align:right;" | 175 || style="text-align:right;" | 1.0 || style="text-align:right;" | 94,900
|-
| style="text-align:left;" | Wholesale Trade || style="text-align:right;" | 645 || style="text-align:right;" | 3.5 || style="text-align:right;" | 52,988
|-
| style="text-align:left; font-weight:bold;" | '''Total''' || style="text-align:right; font-weight:bold;" | '''18,255''' || style="text-align:right; font-weight:bold;" | '''100.0%''' || style="text-align:right; font-weight:bold;" | '''45,063'''
|}

===Nuclear power plant===
In 2002, the President [[George W. Bush]] administration initiated the [[Nuclear Power 2010 Program]], to encourage the development of nuclear power plants to meet energy needs. The program developed a streamlining of approval processes for licensing and had subsidies. Additional incentives were authorized under the Nuclear Power Act of 2005.

On March 16, 2006 [[Duke Power]] announced that a Cherokee County site had been selected for a potential new [[nuclear power plant]], to be called the [[William States Lee III Nuclear Generating Station]], informally known as Lee Station. The site is jointly owned by Duke Power and [[Southern Company]]. Duke plans to develop the site for two [[Westinghouse Electric Company]] [[AP1000]] (advanced passive) [[pressurized water reactor]]s. Each reactor is capable of producing approximately 1,117 megawatts. (See [[Nuclear Power 2010 Program]].) This site is adjacent to the old [[Cherokee Nuclear Power Plant]] site, which was never completed and ultimately abandoned. It was used by [[James Cameron]] as a set for the 1989 film ''[[The Abyss]]''.

On December 14, 2007 [[Duke Power]] submitted a [[Combined Construction and Operating License]] to the [[Nuclear Regulatory Commission]], with an announcement that it will spend $160&nbsp;million in 2008 on the plant with a total cost of 5–6&nbsp;billion dollars.<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.reuters.com/article/companyNewsAndPR/idUSN1324347520071213 | work=Reuters | title=UPDATE 1-Duke Energy files to build new nuclear power plant | date=December 13, 2007}}</ref> Due to a slowdown in licensing and increase in costs, a federal license for what is estimated to be an $11&nbsp;billion plant is not expected until 2016. Duke Energy will decide after that point whether to go forward with construction.<ref>[http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2014/01/27/4644116/duke-energy-wont-buy-into-sc-nuclear.html#storylink=cpy "Duke Energy won't buy into SC nuclear plant &#91;Santee Cooper&#93;"] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141229155853/http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2014/01/27/4644116/duke-energy-wont-buy-into-sc-nuclear.html#storylink=cpy |date=December 29, 2014 }}, ''Charlotte Observer'', January 27, 2014, accessed December 28, 2014</ref> In August 2017, Duke Energy announced that construction plans at the site had been put on an indefinite hold. The company retains the rights to restart construction in the future.<ref>{{cite news|title=Duke Seeks To Cancel William States Lee Nuclear Power Project – News – Nuclear Power News – Nuclear Street – Nuclear Power Plant News, Jobs, and Careers|url=https://nuclearstreet.com/nuclear_power_industry_news/b/nuclear_power_news/archive/2017/08/25/duke-seeks-to-cancel-william-states-lee-nuclear-power-project-082502|access-date=August 27, 2017|work=nuclearstreet.com|language=en}}</ref>