The second fastest growing city in South Carolina, Fountain Inn is drawing new businesses and new residents with a down home feel and sense of community. In 2010 the United Stated Census Bureau determined the population of Fountain Inn to be 7,611. In 2019 the population had grown to 10,441, an increase of 37.2 percent. That’s pretty impressive for a town that in 2000 just barely tipped the scales with 6,017 residents.
Housing
The Upstate housing market is still breaking records and Fountain Inn has both selection and affordability. In addition to new subdivisions being developed by some of the nation’s leading builders, Fountain Inn also understands the importance of preserving its rich history as seen by the recent announcement of the development of the old Woodside Cotton Mill property. Plans submitted by one of the potential developers calls for the apartments and retail spaces to be “heavily influenced by the appearance of southern textile mills, redbrick facades, open spaces and large windows,” all paying homage to the rich manufacturing history of the South.
Community Events
Fountain Inn works diligently to insure their residents enjoy a higher quality of life with numerous public greenspaces, a new downtown splash pad, the Woodside Park renovation, the Emmanuel Sullivan Sports Complex, and the Prisma Health Swamp Rabbit Trail extension.
Signature events held throughout the year* include the local farmers market, the Mac Arnold Cornbread & Collard Greens Blues Festival, Dancing on the Depot, a wing cook-off, and for Christmas, horse-drawn carriage rides.
From Cotton to Cars
The heart of any town has to include successful locally owned businesses and Fountain Inn has the market on those. Downtown Fountain Inn is one of those quintessential small towns where you can easily while away the hours wandering through the unique shops, greeting neighbors and friends as you go.
But no town can thrive without some form of industry and that’s where the cars come in. From 1897 and continuing until the last cotton mill closed its doors in 1984, Fountain Inn was known for being a textile town as well as a commercial center for local farmers. In June, 1992 BMW opened their first North American plant in Spartanburg County and Fountain Inn experienced immediate benefits. Ancillary businesses began opening plants, the largest being the 975,000 square-foot ZF Friedrichshafen transmission factory located just five miles outside Fountain Inn. Hiring more than 1,000 employees made Fountain Inn an even more attractive place to call home. The industry growth spurt has continued over the last 30 years, with the most recent being a new 172 acre business park under construction and slated to open late 2021/early 2022.
Ready to make Fountain Inn your new home? Please keep Carolina RES in mind for all your real estate service needs. Connect with us online or by calling 864-242-1099 today.
*Due to Covid-19 some events may have been cancelled, postponed or have new safety requirements and operating hours in place. Please check online for additional details.
