Life in rural Upstate South Carolina can offer peace and quiet, but that doesn't make it boring! The Upstate is growing rapidly, and Seneca is the perfect place for a mix of small-town friendliness and room to roam with easy access to opportunities to unwind and have fun after hours.
Seneca is an hour away from the Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport, which provides direct flights to a number of major cities, including Atlanta, Baltimore-Washington, Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas, Detroit, Houston, New York City and Philadelphia.
The basics: history and geography
Seneca was named for Native American village, Esseneca, located on the banks of the nearby Seneca River in the 1700s.
The city, chartered in 1874 as “Seneca City,” dropped “City” from its name in 1906. It is in Oconee County, which takes its name from the Cherokee word “Ae-quo-nee” meaning “land beside the water.”
The county has a total area of 674 square miles (1,750 km2), of which 47 square miles (7%) is water. The hilly landscape has created a perfect environment for man-made lakes. Oconee County is home to 22 properties and districts on the National Register of Historic Places.
