Greenville metro, SC relocation guide
Moving to Ware Shoals, SC
About Ware Shoals
Ware Shoals is a historic mill town straddling Laurens, Greenwood, and Abbeville counties along the Saluda River, where the counties meet on South Carolina's Heritage Corridor. Founded in 1902 by Benjamin D. Riegel as the Ware Shoals Manufacturing Company (later Riegel Textile), the town grew with the cotton mill — by the 1960s the mill employed 5,000 people; it closed in 1985 and was demolished in the early 2000s. Its name comes from the "shoals" of the Saluda River, first named for William Ware's gristmill at Rutledge Ford. Today it hosts the annual Catfish Feastival, and the Ware Shoals Inn (built 1923, National Register 2007) stands as the town's symbol.
Home prices in Ware Shoals
The median list in Ware Shoals is $202,450.
Top places in Ware Shoals
- Ware Shoals Inn — National Register landmark (shown in the Commons photo below).
- Saluda River banks at Irvin Pitts Park — picnicking, wading, fishing (Historical Marker text, hmdb.org).
- Ware Shoals Veterans Park — playgrounds, picnic areas, walking trails.
- Lake Greenwood — camping, boating, parks nearby.
- Annual Catfish Feastival.
- Ware Shoals Country Club — mill-village amenities (shown in the Commons photo below).
Commuting from Ware Shoals
- Approximate drive to downtown Greenville: ~50–60 minutes (about 45 miles via US-25/I-385; approximate).
- Approximate drive to downtown Anderson: ~40–50 minutes (about 35 miles via US-76/I-385; approximate).
- Nearby Lake Greenwood (~10 miles) is the major recreation hub.
Ware Shoals FAQs
- What is the housing market like in Ware Shoals, SC?
The median list in Ware Shoals is $202,450. Median listing price · Sep 2026 - How is the commute from Ware Shoals, SC?
Approximate drive to downtown Greenville: ~50–60 minutes (about 45 miles via US-25/I-385; approximate).
Town links
Schools
Official town resources. School report cards via the National Center for Education Statistics.