York (South Carolina)

Downtown York Historic District

York is a small town and county seat of York County in the Olde English District of South Carolina west of Rock Hill and southwest of the major city of Charlotte in North Carolina.

Understand

The first European settlers came to York in the early 1750s, having migrated south from Pennsylvania and Virginia. Of the three major groups settling Pennsylvania, the English came first, then the Germans, and then the Scottish. The county names of Lancashire, Cheshire and Yorkshire had been brought from England to Pennsylvania, and then on to South Carolina by the early settlers.

Prior to this, the first known inhabitants of York County were the Catawba Indians.

The town of York used to be known as Fergus’s Crossroads for a tavern, owned by two brothers, William and John Fergus, at the intersection of the road from Rutherfordton to Camden and the road from Charlotte to Augusta. When the county of York was established in 1785 the state statute required each county to erect a courthouse and public buildings in the most convenient part of the county, with a tax levied to cover the cost of "building the court houses, prisons, pillories, whipping posts and stocks." Fergus’s Crossroads was near the geographic center of the newly formed county and was chosen for the site of the new county seat.

Get in

York is accessible via South Carolina Highway 5 from Interstate 85 exit number 102 in Blacksburg and Interstate 77 exit numbers 73 and 82-C in Rock Hill.

Get around

York is best accessed by car, but bicycles are frequently used on town streets. Walking is also the main source of getting around in Downtown York, because of limited parking.

See

• 1 York Downtown Historic District, 12 N Congress Street. Collection of historical buildings built as early as the 1800s with a few antique shops and restaurants. (updated Jul 2017)

Do

• 1 Historic Sylvia Theatre, 27 N Congress Street, ☏ +1 803 684-5590. Intimate, historic venue for first run popular American movies. (updated Jul 2017)
• 2 McCelvey Center, 212 E Jefferson Street, ☏ +1 803 684-3948. Historic venue and museum minutes from downtown York. (updated Aug 2017)

York and the surrounding area is known for its presence in agriculture. There are numerous farmers markets in or near the town of York. Below are a few.

• 3 Strawberry picking at Bush-N-Vine, 1650 Filbert Highway, ☏ +1 803 684-2732. (updated Jul 2017)
• 4 Peach orchards at Black's peaches, 1800 Blacksburg Highway, ☏ +1 803 684-2333. (updated Jul 2017)
• 5 Apple-picking at Windy Hill Orchard, 1860 Blacksburg Highway, ☏ +1 803 684-0690. (updated Jul 2017)

Buy

• 1 York Downtown Historic District, 12 N Congress Street. Collection of historical buildings built as early as the 1800s with a few antique shops and restaurants. (updated Jul 2017)

Eat

• 1 The Garden Restaurant, 307 W Liberty Street, ☏ +1 803 684-7019. Rustic, country-style spot featuring southern cuisine. (updated Jul 2017)
• 2 Old York Seafood, 1880 Old York Rd, ☏ +1 803 684-9485. Local seafood restaurant offering healthy options of seafood fare. (updated Jul 2017)
• 3 Towne Tavern York, 105 Garner Street, ☏ +1 803-818-6300. Historic American restaurant serving up burgers, steaks and seafood. (updated Aug 2017)

Drink

• 1 Wing King, 20 N Congress Street, ☏ +1 803 684-9434. Local bar serving up chicken tenders, wings and burgers with a great beer and cocktail selection. (updated Aug 2017)

Sleep

There are no accommodations in the town of York, but there are numerous options in nearby Rock Hill and Fort Mill.

Stay safe

• York Municipal Police Department +1 803 684-4141
• York Fire Department +1 803 684-1700

Go next

• Rock Hill
• Fort Mill
• Tega Cay

Routes through York

Johnson City, TN ← Gastonia, NC ←

N  S

→ Columbia → Hardeeville (END)