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To answer your question, the Walmart was an unincorporated area of York County. Tega Cay annexed the property, so it is officially part of Tega Cay now since they wanted the tax revenue. If you leave Tega Cay and head towards Fort Mill, you actually leave the town/city and the reenter it where the Walmart is.
First of all... Mardnt...love the Rock Thrill description... I'm going to have to steal that one! Seattlemom, great question.
What is Rock Hill like? To me it's a cool small city/college town. It's a place that offers a variety of arts and entertainment options, outdoor recreation, and plenty of opportunities to explore local culture and heritage. You will be hard pressed to find more friendly and hospitable people anywhere else.
I have to say that I have noticed a trend in that it seems like alot of folks who don't live here or haven't lived here long often base their sole impression of Rock Hill on Cherry Road or Celanese or Dave Lyle at 77. It's an easy thing to do, especially if you don't hang out here much, but it's kind of like going to a grand hotel and using the service entrance or loading dock. No offense to people living in those areas, but I'm referring to the strip mall/commercial property/heavily trafficked aspect already referred to by pps.
Just like Tega Cay is not just the corner of 160 and Gold Hill, and Fort Mill is not... the entrance to the new Walmart. (is that FM or TC? I've never been sure where one starts and the other stops in that area)
What do I feel better personifies Rock Hill? RH is a drive down Main Street from East Town to Old Town (downtown). RH is picturesque Oakland Ave and the beautiful campus of Winthrop. RH is its historic and diverse neighborhoods. RH is the Cotton Factory and the Bleachery and the rest of the textile corridor and all the old mills. Rock Hill is in the remnants of the buildings at the Friendship College site. RH is a church that began life in a brush arbor. RH is Glencairn and the Come See Me Fest and Beach Bash in the Spring. RH is Christmasville in the winter. RH is dancing down on Main Street on a summer night during Main Street Live. RH is the beautiful countryside of unincorporated RH. RH is the blues of native son Ironing Board Sam and the art and spirit of adopted son Vernon Grant. Rock Hill is the lake. Rock Hill is heading to Pete's house on India Hook for BBQ on the rare occasions when he is open.
Very nice description of Rock Hill American Road Girl!!
-In regard to 160/Gold Hill...that is actually Fort Mill Township (unincorporated portion of York County)
-The area where the new Wal-Mart is located at was annexed into Tega Cay ()
Thanks, Groove! Thanks, LTC! Cool, now I get it. So I will correct self now that you have "learned me" and say... the entrance to Walmart does not personify TC, and the apartment complex we lived in temp. in FM did not personify Fort Mill.
This morning I enjoyed one of my fave ways to spend a few minutes when I am in town...this time savoring that first cup of java as I took a little drive around East Town (White St, Main St, Black St and surrounds), into Downtown, across Dave Lyle, up past the Cotton Factory and alongside the Bleachery, then down by Laurelwood Cemetary. I always marvel at all the intact architecture. Mindblowing. Just like a movie set. It would not surprise me in the slightest if someone used RH for some location shoots at some point in the future.
In my earlier post, there were a gazillion things I mentioned that personify RH. There were a gazillion that I didn't. There is an incredible amount of positive African American history and heritage celebrated. Clinton Junior College just celebrated 114 years of it. Anyone who lives in RH is likely able to tell the story of the Friendship Nine.
Also, a cool mom-and-pop place to eat with great service and hospitality personifies RH too, as there are just so many of them around here.
Some trivia about Rock Hill: The artist who created Snap Crackle and Pop is from there. Also, one of the best baseball managers ever (Sparky Anderson who won the World Series in Detroit in 1984) coached minor league ball there in 1969.
To answer your question, the Walmart was an unincorporated area of York County. Tega Cay annexed the property, so it is officially part of Tega Cay now since they wanted the tax revenue. If you leave Tega Cay and head towards Fort Mill, you actually leave the town/city and the reenter it where the Walmart is.
A little off topic, but to clarify the history of the site of the Tega Cay Walmart---Walmart originally requested rezoning of that parcel of land when it was in unincorporated York County. York County turned down the rezoning request, since they concluded the area was not appropriate for a large -scale commercial site (wise decision, I would say). Not to be tharted, Walmart asked TC to annex the property. After the property was annexed, Walmart again requested rezoning, this time from Tega Cay. Of course, TC did want the tax revenue and the rest is history. Never mind that the new development is isolated fromt the rest of the town of TC, which requires emergency vehicles to drive several miles through the unincorporated area.
A little off topic, but to clarify the history of the site of the Tega Cay Walmart---Walmart originally requested rezoning of that parcel of land when it was in unincorporated York County. York County turned down the rezoning request, since they concluded the area was not appropriate for a large -scale commercial site (wise decision, I would say). Not to be tharted, Walmart asked TC to annex the property. After the property was annexed, Walmart again requested rezoning, this time from Tega Cay. Of course, TC did want the tax revenue and the rest is history. Never mind that the new development is isolated fromt the rest of the town of TC, which requires emergency vehicles to drive several miles through the unincorporated area.
moedog you have left out an important piece of the puzzle to your history of the Tega Cay WalMart.....and that happens to be Mr. Herman Stone.
Mr. Stone owned that land (130 acres) that the WalMart now sits upon. Mr. Stone already had a plan of Stonecrest in place. It was not until after the plans were set into motion that WalMart then entered into the picture. An additional 14 acres were needed to be annexed and rezoned into Tega Cay to accomodate WalMart. While none of this has been done without controversy...there's also an additional street that will be added that will conect the Stonecrest section of Tega Cay into the original portion of Tega Cay (they are still trying to hammer out the details on where that will go?)
I apologize for taking this thread even farther away from the OP's original question.
So I'll to try to get in back on track:
Prior to Charlotte expanding so close to the SC border and as Fort Mill grows as well...Rock Hill was were you'd do most of your shopping (along with dining out).
Rock Hill has some very nice golf courses, an airport, waterfront park, along with some really great parks (for example: an incredible soccerfield Machester Meadows, then there's Cherry Park, and the Rock Hill Tennis Center....and many of the kids that I know that swim belong to the Rock Hill YMCA Rays swim team (as many of the swimteams here only compete during the summer months)
Yep, groove, that's Vernon Grant who created S, C, P. I have really become hooked on his stuff since moving here. I especially love his Santa Clauses.
I have always loved cartooning...the first time we went to the Museum of York County I had no idea of the relationship between Rock Hill and Vernon Grantl. So I was rather thrilled when they had a whole collection of his work within the museum...and I must admit...this is where I spent most of my time while I was there.
I will tell you as a young professional, even though I live here so I don't have to drive to far, I feel Rock Hill offers nothing for a young professional in regards to nightlife, or a truly walkable neighborhood. You have to drive to go anywhere in this town, as their is no public transportation, and none of the shopping areas are really connected to walkable neighborhoods. There's been no plan of development as it seems box retailers will just pop up anywhere. And worst of all, there's like 1 decent bar in the whole town, and it's too crowded on weekends there, to even get a beer. There's no real good live music club, there's no upscale type cocktail lounge, or anything that resembles some of the nice bars/clubs in uptown Charlotte. It does seem to a be a good town to live in if you're raising a family and don't need a lot of big city amenities. Another thing that kind of sucks about this town is that there are no really nice upscale individually owned restaraunts. In fact, you'd be hardpressed to find any local restaraunt it seems, as everywhere you go, it's all chains. Also, downtown is dead. If you go through there in the evening, except at the one decent bar, McHales, there's noone else out. Plus, for a town of 60K people, there's nothing to it really. Most towns that size, do have a sizeable downtown, but RH's is only like 4 blocks. For instance, my company's corp HQ are out in Missoula, MT, which only has a population of 54,000, yet, has a downtown area that is at least 10 blocks long and 6 blocks wide, and has easily a dozen bars and nightclubs. I will say, while they aren't as good as Fort Mill, the schools in Rock Hill are good for SC standards.
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