

There were 9,192 housing units at an average density of 39 per square mile (15/km 2). The population density was 77 people per square mile (30/km 2). The track remains in place, but are cut near Flat Rock, North Carolina and Landrum, South Carolina.ĭemographics Historical populationĢ020 census Polk County racial composition RaceĪs of the 2020 United States census, there were 19,328 people, 9,071 households, and 5,550 families residing in the county.Īs of the census of 2000, there were 18,324 people, 7,908 households, and 5,337 families residing in the county. Norfolk Southern suspended freight traffic indefinitely along this route in December 2001. Polk County and Saluda are infamous among railroad enthusiasts for the Saluda Grade, the steepest standard-gauge mainline railway grade in the United States.NC 108 and NC 9 intersect at the unincorporated town of Mill Spring. Oriented north-to-south, NC 9 connects Black Mountain and Lake Lure to Spartanburg and points southeast via Polk County. NC 108 begins in Rutherfordton and travels west through Columbus and ends at US 176 in Tryon. Two North Carolina routes, NC 108 and NC 9, traverse the county as well. prior to the delayed completion of I-26 in 1976. This was the primary highway linking Saluda and Tryon to Hendersonville and Spartanburg, S.C. Polk County is also served by an additional non-freeway U.S. Interstate 26 provides Polk County with easy access to Asheville and Spartanburg. The interchange for I-26 and the US 74 freeway is located in Columbus. Greenville County, South Carolina - south-southwest.Spartanburg County, South Carolina - south-southeast.Bradley Nature Preserve at Alexander's Ford (part).Since it is in a transition zone between the two regions, Polk County is often referred to as being in the foothills. Polk County is divided into two physiographic regions the Blue Ridge Mountains in the western third of the county and Piedmont for the eastern two-thirds. The elevation in the county ranges from just under 800 feet (240 m) near the confluence of the Green River and Broad River to over 3,200 feet (980 m) on Tryon Peak and Wildcat Spur, the highest peak in the county.

The northern extent of the river's watershed forms the northern border of the county. Lake Adger is a reservoir formed by the damming of the Green River, which flows from west to east across the county. The county's largest body of water is Lake Adger, located about 5 miles (8.0 km) north of Columbus.
