Living history on the Great Pee Dee River — Dizzy Gillespie's birthplace, one of the best-preserved historic districts in South Carolina, and a 7,361-acre state park at the edge of town.
The short answer: Cheraw is a town of about 5,000 in Chesterfield County, 85 miles northeast of Columbia and 75 miles southeast of Charlotte. The county median home value is $116,200 — among the most affordable in the state. It has a National Register historic district listed since 1974, a 7,361-acre state park with an 18-hole golf course inside town limits, and a new $45 million McLeod Health hospital under construction.
This page is background research. Applications, ambassadors and the Cheraw program itself live on projecthometowncheraw.com — that's the official site, run by the local Cheraw team.
| County | Chesterfield County |
|---|---|
| Population | ~4,960 town · 43,784 county (ACS 2024 5-year) |
| Median home value | $116,200 county (ACS 2024 5-year) |
| Median household income | $49,235 county (ACS 2024 5-year) |
| Columbia, SC | 85 miles northeast of Columbia (Town of Cheraw) |
| Charlotte, NC | 75 miles southeast of Charlotte (Town of Cheraw) |
| Interstate access | About 40 minutes from I-95 (Town of Cheraw) |
| Hospital | McLeod Health Cheraw — new $45M, 35-bed facility under construction |
| Schools | Chesterfield County School District — 6,872 students, 16 schools (NCES 2024-25) |
| State park | Cheraw State Park — 7,361 acres, 18-hole golf, 360-acre lake |
| Historic district | Listed on the National Register since November 20, 1974 |
Sources: U.S. Census / ACS, Town of Cheraw, SC State Parks, McLeod Health, NCES.
Chesterfield County's median owner-occupied home value is $116,200 (ACS 2024 5-year) — well under half the national median. For someone selling a house in the Northeast or on the West Coast, that gap is the entire point. Median household income countywide is $49,235.
A note on precision: the town-only home-value estimate ($152,200) carries a margin of error of roughly ±$64,000, so we publish the county figure as the dependable number. Check current listings for what you'd actually pay today.
Cheraw State Park covers 7,361 acres of mostly tall pine, making it one of South Carolina's largest. The land was set aside in 1934 — local children collected pennies to help buy the original 700 acres — and it was built by the Civilian Conservation Corps, with several 1930s CCC buildings still in use. It holds a distinction worth stating precisely: it was the first land in South Carolina set aside for a state park, though Myrtle Beach was the first park to actually open, in 1936.
Inside it: 360-acre Lake Juniper for paddling and fishing, an 18-hole championship golf course designed by Tom Jackson, 17 campsites plus two boat-in sites reachable only by water, nine cabins, and hiking and biking trails including a boardwalk to the spillway. The park is also home to the endangered red-cockaded woodpecker.
⚠️ Verify before you plan a trip around it: the golf course was scheduled to be closed March 1 – September 30, 2026 for renovations. Check SC State Parks for current status.
John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie — the trumpeter who co-invented bebop — was born in Cheraw on October 21, 1917, and introduced himself onstage as "Dizzy Gillespie from Cheraw, South Carolina." The town honors him seriously: a Home Site Park on West Huger Street dedicated in 2002, whose fence by metal artist Bob Doster spells out the notes to "Salt Peanuts"; an eight-foot bronze statue by sculptor Ed Dwight on the historic Town Green; and a permanent exhibit at the Cheraw Heritage Center.
The South Carolina Jazz Festival runs the third weekend of October, timed to his birthday — October 15–18 in 2026 — with 20+ performances across the Town Green, Centennial Park, the Home Site Park, Theatre on the Green and local restaurants. Many events are free.
The Cheraw Historic District has been on the National Register of Historic Places since November 20, 1974. Sherman's army occupied the town for several days in March 1865 and the business district was damaged by an accidental explosion — but public buildings and homes were largely spared, which is why so much survives. The district spans early-1800s upcountry farmhouses, antebellum Greek Revival, and turn-of-the-century Victorian, and still contains the original town boundary markers dating to 1766. St. David's Episcopal Church and its cemetery date to 1768.
The town calls it "one of the best preserved historic districts in the State of South Carolina" and backs that up with a Board of Architectural Review that has approval authority over changes. There's a self-guided cell-phone walking tour, and Theatre on the Green — originally the Lyric Theatre, opened Christmas Day 1920 — still hosts plays and concerts.
Cheraw has long been nicknamed "the prettiest town in Dixie." It appears in the town's own visitor materials, though it isn't the current front-page branding — and despite the popular story, we found no primary source tying the phrase to General Sherman.
Cheraw sits at the fall line and the historic head of navigation on the Great Pee Dee River — the reason it became a cotton and tobacco commerce hub, with steamboat trade from 1819. Riverside Park (Laney Landing) has a public boat ramp described as about the farthest north you can put in on the South Carolina stretch. Anglers fish for blue and flathead catfish, bass, bream and shad.
McLeod Health, which has run the Cheraw hospital since 2015, is building a $45 million replacement facility: roughly 55,000 square feet with 35 beds including 6 ICU beds and 2 inpatient hospice beds, a new MRI suite, an operating room suite, and a women's center for diagnostics. McLeod also paid $5.8 million to purchase the existing hospital and property. Construction is underway, with completion estimated between roughly 14 and 24 months depending on the source.
That matters more than it sounds. New hospitals are rarely built in rural America — which is exactly why local leaders describe getting this one approved as a hard ask.
Sources: McLeod Health, Healthcare Design.
Chesterfield County School District serves 6,872 students across 16 schools (NCES, 2024-25) and is classified rural, PreK–12. There are four high schools — Cheraw, Chesterfield, Central and McBee. Cheraw High School enrolls about 603 students in grades 9–12 with roughly a 12.6-to-1 student-teacher ratio. Current ratings are published on the state's school report cards.
Chesterfield County is part of the greater Charlotte region, and its economic development office says the county has the largest number of metalworking companies per capita in South Carolina. Recent investment includes a $10 million Schaeffler Group USA expansion adding 100 jobs, and an $82 million Cyclic Materials rare-earth processing facility with 90 jobs at Alligator Industrial Park in nearby McBee. Cheraw-area manufacturers include Highland Industries and Stanley Black & Decker.
Source: SC Department of Commerce.
Six Cheraw residents on building a life — and a business — in a small river town.
"At a time in health care when there hasn't been any new rural hospitals built since 2000… that's a hard ask."Read her story →
"I believe I am the first African American woman to open a medical practice in Cheraw."Read her story →
"Small towns are more neighborly… you might stand there and talk for an hour."Read his story →
Northeastern midlands of South Carolina, in Chesterfield County. The town's own figures: 85 miles northeast of Columbia, 75 miles southeast of Charlotte, NC, and about 40 minutes from I-95 (at Florence or Dillon). Reached via SC 9, US 52 or US 1.
The Chesterfield County median owner-occupied home value is $116,200 (Census ACS 2024 5-year) — among the most affordable in South Carolina. Median household income countywide is $49,235. The town-only home-value estimate is $152,200 but with a very wide margin of error, so we lead with the county number.
Yes, and a brand-new one is being built. McLeod Health is constructing a $45 million, ~55,000 sq ft replacement hospital with 35 beds (6 ICU, 2 inpatient hospice), a new MRI suite, operating room suite and women's diagnostic center. Construction is underway.
Yes — born here October 21, 1917, and he said so from the stage. The town has a Home Site Park (dedicated 2002) whose fence spells out the notes to "Salt Peanuts," an eight-foot bronze statue by Ed Dwight on the Town Green, and the South Carolina Jazz Festival every October around his birthday — October 15–18 in 2026.
Cheraw State Park — 7,361 acres with 360-acre Lake Juniper, an 18-hole Tom Jackson golf course, 17 campsites, nine cabins, and hiking/biking trails. Plus the Great Pee Dee River, with a public boat ramp at Riverside Park (Laney Landing) and good catfish, bass and shad fishing. Check the golf course's renovation status before planning around it.
Chesterfield County School District — 6,872 students across 16 schools, PreK–12, classified rural (NCES 2024-25). Cheraw High School has about 603 students with a ~12.6:1 student-teacher ratio. For current performance ratings, check the state report cards directly.
Two anchors: the Cheraw Spring Festival (March 28–29 in 2026) and the South Carolina Jazz Festival in October. Plus a farmers market, the Cheraw Arts Commission, Theatre on the Green, and a Caston Park pickleball league.
Apply on the Cheraw community site and a resident ambassador will reach out for a real conversation — no pitch. If it feels right, they'll host you for a visit.
The Cheraw community site is where you apply and meet your ambassador. It's run by the local Project Hometown SC team.