Starr is a small town that shines in South Carolina
New residents will find open land, peace and quiet when they move to the small town of Starr. Originally a stop on the Western Carolina Railway in the 1830s, Starr was an agricultural community with farms and ranches all around the area. “It was a tiny little town called ‘Twiggs’ before it became Starr,” says Claude Turpin, a lifelong resident and broker-owner of Adly Group Realty. But after the train depot closed in the 1950s, the town saw a population decrease as abandoned buildings fell into a state of disrepair. Today, the town of fewer than 200 residents has a variety of housing styles, local schools and churches and an easy commute to nearby towns and the Savannah River. “It hasn’t really changed much over the years,” Turpin says. “It just feels like home.”
Local lakes, landmarks and the Savannah River
The Starr playground is on the southeast end of the town with swings, slides and a walking trail around the park. The community will occasionally host events there such as live music performances and car shows, as well as a fireworks display on the Fourth of July. The former town hall and post office is a local landmark next to the playground, and the community comes out for youth baseball games at the Starr Athletic Complex. Outdoor enthusiasts like to go kayaking and paddleboarding at the Savannah River, and local wildlife includes white-tailed deer, hogs and pheasants. “You’ve got three different lakes down there – Lake Hartwell, Lake Russell and Lake Succession,” Turpin says. “A lot of people like to hunt on their property.”
Traditional, ranch-style and Craftsman homes on acreage
Older homes can be found both on the east side of the town and farther on the outskirts. Small fixer-uppers and manufactured homes cost $40,000 to $75,000 and can have up to 1-acre lots. Traditional and ranch-style homes are more common with decks, carports and prices ranging from $100,000 to $300,000. Craftsman and Cape Cod homes are between 2,000 and 3,000 square feet and have two stories with 5-acre lots and cost $300,000 to $700,000. Large estates and waterfront homes have four-car garages, barns and docks into Lake Hartwell and sell for $1 to $2 million.
A local elementary school and a new middle school
Starr shares its school pipeline with Iva through the Anderson School District No. 3, which has an A rating on Niche. “The schools are top in the state now,” Turpin says. “They share a middle school in Starr and they share the high school in Iva.” Starr Elementary offers a free or reduced lunch program for all of its students and earns an A on Niche. Starr-Iva Middle School is rated a B-plus and is getting a new campus that will be built on a 72-acre tract south of the town. Crescent High School has a 92% graduation rate and earns an A-minus.
State roads to Anderson, Iva and Georgia
Three state highways intersect in Starr and run all throughout the Upstate region. Residents drive around 8 miles north on Highway 81 to work at the Michelin manufacturing plant or 10 miles north to Anderson, which has shops, restaurants and 24-hour emergency rooms. Iva is about 5 miles south. Lake Hartwell is around 7 miles east on State Highway 412, and driving 7 miles southeast on Highway 181 takes travelers across state lines into Georgia.
A bed and breakfast and local produce
There are very few storefronts within the town limits. The Gray House is a bed and breakfast that serves lunch Tuesdays through Sundays and offers upscale fine dining for reservations on Fridays and Saturdays. Zeke’s Produce is a family-owned grocery store that offers fruits and vegetables from nearby farms, and the Milky Way Farm delivers raw milk, cream and buttermilk throughout the region. There are also a few used car dealers, and a farmers’ market is held during the summer months near the town hall.
