If you love the mountains and want to get away from it all, Seneca is the perfect place for you. Seneca is the largest town in Oconee County located in the northwestern corner of the state. The pace in Seneca is a little slower than many Carolina towns and it’s a little friendlier too. The scenic beauty of the nearby Blue Ridge mountains certainly adds an inner beauty to the area. If that is not enough, you can enjoy lakes, low humidity, distinct seasons and all the fun and resources of nearby Clemson and its namesake university.

Oconee and adjacent Pickens Counties not only offer some of the most dramatic mountain views in the state, but are extremely popular with retirees. Seneca is bounded by 18,500-acre Lake Keowee to the north and by 55,000-acre Lake Hartwell to the south. Some of the best fishing, boating and water sports can be found in this region of the Southeast.

Seneca is halfway between Atlanta and Charlotte, where you can find nearly anything in the way of restaurants, nightlight, sports and recreation. Drive time to either destination is less than 2 hours. Nearby cities of Anderson (26 miles) and Greenville (38 miles) offer great medical facilities, culture, recreation and shopping. Seneca just adopted the slogan, City of Smiles, City with Style showing that the nearly 8,000 do have pride in their city. There are many residential and golf course communities in the area to choose from, both on the lakes and off.

Lake Keowee, the most spectacular blue water lake in the Southeast has over 18,000 acres, depths to 155 feet, and 300 miles of pristine shoreline. Freshwater streams, with headwaters in the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains feed this sparkling blue lake. Development of only 25% of the entire shoreline gives residents and visitors an undisturbed feel making Lake Keowee perfect for all your outdoor recreation needs.

Tax Information
State income taxes range from a low of 2.5% to a high of 7%.

In South Carolina, counties, cities and school districts impose property taxes on real and personal property. Your home and land up to 5 acres is taxed at 4 percent. The city and county millage rates vary from location to location.

The average millage in South Carolina is 255 mills or .255. In Seneca, it is 50 mills. In Oconee County, it is 197 mills. A $250,000 residence in Seneca would be assessed a tax bill of $500 (250,000 x .04 x .050) in city taxes and $1,970 (250,000 x .04 x .197) in county taxes. However, South Carolina’s Property Tax Relief Act exempts homeowners from property taxes on the first 100,000 of the value of their home. The maximum benefit of this exemption ranges from $200 to $800 depending on the tax district you are located in.

Personal property like cars, boats, airplanes, recreational vehicles, trucks, motorcycles, etc. are assessed at 10.5 percent of market value. The same rate applies to personal property. So, if you own a $10,000 car, your annual city personal property tax would be $52.50 and your annual county personal property tax would be $206.85.