Through community partnerships and deep resident engagement, Great Falls, South Carolina is charting a bold new course as a nature-based tourism destination. Once a thriving mill town of over 3,500 residents, Great Falls saw its population decline to around 2,000 as the textile industry shuttered. Now, the same natural assets that first attracted industry — the powerful Catawba River and its dramatic falls — are writing the town's next chapter as an outdoor recreation hub drawing visitors from across the Southeast.
The transformation took root over nearly two decades of persistent community effort. In 2003, Duke Energy invited the town into the stakeholder process for relicensing its hydroelectric plants, leading to a Comprehensive Relicensing Agreement that mandates significant recreation investments. On March 18, 2023, the whitewater channels opened to the public, marking a monumental milestone as nearly 200 people gathered for the inaugural day. Plans for a new state park on Dearborn Island, connections to the Carolina Thread Trail, and a multi-purpose visitors center in the historic Belk Building on Dearborn Street are all actively progressing.
What makes Great Falls's story especially compelling is the grassroots dimension. The Great Falls Heart & Soul initiative, launched in the fall of 2022 with support from the Arras Foundation and Community Heart & Soul, empowers residents — including those who have historically been excluded — to have a direct voice in the town's future direction. As the community navigates zoning, development, and identity questions, residents are demonstrating a relentless, innovative spirit that is reshaping not just the landscape, but the very identity of Great Falls.