U.S. Route 221 (US 221) is a

spur A spur is a metal tool designed to be worn in pairs on the heels of riding boots for the purpose of directing a horse or other animal to move forward or laterally while riding. It is usually used to refine the riding aids (commands) and to ba ...

of U.S. Route 21. It travels from

Perry, Florida Perry is a city and the county seat of Taylor County, Florida, United States. , the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau was 6,898. The city was named for Madison Perry, fourth governor of the state of Florida and a Confederate colonel ...

, at US 19/ US 98/ US 27 Alternate to

Lynchburg, Virginia Lynchburg is an independent city (United States), independent city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. First settled in 1757 by ferry owner and Abolitionism, abolitionist John Lynch (1740–1820), J ...

, at US 29 Business ( Lynchburg Expressway). It travels through the states of

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

South Carolina South Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders North Carolina to the north and northeast, the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, and Georgia (U.S. state), Georg ...

North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...

, and

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

. It travels through the cities of

Valdosta, Georgia Valdosta is a city in and the county seat of Lowndes County, Georgia, Lowndes County in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. As the principal city of the Valdosta Metropolitan Statistical Area, Valdosta metropolitan statistical area, ...

;

Spartanburg, South Carolina Spartanburg is a city in and the county seat of Spartanburg County, South Carolina, United States. The city had a population of 38,732 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of municipalities in South Carolina, 11th ...

;

Marion, North Carolina Marion is a city in and the county seat of McDowell County, North Carolina, United States. Founded in 1844, the city was named in honor of Francis Marion, Brigadier General Francis Marion, the American Revolutionary War Hero whose talent in gue ...

;

Roanoke, Virginia Roanoke ( ) is an Independent city (United States), independent city in Virginia, United States. It lies in Southwest Virginia, along the Roanoke River, in the Blue Ridge Mountains, Blue Ridge range of the greater Appalachian Mountains. Roanok ...

; and Lynchburg, Virginia.

Route description

Florida

U.S. Route 221 originates just south of the city of

Perry Perry or pear cider is an alcoholic beverage made from fermented pears, traditionally in England (particularly Gloucestershire, Herefordshire, and Worcestershire), parts of South Wales, France (especially Normandy and Anjou), Canada, Austral ...

, with its southern terminus intersecting with the cosigned U.S. Route 19 U.S. Route 98 and U.S. Route 27 Alternate, taking hidden SR 55 with it away from US 19. It continues through the city of Perry and intersects

Interstate 10 Interstate 10 (I-10) is the southernmost transcontinental highway in the Interstate Highway System of the United States. It is the fourth-longest Interstate in the country at , following I-90, I-80, and I-40. It was part of the origina ...

and U.S. Route 90 in rural Madison County before crossing into Georgia.

Georgia

U.S. Route 221 runs through the cities of Quitman,

Valdosta Valdosta is a city in and the county seat of Lowndes County in the U.S. state of Georgia. As the principal city of the Valdosta metropolitan statistical area, which in 2023 had a metropolitan population of 151,118, according to the US Census B ...

, Lakeland, Pearson, and Douglas in southern Georgia. In Quitman, it joins U.S. Route 84 (cosigned Georgia State Route 38) to Valdosta. From Valdosta to Douglas, it joins with

Georgia State Route 31 State Route 31 (SR 31) is a State highway (US), state highway that travels south-to-north through portions of Lowndes County, Georgia, Lowndes, Lanier County, Georgia, Lanier, Clinch County, Georgia, Clinch, Atkinson County, Georgia, ...

. It also joins with Georgia State Route 135 and State Route 56. From Pearson to Douglas, it joins with U.S. Route 441 as a four-lane highway, which was completed in 2000. In Douglas, U.S. Route 221 runs as the eastern part of Bowens Mill Rd. and will be widened in the future. It passes through Hazelhurst, Mount Vernon and Soperton before crossing

Interstate 16 Interstate 16 (I-16), also known as Jim Gillis Historic Savannah Parkway, is an east–west Interstate Highway located entirely within the US state of Georgia. It carries the hidden designation of State Route 404 (SR 404) for it ...

, then later joins up with

U.S. Route 1 U.S. Route 1 or U.S. Highway 1 (US 1) is a major north–south United States Numbered Highway that serves the East Coast of the United States. It runs from Key West, Florida, north to Fort Kent, Maine, at the Canadian border, ...

and

Georgia State Route 4 State Route 4 (SR 4) is a State highway (US), state highway in the eastern part of the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. Except for its portion north of U.S. Route 78 in Georgia, U.S. Route 78 (US 78), it is co ...

after passing through Louisville. After going through

Wrens Wrens are a family (biology), family, Troglodytidae, of small brown passerine birds. The family includes 96 species and is divided into 19 genus, genera. All species are restricted to the New World except for the Eurasian wren that is widely di ...

, it splits off to the north, cosigned with Georgia State Route 47 and passes through

Harlem Harlem is a neighborhood in Upper Manhattan, New York City. It is bounded roughly by the Hudson River on the west; the Harlem River and 155th Street on the north; Fifth Avenue on the east; and Central Park North on the south. The greater ...

before crossing

Interstate 20 Interstate 20 (I‑20) is a major east–west Interstate Highway in the Southern United States. I-20 runs beginning at an interchange with I-10 in Reeves County, Texas, and ending at an interchange with I-95 in Florence, South Carolina. B ...

/ Georgia State Route 402 approximately 20 miles west of Augusta. Shortly before crossing into South Carolina, Georgia State Route 150 merges with Route 221 at the Pollards Corner intersection as Georgia 47 turns away. The passage into South Carolina takes place on top of the J. Strom Thurmond Dam, which forms the southern shore of

Lake Strom Thurmond Lake Strom Thurmond, officially designated J. Strom Thurmond Reservoir at the federal level, and Clarks Hill Lake by the state of Georgia, is a man-made reservoir at the border between the U.S. states of Georgia and South Carolina in the Savanna ...

South Carolina

U.S. Route 221 enters South Carolina in rural McCormick County at the southeastern edge of

. It continues north and northwestward to the town of McCormick. From McCormick, it continues northerly to the city of Greenwood. From Greenwood, U.S. Route 221 continues northeasterly to the city of Waterloo, South Carolina. U.S. Truck Route 221 bypasses the city of Laurens on the east side. It continues northerly and intersects

Interstate 385 Interstate 385 (I-385) is an auxiliary Interstate Highway located in the Upstate South Carolina, Upstate region of South Carolina. I-385 is a spur route of Interstate 85 in South Carolina, I-85. The highway provides a connection between Gre ...

in rural Laurens County and proceeds to intersect

Interstate 26 Interstate 26 (I-26) is a main route of the Interstate Highway System in the Southeastern United States. Nominally east–west, as indicated by its even number, I-26 runs from the junction of U.S. Route 11W, US Route 11W (US 11W) ...

in rural Spartanburg County. U.S. Route 221 continues through the center of the city of

Spartanburg Spartanburg is a city in and the county seat of Spartanburg County, South Carolina, United States. The city had a population of 38,732 as of the 2020 census, making it the 11th-most populous city in the state. The Office of Management and Budg ...

before intersecting

Interstate 85 Interstate 85 (I-85) is a major Interstate Highway in the Southeastern United States. Its southern terminus is at an interchange with I-65 in Montgomery, Alabama; its northern terminus is an interchange with I-95 in Petersburg, Virginia, ...

just north of the city. It continues to the city of Chesnee before exiting the state in a rural area of Cherokee County. The southern terminus of U.S. Alternate Route 221 intersects the main route in the city of Chesnee and exits the state a few miles to the east of the main route.

North Carolina

US 221 is a major highway in

Western North Carolina Western North Carolina (often abbreviated as WNC) is the region of North Carolina which includes the Appalachian Mountains; it is often known geographically as the state's Mountain Region. It contains the highest mountains in the Eastern United S ...

. It runs through the cities and towns of Rutherfordton, Marion, Blowing Rock, Boone, and Jefferson. The highway is predominantly two-lane, while four-lane in Marion, Blowing Rock, and Boone. The section from the U.S. Route 321 interchange just east of Boone and into Jefferson in Ashe county is now a divided, four-lane controlled-access road, making this section a much more pleasant and scenic one. Two sections of the highway can be considered challenging and twisty: 13-mile stretch between Linville and Blowing Rock, and a 21-mile stretch between Jefferson and Twin Oaks. U.S. Route 221 has one Alternate (continuing from South Carolina) and two Business Routes (in Marion and Jefferson). It intersects two major highways: U.S. Route 74 near Rutherfordton and I-40 near Marion; and also intersects with the

Blue Ridge Parkway The Blue Ridge Parkway is a National Parkway and National Scenic Byway, All-American Road in the United States, noted for its scenic beauty. The parkway, which is the longest linear park in the U.S., runs for through 29 counties in Virginia and ...

four times.

Virginia

, US 221 runs from the

state line near

Independence Independence is a condition of a nation, country, or state, in which residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory. The opposite of independence is the status of ...

north to its northern terminus at US 29 Business, US 460 Business, and US 501 Business in Lynchburg. US 221 connects Independence, Galax, and Hillsville in

Southwest Virginia Southwest Virginia, often abbreviated as SWVA, is a mountainous region of Virginia in the westernmost part of the commonwealth. Located within the broader region of western Virginia, Southwest Virginia has been defined alternatively as all V ...

while running concurrently with US 58. The U.S. Highway connects those communities with Roanoke via Floyd County, within which US 221 is the main west–east highway. The U.S. Highway also runs concurrently with

US 460 U.S. Route 460 (US 460) is an auxiliary route of U.S. Route 60. It currently runs for 655 miles (1,054 km) from Norfolk, Virginia, at its parent route U.S. Route 60 at Ocean View to Frankfort, Kentucky, intersecting its parent rou ...

from Roanoke to

Bedford Bedford is a market town in Bedfordshire, England. At the 2011 Census, the population was 106,940. Bedford is the county town of Bedfordshire and seat of the Borough of Bedford local government district. Bedford was founded at a ford (crossin ...

and parallels that U.S. Highway from Bedford to Lynchburg.

Major intersections

;Florida : in

: in Perry : south-southeast of Greenville : in Greenville. The highways travel concurrently through Greenville. ;Georgia : in Quitman. The highways travel concurrently to

. : in Valdosta : in Valdosta. US 41/US 221 travels concurrently through Valdosta. : in Lakeland. The highways travel concurrently to east-northeast of Lakeland. : south-southwest of Pearson. The highways travel concurrently to Douglas. : in Pearson : in Hazlehurst. The highways travel concurrently through Hazlehurst. : in

Mount Vernon Mount Vernon is the former residence and plantation of George Washington, a Founding Father, commander of the Continental Army in the Revolutionary War, and the first president of the United States, and his wife, Martha. An American landmar ...

: north of Soperton : north-northeast of Norristown : south-southwest of Bartow. The highways travel concurrently to Bartow. : in

Louisville Louisville is the most populous city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, sixth-most populous city in the Southeast, and the 27th-most-populous city in the United States. By land area, it is the country's 24th-largest city; however, by populatio ...

. The highways travel concurrently to

. : in Wrens : in

: south of Appling ;South Carolina : in McCormick. The highways travel concurrently through McCormick. : south-southeast of Greenwood. The highways travel concurrently to northeast of Greenwood. : in Laurens : north of Laurens : east-northeast of

Moore Moore may refer to: Language * Mooré language, spoken in West Africa People * Moore (surname) ** List of people with surname Moore * Moore Crosthwaite (1907–1989), a British diplomat and ambassador * Moore Disney (1765–1846), a senior ...

: in

: north of Spartanburg : east of Valley Falls ;North Carolina : southwest of Forest City : in Rutherfordton : southeast of West Marion : in Marion : in Blowing Rock. The siblings travel concurrently to Boone. : in Boone. The siblings travel in a wrong-way concurrency to north-northeast of Deep Gap. : in Twin Oaks. US 221 travels concurrently with its parent to

Independence, Virginia Independence is a town located in, and the county seat of, Grayson County, Virginia, United States. At the 2020 U.S. census, it had a population of 1,001. It is situated on Virginia's Crooked Road, a heritage trail celebrating the musical her ...

. ;Virginia : in Independence. US 58/US 221 travels concurrently to Hillsville. : in Woodlawn : in Hillsville : in Roanoke. The highways travel concurrently through Roanoke. : in Roanoke : in Roanoke. US 221/US 460 travels concurrently to

. : in Lynchburg : in Lynchburg

Special routes

References

External links

Endpoints of U.S. Highway 221 on USEnds.com
{{US 21 21-2 2