Anderson is a city in and the county seat of Anderson County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 25,514 at the 2000 census, and the city was the center of an urbanized area of 70,530. It is the principal city of the Anderson, South Carolina Metropolitan Statistical Area (population: 165,740, according to the 2000 census), (population: 184,901,according to the 2009 census), which is further included in the larger Greenville-Spartanburg-Anderson, South Carolina Combined Statistical Area (population: 1,185,534, according to 2005 U.S. Census Bureau estimates). Anderson is just off Interstate 85 and is 120 Miles from Atlanta and 140 mi from Charlotte. Anderson is the smallest of the three primary cities that makes up the Upstate region and is nicknamed "The Electric City" and "The Friendliest City in South Carolina." Anderson's spirit and quality of life has earned national recognition as Anderson County was named an "All-America City" in 2000. Anderson is the home of Anderson University, a selective private university of approximately 2,500 undergraduate and graduate students. [more on Wikipedia]