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 in rural Laurens County and proceeds to intersect Interstate 26 in rural Spartanburg County. U.S. Route 221 continues through the center of the city of Spartanburg before intersecting Interstate 85 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. 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 four times. Virginia In Virginia, US 221 runs from the North Carolina state line near Independence 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 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 from Roanoke to Bedford and parallels that U.S. Highway from Bedford to Lynchburg. Major intersections Florida in Perry in Perry south-southeast of Greenville in Greenville. The highways travel concurrently through Greenville. Georgia in Quitman. The highways travel concurrently to Valdosta. in Valdosta in Valdosta. US