Clemson, South Carolina facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Clemson
City
Top, left to right: Tillman Hall, Hanover House, Fort Hill, Memorial Stadium, College Avenue
Nickname(s):  Tigertown
Motto(s):  "In season, every season."
Location of Clemson, South Carolina
Clemson Location in South Carolina Show map of South Carolina Clemson Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Country	United States
State	South Carolina
Counties	Pickens, Anderson
Area
• Total	8.01 sq mi (20.73 km2)
• Land	7.55 sq mi (19.55 km2)
• Water	0.46 sq mi (1.19 km2)
Elevation	725 ft (221 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	17,681
• Density	2,318.63/sq mi (895.22/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
ZIP codes	29631-29634
Area code(s)	864
FIPS code	45-14950
GNIS feature ID	1247312

Clemson is a city in Pickens and Anderson counties in the U.S. state of South Carolina. Clemson is home to Clemson University; in 2015, the Princeton Review cited the town of Clemson as ranking #1 in the United States for "town-and-gown" relations with its resident university. The population of the city was 13,905 at the 2010 census.

Clemson is part of the Greenville-Spartanburg-Anderson, South Carolina Combined Statistical Area. Most of the city is in Pickens County, which is part of the Greenville-Mauldin-Easley Metropolitan Statistical Area. A small portion is in Anderson County, which is part of the Anderson Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History and background

Fort Hill, photographed in 1887, was the home of Thomas Green Clemson the founder of Clemson University.

The city of Clemson's character is largely defined by Clemson University, a large public university that dates to 1889. The university is the cultural center of the city, even though a small multi-block downtown with housing, retail and restaurants is directly to the north of the campus. The community was originally named Calhoun and was renamed Clemson in 1943.

Although the university provides housing for students, many students live off campus in a wide variety of apartment complexes. Save for the downtown, sidewalks are largely absent, but some streets have bike paths. U.S. Route 123 on the northern end of the city exhibits typical suburban-style shopping center developments. The city's comprehensive plan has a historic preservation component which will likely become more important as 1950s and '60s buildings acquire historic status. The Clemson (train) Depot, built in 1893, was rehabilitated in 2001 and now houses the local chamber of commerce and visitor center. A road project has closed the station as of 2016, with no known completion date.

Clemson University was built on Fort Hill Plantation in 1889. This was home to John C. Calhoun and eventually became the home of Clemson University. Clemson University was built due to the influence of the women in succession of the Fort Hill Plantation. It all began with Floride, Calhoun’s wife, whose mother had originally purchased the estate. Floride became the owner of Fort Hill when her mother died in 1836. In the meantime, Floride and John C. Calhoun had a daughter named Anna Maria. Anna Maria eventually married Thomas Green Clemson at the age of 21. After their marriage, John C. Calhoun died in 1850 and allowed Floride Calhoun to gain total ownership of the Fort Hill Plantation. Because Anna Maria was the only living child, she inherited a part of Fort Hill when Floride died in 1866. Anna Maria gave Thomas G. Clemson a portion of the property in her will. When she died in 1875, he inherited the plantation. It was Anna Maria who wished to use the land to build an agricultural college, so when Thomas Green died in 1888, he left the land to build what is now known as Clemson University.

Geography and climate

Lake Hartwell as seen from Clemson

Forests at the South Carolina Botanical Garden

Clemson is located at 34°41′6″N 82°48′53″W / 34.68500°N 82.81472°W / 34.68500; -82.81472 (34.684930, −82.814777) approximately 27 miles (43 km) west of downtown Greenville and 15 miles (24 km) north of Anderson. The city is situated near the northwestern corner of South Carolina in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains while also on the shores of Lake Hartwell.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 7.9 square miles (20.5 km²), of which 7.5 square miles (19.3 km²) is land and 0.46 square miles (1.2 km²), or 5.85%, is water.

Clemson has a humid subtropical climate characterized by warm, humid summers and cool, dry winters. Precipitation does not vary much throughout the seasons, except for the winter months when precipitation is infrequent. Clemson and the rest of the Upstate of South Carolina generally receives 1 to 3 inches (25 to 76 mm) of snow annually.

National Register of Historical Places

The following places and buildings in Clemson are listed on the National Register of Historic Places:

• Clemson University Historic District I and II
  • Clemson College Sheep Barn
  • Fort Hill (John C. Calhoun Mansion and Library)
  • Hanover House
• Hopewell Plantation - Gen. Andrew Pickens' Home
• J. C. Stribling Barn
• Old Stone Church and Cemetery

Demographics

Tillman Hall at Clemson University in 2008

2010 census

The 2010 census shows Clemson's population rose to 14,089 in 2012, showing an increase of 0.9% over two years and three months (from April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2012). The population in 2010 consisted of 5,823 households with an average of 2.33 people living in each household. This household quantity includes 2,474 family households, 932 of which had children younger than 18. 37% of these households were married couples, 2.3% male householder with no wife present and 3.2% female householders with no husband present. The rest of these households were composed of non-family households (57.5%) and householders living along (31.3%).

The city of Clemson had a population density of 1,869 persons per square mile. The number of housing units in the city was 6.925. The overall racial distribution of the city was 78.4% white, 8.9% black or African American, 0.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 8.3% Asian, and 2.2% Hispanic or Latino. The age distribution for Clemson is as follows: 4.1% under the age of 5 years, 3.3% 5–9 years, 4.4% 10–14 years, 4.3% 15–19 years, 32.6% 20–24 years, 14% 25–34 years, 8.8% 35–44 years, 8.8% 45–54, and 19.7% older than 55.

The median household income was $29,828 and the median family income was $77,704. The median earnings for a male worker (full-time) was $42,597, compared to the median earnings for a female worker (full-time), which was $32,524. The city of Clemson had a per capita income of about $23,906. 17.6% of the population was below the poverty line, 13.2% of that total being families.

2020 census

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 17,681 people, 6,751 households, and 2,571 families residing in the city.

Transportation

Clemson Area Transit

Clemson Area Transit (CAT) is a free transportation service that offers fare free service throughout the Clemson, Anderson, Pendleton and Seneca areas. All CAT buses are made accessible for patrons with disabilities and can accommodate any special needs. The CAT buses also provide transfer services to the local Electric City Transit bus in Anderson. Riders can receive vouchers from CAT bus operators in order to continue their ride fare-free on the Anderson shuttles.

The city of Clemson has an Amtrak station at the corner of Calhoun Memorial Highway and College Avenue. The Crescent Route travels from New Orleans to New York City and stops through the Clemson station (CSN).

The Clemson area is near three major airports. The closest, Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport, is 45 minutes away in Greenville, South Carolina. Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) is two and a half hours away in Atlanta, Georgia, and The Charlotte-Douglas International Airport (CLT) is two and a half hours away, as well, in Charlotte, North Carolina. Many different services provide transportation to and from the airport from the Clemson area, including The Airport Shuttle, Anderson/Clemson Shuttle Service, Yellow Cab and Andrews Airport Services.

Attractions

In addition to Clemson University, the city is home to the South Carolina Botanical Garden, Fort Hill Plantation and Bob Campbell Geology Museum]. Lake Hartwell, a reservoir, is a popular recreation area that borders the city on the west. The Blue Ridge Mountains are located just 30 miles (48 km) from the city center.

Education

The city of Clemson is in the school district of Pickens County. Students living in the city of Clemson attend Clemson Elementary School, RC Edwards Middle School and D.W. Daniel High School.

Clemson Elementary School was originally called the Calhoun-Clemson School and was on College Avenue. In 1964, the school burned down, destroying everything but the cafeteria. The school was rebuilt on Frontage Road and was named Maggie Morrison Elementary School. The old building was renamed the Morrison annex and was used to house the primary grades. After the schools had outgrown their buildings, construction began in 1999 on a new school building on Berkeley Drive. This is now the site of the current Clemson Elementary. Clemson Elementary colors are orange and blue, and its mascot is the tiger cub.

RC Edwards was built and opened in 1971. It currently educates sixth-, seventh- and eighth-graders. The campus is between the cities of Central and Six Mile, and has about 800 students. Its colors are purple and white, and the mascot is the panther.

The current D.W. Daniel High School was constructed in 2010 and had its first class enter the doors for the 2012–2013 school year. The school is named after David Wistar Daniel, a professor at Clemson University, who was invested in the public school system and spent many years on the South Carolina Board of Education. It recently was named one of the best regular public schools in the state by US News magazine. Its colors are blue and gold, and the mascot is the lion. The school is well known for its football team. In the 2013–2014 season, the team ended the year 14 wins to one loss, which occurred in the 3A State Championship against Myrtle Beach High School.

Images for kids

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  Clemson College Sheep Barn

• 

  J. C. Stribling Barn

• 

  Old Stone Church and Cemetery

• 

  Bowman Field and Sikes Hall of the Clemson University Historic District I

• 

  Hanover House

• 

  Amphitheater of the Clemson University Historic District II

• 

  South Carolina Botanical Garden

• 

  Fort Hill

See also

• In Spanish: Clemson (Carolina del Sur)