Piedmont, South Carolina facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Piedmont
CDP
Top, left to right: Ruins of the Piedmont Number One overlooking the Saluda River, Main Street, Railroad, Piedmont Highway
Location of Piedmont, South Carolina
Country	United States
State	South Carolina
Counties	Anderson, Greenville
Area
• Total	8.78 sq mi (22.73 km2)
• Land	8.60 sq mi (22.26 km2)
• Water	0.18 sq mi (0.46 km2)
Elevation	791 ft (241 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	5,411
• Density	629.48/sq mi (243.04/km2)
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code	29673
Area codes	864, 821
FIPS code	45-56365
GNIS feature ID	1225406

Piedmont is a special kind of community called a census-designated place (CDP). It is located along the Saluda River in Anderson and Greenville counties in the U.S. state of South Carolina. In 2020, about 5,411 people lived there.

Piedmont is also part of the larger Greenville-Anderson metropolitan area. This means it's connected to the bigger cities nearby.

History of Piedmont

Downtown Piedmont around 1890

Long ago, Native Americans and early settlers called this area "Big Shoals of the Saluda." This name came from the Saluda River which had many rocky, shallow parts. Native Americans used these shallow areas to cross the river.

Around 1850, a man named David Garrison built a grist mill here. A grist mill is a place where grain is ground into flour. Because of this mill, the area was then called Garrison Shoals.

Later, Henry Pinckney Hammett bought this land. He wanted to build a cotton mill that would use the river's strong water power. The name of the area changed again to Piedmont. This name means "foot of the mountains" and it soon became a town centered around the mill.

The American Civil War (1861-1865) paused Hammett's plans. But by 1876, his mill was finally working. The company was called Piedmont Manufacturing Company. A railroad station was also built, making it easier to transport goods. From the 1880s to the 1920s, the mill even used water power from the Saluda River to make its own electricity!

In 1946, the mills were sold to J.P. Stevens and Company. They updated the factory with newer machines. Manufacturing continued until 1977. Sadly, in 1983, most of the Piedmont Manufacturing Company buildings burned down.

Geography and Location

Piedmont is found in the northern part of Anderson County and the southwestern part of Greenville County. It is about 12 miles (19 km) south of the center of Greenville.

You can reach Piedmont from Interstate 85 at Exit 35. This exit is about 2 miles (3.2 km) west of the town's center. South Carolina state road 86 also goes through Piedmont and connects to Interstate 85.

The area of Piedmont is about 8.78 square miles (22.7 square kilometers). Most of this is land, but about 0.18 square miles (0.4 square kilometers) is water. The Saluda River flows south through the middle of the town, passing over a dam.

Population and People

Piedmont's Population in 2020

In the 2020 United States census, there were 5,411 people living in Piedmont. There were 1,787 households and 1,476 families.

The table below shows the different groups of people living in Piedmont in 2020:

Education in Piedmont

Students in Piedmont attend different school districts depending on which county they live in. If they live in Greenville County, they go to schools in the Greenville County School District. If they live in Anderson County, they attend schools in Anderson School District 1.

Some of the schools in Piedmont include:

• Wren High School
• Wren Middle School
• Wren Elementary School
• Spearman Elementary School
• Woodmont High School
• Woodmont Middle School
• Sue Cleveland Elementary School

Piedmont also has a public library. It is a part of the Anderson County Library System.

Notable People from Piedmont

• Ian Henderson: A racing driver.
• Corinne Boyd Riley: A U.S. Representative from South Carolina from 1962 to 1963.

See also

In Spanish: Piedmont (Carolina del Sur) para niños