Slater-Marietta, South Carolina facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Marietta
Census-designated place
Slater-Marietta, South Carolina
Marietta post office
Nickname(s):  Southern Town
Location of Slater-Marietta, South Carolina
Country	United States
State	South Carolina
County	Greenville
Area
• Total	4.31 sq mi (11.17 km2)
• Land	4.31 sq mi (11.16 km2)
• Water	0.01 sq mi (0.02 km2)
Elevation	1,030 ft (310 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	2,087
• Density	484.45/sq mi (187.03/km2)
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP Codes	29661 (Marietta) 29683 (Slater)
Area code(s)	864
FIPS code	45-66917
GNIS feature ID	2402860

Slater-Marietta is a special kind of community in Greenville County, South Carolina, United States. It sits right by the North Saluda River. In 2020, about 1,873 people lived here. This area is part of the larger Greenville metropolitan region.

History of Slater-Marietta

Early Beginnings of Marietta

A man named J. Harvey Cleveland, born in 1815, bought land in northern Greenville County around 1840. He purchased a large area of about 300 acres along the North Saluda River. Cleveland made a simple house on this land into his family home. He also planned a small settlement nearby. He named this new village "Marietta" after his wife, Mary Louisa Williams.

Growth and Development

Even though Marietta was in a good spot, it grew slowly at first. This might have been because the only way to get there was by the difficult Jones Gap Road. Things started to change in the late 1880s when a railway line, nicknamed the "Swamp Rabbit," was built past Marietta. Later, in the 1920s, the Geer Highway was built through the area. A new water supply and electricity from Duke Power also helped the community grow.

The Slater Mill and Village

In 1927, the Slater family decided to build a large textile mill nearby. They bought land from the Cleveland family and planned a new village around the mill, which they called Slater. The Slater family was famous for starting the first textile mill in America in Rhode Island in 1790. They had built other successful mills before moving their operations to South Carolina.

The new Slater Mill opened in 1928 and became very successful. Its growth was so big that it brought the two communities together. People started calling the combined area Slater-Marietta.

Community Life and Modern Times

In 1934, H. Nelson Slater, who founded the mill, built Slater Hall. This building served as a community center for the Slater village. In 1946, the Slater family sold their mill to J.P. Stevens & Company. The J.P. Stevens' Slater Plant became very important. It produced the main material for the space suits used on the first Moon landing in 1969. It also made parts for the Space Shuttle. In 2016, the mill, which mostly made fiberglass, was sold to B&W Fiber Glass.

Geography of Slater-Marietta

Marietta is located in the northern part of Greenville County. The community is made up of two parts: Slater and Marietta. Both are unincorporated, meaning they don't have their own city government. Each part has its own post office and ZIP Code.

U.S. Route 276 goes through Marietta. Slater is located just to the east of Marietta. US 276 heads south about 15 miles to Greenville. It also goes northwest about 19 miles to the North Carolina border in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Another road, South Carolina Highway 288, goes west from Marietta about 9 miles to Pumpkintown.

The entire area of Slater-Marietta covers about 4.31 square miles (11.2 square kilometers). Only a very small part of this area is water.

Population and People

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 2,087 people living in Slater-Marietta. There were 673 households and 408 families in the community. Most of the people living here are White.

See also

In Spanish: Slater-Marietta para niños