Union, South Carolina facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Union, South Carolina
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Location of Union, South Carolina
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| Country | United States | |
| State | South Carolina | |
| County | Union | |
| Area | ||
| • Total | 7.98 sq mi (20.67 km2) | |
| • Land | 7.98 sq mi (20.67 km2) | |
| • Water | 0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2) | |
| Elevation | 643 ft (196 m) | |
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 8,174 | |
| • Density | 1,024.44/sq mi (395.54/km2) | |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern (EST)) | |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) | |
| ZIP code |
29379
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| Area codes | 864, 821 | |
| FIPS code | 45-73105 | |
| GNIS feature ID | 1251248 | |
| Website | www.cityofunion.net | |
The city of Union is the county seat of Union County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 8,393 at the 2010 census. It is the principal city of the Union Micropolitan Statistical Area (population 28,961 according to 2010 Census), which includes all of Union County and which is further included in the greater Greenville-Spartanburg-Anderson, South Carolina Combined Statistical Area (population 1,266,995 according to the 2010 Census).
Contents
History
Both the city of Union and Union County received their names from the old Union Church that stood a short distance from the Monarch Mill. When it was first founded, the city of Union was known as Unionville; later the name was shortened to Union. The county's first white settlers came from Virginia in 1749. Union County's population grew the fastest between 1762 and the start of the Revolutionary War. Settlers built log cabins and cultivated tobacco, flax, corn and wheat. Union was one of the first towns settled in the area and was untouched during the Civil War because the Broad River flooded and turned Sherman’s troops away from the town.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 8.0 square miles (21 km2), all of it land.
Demographics
| Historical population | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1850 | 554 | — | |
| 1880 | 1,267 | — | |
| 1890 | 1,609 | 27.0% | |
| 1900 | 5,400 | 235.6% | |
| 1910 | 5,623 | 4.1% | |
| 1920 | 6,141 | 9.2% | |
| 1930 | 7,419 | 20.8% | |
| 1940 | 8,478 | 14.3% | |
| 1950 | 9,730 | 14.8% | |
| 1960 | 10,191 | 4.7% | |
| 1970 | 10,775 | 5.7% | |
| 1980 | 10,523 | −2.3% | |
| 1990 | 9,836 | −6.5% | |
| 2000 | 8,793 | −10.6% | |
| 2010 | 8,393 | −4.5% | |
| 2020 | 8,174 | −2.6% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census 2013 Estimate |
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Union first appeared in the 1850 U.S. Census as "Unionville", with a recorded total population of 554.
2020 census
| Race | Num. | Perc. |
|---|---|---|
| White (non-Hispanic) | 3,660 | 44.78% |
| Black or African American (non-Hispanic) | 4,023 | 49.22% |
| Native American | 10 | 0.12% |
| Asian | 34 | 0.42% |
| Other/Mixed | 306 | 3.74% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 141 | 1.72% |
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 8,174 people, 3,452 households, and 2,063 families residing in the city.
Arts and Culture
Sites in Union listed on the National Register of Historic Places webpage for Union County include:
- Cedar Bluff
- Central Graded School
- Corinth Baptist Church
- Culp House
- Judge Thomas Dawkins House
- East Main Street-Douglass Heights Historic District
- Episcopal Church of the Nativity
- Fair Forest Hotel
- Herndon Terrace
- Gov. Thomas B. Jeter House
- Meng House
- Merridun
- South Street-South Church Street Historic District
- Union Community Hospital
- Union County Jail
- Union Downtown Historic District
- Union High School-Main Street Grammar School
- Nathaniel Gist House
Education
Union County Schools operates public schools.
For some time, the county had three high schools, Union Comprehensive High, Jonesville High, and Lockhart High. As of a council ruling, the three high schools have been consolidated. Jonesville High School and Lockhart High School were closed, and the students were reassigned to Union High School, which has been renamed Union County High School.
The city is also home to the University of South Carolina Union (USC Union), a satellite campus of the University of South Carolina. USC Union was founded in 1965 and is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.
Union has a public library, the Union County Carnegie Library. This Carnegie library provides services and resources for both the community and USC Union students. It was named 2009's Best Small Library in America by Library Journal.
Notable people
- Darrell Austin, former NFL player for New York Jets and Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- States Rights Gist, Confederate brigadier general during Civil War
- Elizabeth B. Grimball, theatrical producer, director, writer
- Willie Jeffries, legendary College Football Hall of Fame coach for South Carolina State University, Wichita State University, and Howard University
- Bob Jeter, NFL player for Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears
- Henry "Rufe" Johnson, a Piedmont blues guitarist, pianist, singer and songwriter; born near, worked and died in Union
- Mona Lisa, R&B singer
- Cotton Owens, NASCAR driver
- Clifford Ray, former professional basketball player for Golden State Warriors and Chicago Bulls
- Don Rhymer, former film writer and producer
- Jim Youngblood, former NFL linebacker for Los Angeles Rams #53
- Shi Smith, NFL Wide Receiver for Carolina Panthers
- Susan Smith, born in Union, South Carolina in 1971 was convicted of murdering her two young sons ages 3 and 14 months in 1995.
- Lester Oliver Bankhead (1912–1997), American architect, born in Union, South Carolina and active in Los Angeles, California
See also
In Spanish: Union (Carolina del Sur) para niños
