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
(2010)
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| • Total | 8,393 |
| • Estimate
(2019)
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7,640 |
| • Density | 957.51/sq mi (369.70/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern (EST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) |
| ZIP code |
29379
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| Area code(s) | 864 |
| FIPS code | 45-73105 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1251248 |
| Website | Union, South Carolina |
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.
Union is also the home of Boogaloo Folk Life Productions, an annual community effort wherein recollections of historical events are collected by local residents and presented in a play.
The county's Carnegie Library was named Best Small Library in America by Library Journal for 2009.
The Battle of Blackstock's Historic Site, 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, Pinckneyville, Rose Hill Plantation State Historic Site, South Street-South Church Street Historic District, Union Community Hospital, Union County Jail, Union Downtown Historic District, Union High School-Main Street Grammar School, and Nathaniel Gist House are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
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% | |
| 2019 (est.) | 7,640 | −9.0% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census 2013 Estimate |
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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.
Notable People
- Darrell Austin, former NFL player for New York Jets and Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- States Rights Gist, Confederate brigadier general during Civil War
- 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
- John Jonathon Pratt, journalist and newspaper editor
- 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
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.
Images for kids
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Central Graded School
See also
- In Spanish: Union (Carolina del Sur)
