Elevation 89 ft (27 m) ZIP codes 29483-29485 Population 46,074 (2013) | Time zone Eastern (EST) (UTC-5) Local time Friday 2:58 AM | |
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Weather 20°C, Wind S at 13 km/h, 89% Humidity Points of interest Azalea Park, Summerville‑Dorchester Museum, Timrod Library of Summerville, Wassamassaw Community Park | ||
Summerville is a town in the U.S. state of South Carolina situated mostly in Dorchester County with small portions in Berkeley and Charleston counties. It is part of the Charleston-North Charleston-Summerville Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population of Summerville at the 2010 census was 43,392, and the estimated population was 44,719 as of July 1, 2013.
Contents
- Map of Summerville SC USA
- Geography
- Demographics
- History
- Tourism
- Mayor
- Town Clerk and Treasurer
- Town Administrator
- Corporation Counsel
- Notable people
- References
Map of Summerville, SC, USA
Geography
The center of Summerville is in southeastern Dorchester County; the town extends northeast into Berkeley and Charleston counties. It is bordered to the east by the town of Lincolnville and to the southeast by the city of North Charleston. The Summerville town limits extend south as far as the Ashley River next to Old Fort Dorchester State Historical Park.
U.S. Route 78 passes near the center of Summerville, leading southeast 24 miles (39 km) to downtown Charleston and northwest 29 miles (47 km) to Interstate 95 at St. George. Interstate 26 leads through the northeast corner of Summerville with access from Exit 199, leading southeast to Charleston and northwest 90 miles (140 km) to Columbia.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 18.1 square miles (47.0 km2), of which 18.0 square miles (46.7 km2) is land and 0.12 square miles (0.3 km2), or 0.62%, is water.
Demographics
As of the census of 2010, there were 43,392 people residing in 16,181 households in the town. The population density of Summerville is 2,404.7 inhabitants per square mile. The racial makeup of the town was 72.1% White, 21.4% Black or African American, 0.4% Native American, 1.5% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 1.6% from other races, and 2.9% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.0% of the population.
There were 16,181 households out of which 38.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.9% were married couples living together, 15.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.0% were non-families. 25.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.55.
In the town, 27.0% of the population was under the age of 18, and 10.5% was 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34.7 years.
The median income for a household in the town was $54,677. About 11.2% of the population was below the poverty line. The median value of an owner-occupied home was $182,000.
The town has an abundance of affordable houses and lower taxes than cities such as Charleston and North Charleston, and has thus experienced rapid population growth. In 2007, it was designated a principal city of the Charleston–North Charleston–Summerville Metropolitan Statistical Area Summerville is also included as part of the Charleston-North Charleston Urbanized area. Dorchester School District Two is the school district for Summerville and the wider area, and is based in the town.
History
The first settlement in Summerville began following the American Revolutionary War; it was referred to as Pineland Village in 1785. Development in the area resulted from plantation owners who resided in the Charleston area, and who came to Summerville to escape seasonal insects and swamp fever.
Summerville became an official town in 1847. In that year, the town passed a law against cutting down trees of particular sizes, the first of such laws in the United States, and a $25 fine was issued upon any who did so without permission. Today, the motto upon the town's official seal reads "Sacra Pinus Esto (The Pine is Sacred)."
In 1899, the International Congress of Physicians (or "Tuberculosis Congress") listed Summerville to be one of the two best areas in the world for treatment and recovery of lung and throat disorders. It received such notation due to its dry and sandy location, and the many pine trees in the area that release turpentine derivatives into the air. This notation is credited with aiding the commercial and residential development of Summerville.
The Summerville post office contains a mural, Train Time – Summerville, painted by Bernadine Custer. Federally commissioned murals were produced from 1934 to 1943 in the United States through the Section of Painting and Sculpture, later called the Section of Fine Arts, of the Treasury Department.
The Ashley River Road, Middleton Place, Colonial Dorchester State Historic Site, Old White Meeting House Ruins and Cemetery, and the Summerville Historic District are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Tourism
Starting in 1973, the town of Summerville has hosted the annual Flowertown Festival. It is the largest arts and crafts festival in South Carolina. It is held the first weekend of April in the Summerville Azalea Park. In 1925, these flowers led Summerville's Chamber of Commerce to adopt the slogan "Flower Town in the Pines."
Although Summerville claims to be "The Birthplace of Sweet Tea," this is actually false. Their declaration of being the first place to have sweet tea comes from a perceived notion that a receipt from 1890 containing "600 pounds of sugar and 880 gallons of iced tea" is enough to give themselves the title of "The Birthplace of Sweet Tea." However, the oldest known recipe for sweet iced tea was published in 1879 in a community cookbook called Housekeeping in Old Virginia by Marion Cabell Tyree, who was born in Texas.