Walhalla, South Carolina

History

Walhalla began as a settlement of German immigrants who left from Hamburg, Germany and Bavaria with some English, Scots and Irish who came over in the same ship. In particular, General John A. Wagener, Claus Bullwinkel, John C. Henckel, Jacob Schroder, and Christopher F. Seeba (trustees of the German Colonization Society of Charleston) bought 17,859 acres (72.27 km²) of land for $27,000 from Reverend Joseph Grisham of West Union on December 24, 1849.

The Ellicott Rock, Keil Farm, Oconee County Cage, Oconee Station and Richards House, St. John's Lutheran Church, Stumphouse Tunnel Complex, and Walhalla Graded School are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Geography and climate

Walhalla is located at 34°46′2″N 83°3′52″W (34.767263, -83.064321).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 3.8 square miles (9.8 km²), of which, 3.7 square miles (9.6 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.26 km²) of it (1.33%) is water.

The town is built mostly on types of granite rock. It is also near some minor faults and therefore subject to small and infrequent earthquakes. The last nearby earthquake had its epicenter in Newry, South Carolina, and occurred at 7:42 am EDT on May 19, 1971. The earthquake had an intensity of VI (Strong) in Newry as measured by the Mercalli intensity scale. The cause of the Newry quake was likely a slippage of the Brevard Fault and other faults in the area aided by the immense weight of the man-made Lake Keowee, created by the Keowee Dam.

The Stumphouse Mountain Tunnel is located near Walhalla. Walhalla is a Germanic term referring to the 'hall' where warriors would go if selected to fight during Ragnarok.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 3,801 people, 1,558 households, and 1,028 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,023.8 people per square mile (395.6/km²). There were 1,705 housing units at an average density of 459.2 per square mile (177.4/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 83.19% White, 15.35% Hispanic (of any race), 6.92% African American, 0.32% Native American, 0.32% Asian, 0.18% Pacific Islander, 1.42% from two or more races, and 7.66% other races.

There were 1,558 households out of which 30.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.2% were married couples living together, 16.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.0% were non-families. 30.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.40 and the average family size was 2.98.

In the city, the population was spread out with 25.7% under the age of 18, 8.3% from 18 to 24, 27.7% from 25 to 44, 22.5% from 45 to 64, and 15.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 91.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.8 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $29,063, and the median income for a family was $34,184. Males had a median income of $28,445 versus $21,106 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,691. About 14.1% of families and 17.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.2% of those under age 18 and 15.0% of those age 65 or over.

Oktoberfest

Due to its German heritage, Walhalla is also known for its annual Oktoberfest celebration, which begins on the third Friday of October each year. The festival takes on Main Street in Walhalla (Hwy 28) and on the city's Sertoma Field, located between the high school and downtown (Hwy 183). The festival includes art and craft vendors, music, dancing, specialty food vendors, Carnival rides, and other festive activities.