Familypedia
Register
Advertisement
This article is based on the corresponding article in another wiki. For Familypedia purposes, it requires significantly more historical detail on phases of this location's development. The ideal article for a place will give the reader a feel for what it was like to live at that location at the time their relatives were alive there. Also desirable are links to organizations that may be repositories of genealogical information..
Please help to improve this page yourself if you can.


Oconee County, South Carolina
Oconee County Courthouse
Oconee County Courthouse, Walhalla
Seal of Oconee County, South Carolina
Seal
Map of South Carolina highlighting Oconee County
Location in the state of South Carolina
Map of the U.S
South Carolina's location in the U.S.
Founded 1868
Seat Walhalla
Largest city Seneca
Area
 - Total
 - Land
 - Water

674 sq mi (1,746 km²)
626 sq mi (1,621 km²)
47 sq mi (122 km²), 7.0%
Population
 - (2020)
 - Density

78,607
Congressional district 3rd
Time zone Eastern: UTC-5/-4
Website www.oconeesc.com

Oconee County is the westernmost county in the U.S. state of South Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 78,607.[1] Its county seat is Walhalla and its largest city is Seneca.[2] Oconee County is included in the Seneca, SC Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the Greenville-Spartanburg-Anderson, SC Combined Statistical Area. South Carolina Highway 11, the Cherokee Foothills National Scenic Highway, begins in southern Oconee County at Interstate Highway 85 at the Georgia state line.

History[]

Oconee County was named after an historic Cherokee town and the word "Ae-quo-nee", meaning "land beside the water." Oconee (Cherokee: ᎤᏊᏄ) town developed along the Tugaloo River, the border between present-day South Carolina and Georgia. The town was located along the Cherokee trading path of the early 18th century between the English colonial Atlantic port of Charleston and the Mississippi River to the west.

Oconee Town developed around an ancient platform mound built by ancestral peoples during the period of the Southern Appalachian Mississippian culture, approximately 1000CE to 1500CE. In their public architecture, the historic Cherokee built a communal town house on top of the existing earthwork mound. The town house was a meeting place for the larger community and council. Through the centuries of their long occupancy, the Cherokee would replace the town house, and maintain and add to the mound, building in distinctly colored layers of earth that are visible to archeologists.

Due to its geographic position, the town was at the intersection of the trading path and the Cherokee treaty boundary of 1777. In 1792, the newly formed South Carolina State Militia built a frontier outpost near the town site, and named it Oconee Station.

European-American settlement in this far western area of the colony did not begin until the late eighteenth century. Most did not take place until decades after the American Revolutionary War. South Carolina jurisdictions were successively called parishes, counties, judicial districts and counties again. Oconee County was not created until 1868, after the American Civil War and during the Reconstruction era. It was taken from part of the Pickens District and named after Oconee Town.

Post-Revolutionary and nineteenth-century history[]

  • 1780s - The rare American wildflower, Oconee Bell, was first recorded by French botanist André Michaux.
  • 1780s - Colonel Benjamin Cleveland and a group of Revolutionary veterans received land grants from the state of Georgia (which then claimed this area according to their colonial charter), in lieu of payment for service, and settled in present-day Oconee County.
  • 1787 - Georgia withdrew its claims to the land between the Tugaloo and Keowee rivers by the Treaty of Beaufort with South Carolina.
  • 1816 - Under pressure from encroaching European Americans, the Cherokee sold their remaining South Carolina land.
  • 1850s - The largest town in the county was Tunnel Hill, located above Stumphouse Mountain Tunnel.
  • 1868 - Oconee County was formed by the state legislature dividing Pickens County. Walhalla was designated as the county seat.
  • 1870 - Air Line Railroad built a railroad through the county; it stimulated development at stops known as Seneca and Westminster
  • 1893 - Newry was established as a mill village to house workers of the Courtenay Manufacturing Company.

Geography[]

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 674 square miles (1,750 km2), of which 626 square miles (1,620 km2) is land and 47 square miles (120 km2) (7.0%) is water.[3] Three large man-made lakes provide residents with sport fishing, water skiing, and sailing as well as hydroelectric power. The largest lake is Lake Hartwell, built by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers between 1955 and 1963. Lake Keowee is the second-largest lake and the Oconee Nuclear Station operates by the lake. Lake Jocassee is the third-largest and is a source of hydroelectric energy, but is also popular for its scenery and numerous waterfalls.

Bad Creek Reservoir, located in the mountains above Jocassee, is lso used for generating electricity during peak hours. The water level can fall by tens of feet per hour and, during off-peak times, water is pumped back into the lake for the next peak period. Because of the dramatic changes in water level due to these uses, boating and swimming are prohibited in this reservoir.

Oconee County is in the Savannah River basin.

Major highways[]

  • I-85 (SC) I-85
  • US 76 US 76
  • US 123 US 123
  • South Carolina 11 SC 11
  • South Carolina 24 SC 24
  • South Carolina 28 SC 28
  • South Carolina 59 SC 59
  • South Carolina 107 SC 107
  • South Carolina 130 SC 130
  • South Carolina 182 SC 182
  • South Carolina 183 SC 183
  • South Carolina 188 SC 188
  • South Carolina 243 SC 243

Adjacent counties[]

National protected area[]

  • Sumter National Forest (part)

Demographics[]

Historical populations
Census Pop.
1870 10,536
1880 16,256 54.3%
1890 18,687 15.0%
1900 23,634 26.5%
1910 27,337 15.7%
1920 30,117 10.2%
1930 33,368 10.8%
1940 36,512 9.4%
1950 39,050 7.0%
1960 40,204 3.0%
1970 40,728 1.3%
1980 48,611 19.4%
1990 57,494 18.3%
2000 66,215 15.2%
2010 74,273 12.2%
U.S. Decennial Census[4]
1790-1960[5] 1900-1990[6]
1990-2000[7] 2010-2020[1]

2000 census[]

As of the census[8] of 2000, there were 66,215 people, 27,283 households, and 19,589 families living in the county. The population density was 106 people per square mile (41/km2). There were 32,383 housing units at an average density of 52 per square mile (20/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 89.14% White, 8.38% Black or African American, 0.22% Native American, 0.35% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 1.06% from other races, and 0.82% from two or more races. 2.36% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 26.5% were of American, 13.1% Irish, 11.9% German and 10.5% English ancestry according to Census 2000.

There were 27,283 households, out of which 28.50% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.80% were married couples living together, 10.10% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.20% were non-families. 24.70% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.50% 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 2.85.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 22.90% under the age of 18, 8.00% from 18 to 24, 27.40% from 25 to 44, 26.20% from 45 to 64, and 15.60% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 96.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.50 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $36,666, and the median income for a family was $43,047. Males had a median income of $31,032 versus $22,156 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,965. About 7.60% of families and 10.80% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.00% of those under age 18 and 12.90% of those age 65 or over.

2010 census[]

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 74,273 people, 30,676 households, and 21,118 families living in the county.[9] The population density was 118.6 inhabitants per square mile (45.8 /km2). There were 38,763 housing units at an average density of 61.9 per square mile (23.9 /km2).[10] The racial makeup of the county was 87.8% white, 7.6% black or African American, 0.6% Asian, 0.2% American Indian, 2.3% from other races, and 1.6% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 4.5% of the population.[9] In terms of ancestry,[11]

Of the 30,676 households, 28.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.8% were married couples living together, 11.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 31.2% were non-families, and 26.2% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.40 and the average family size was 2.86. The median age was 43.4 years.[9]

The median income for a household in the county was $42,266 and the median income for a family was $52,332. Males had a median income of $40,943 versus $29,841 for females. The per capita income for the county was $24,055. About 11.8% of families and 16.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 22.7% of those under age 18 and 9.4% of those age 65 or over.[12]

2020 census[]

Oconee County racial composition[13]
Race Num. Perc.
White (non-Hispanic) 64,696 82.3%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic) 5,119 6.51%
Native American 176 0.22%
Asian 591 0.75%
Pacific Islander 16 0.02%
Other/Mixed 3,625 4.61%
Hispanic or Latino 4,384 5.58%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 78,607 people, 31,530 households, and 21,214 families residing in the county.

Communities[]

Cities[]

  • Seneca
  • Walhalla (county seat)
  • Westminster

Towns[]

  • Salem
  • West Union

Census-designated places[]

  • Chickasaw Point
  • Fair Play (partly in Anderson County)
  • Keowee Key
  • Longcreek
  • Newry
  • South Union
  • Tamassee
  • Utica

Unincorporated communities[]

  • Corinth
  • Madison
  • Mountain Rest
  • Oakway
  • Richland
  • Tokeena Crossroads
  • Townville (partly in Anderson County)

Politics[]

United States presidential election results for Oconee County, South Carolina[14]
Year Republican Democratic Third party
No.  % No.  % No.  %
2020 29,698 73.03% 10,414 25.61% 556 1.37%
2016 24,178 71.88% 7,998 23.78% 1,459 4.34%
2012 21,611 70.47% 8,550 27.88% 505 1.65%
2008 21,164 67.98% 9,481 30.45% 487 1.56%
2004 18,811 68.32% 8,395 30.49% 326 1.18%
2000 15,364 65.17% 7,571 32.11% 640 2.71%
1996 10,503 52.64% 7,398 37.08% 2,051 10.28%
1992 10,379 50.68% 6,617 32.31% 3,483 17.01%
1988 10,184 69.83% 4,299 29.48% 102 0.70%
1984 8,625 71.61% 3,333 27.67% 86 0.71%
1980 5,651 41.58% 7,677 56.49% 263 1.94%
1976 3,085 26.61% 8,447 72.87% 60 0.52%
1972 6,824 78.19% 1,740 19.94% 164 1.88%
1968 2,618 27.94% 2,009 21.44% 4,742 50.61%
1964 2,712 32.79% 5,560 67.21% 0 0.00%
1960 1,886 30.35% 4,328 69.65% 0 0.00%
1956 911 18.99% 3,510 73.17% 376 7.84%
1952 1,624 33.46% 3,230 66.54% 0 0.00%
1948 135 6.90% 666 34.03% 1,156 59.07%
1944 106 7.08% 1,316 87.85% 76 5.07%
1940 143 8.24% 1,593 91.76% 0 0.00%
1936 53 2.51% 2,057 97.49% 0 0.00%
1932 14 0.77% 1,803 99.17% 1 0.06%
1928 70 5.24% 1,263 94.61% 2 0.15%
1924 5 0.49% 989 96.30% 33 3.21%
1920 70 5.31% 1,249 94.69% 0 0.00%
1916 59 6.23% 885 93.45% 3 0.32%
1912 58 6.54% 760 85.68% 69 7.78%
1908 172 13.23% 1,126 86.62% 2 0.15%
1904 62 7.93% 720 92.07% 0 0.00%
1900 69 7.32% 873 92.68% 0 0.00%
1896 199 12.51% 1,392 87.49% 0 0.00%
1892 220 14.13% 909 58.38% 428 27.49%



In popular culture[]

The Oconee region is mentioned in the song "Yankee Bayonet (I Will Be Home Then)" by the indie rock group the Decemberists, on their 2006 album The Crane Wife. The reference is "When I was a girl how the hills of Oconee made a seam to hem me in."

See also[]

  • National Register of Historic Places listings in Oconee County, South Carolina

References[]

  1. ^ a b "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/45/45073.html. 
  2. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx. 
  3. ^ "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. http://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/counties_list_45.txt. 
  4. ^ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html. 
  5. ^ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. http://mapserver.lib.virginia.edu. 
  6. ^ Forstall, Richard L., ed (March 27, 1995). "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. https://www.census.gov/population/cencounts/sc190090.txt. 
  7. ^ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000". United States Census Bureau. April 2, 2001. https://www.census.gov/population/www/cen2000/briefs/phc-t4/tables/tab02.pdf. 
  8. ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. https://www.census.gov. 
  9. ^ a b c "DP-1 Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 Demographic Profile Data". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_DP/DPDP1/0500000US45073. 
  10. ^ "Population, Housing Units, Area, and Density: 2010 - County". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_SF1/GCTPH1.CY07/0500000US45073. 
  11. ^ "DP02 SELECTED SOCIAL CHARACTERISTICS IN THE UNITED STATES – 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/10_5YR/DP02/0500000US45073. 
  12. ^ "DP03 SELECTED ECONOMIC CHARACTERISTICS – 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/10_5YR/DP03/0500000US45073. 
  13. ^ "Explore Census Data". https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?g=0500000US45073&tid=DECENNIALPL2020.P2. 
  14. ^ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS. 

External links[]

Coordinates: 34°45′N 83°04′W / 34.75, -83.07


This page uses content from the English language Wikipedia. The original content was at Oconee County, South Carolina. The list of authors can be seen in the page history. As with this Familypedia wiki, the content of Wikipedia is available under the Creative Commons License.
Advertisement