Laurens, South Carolina
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Laurens | |
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| Nickname(s): Gateway to the Upstate | |
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| Coordinates: 34°30′3″N 82°1′6″W / 34.50083°N 82.01833°W | |
| Country | United States |
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| State | South Carolina |
| County | Laurens |
| Government | |
| - Mayor | Sharon Brownlee |
| Area | |
| - City | 10.6 sq mi (27.4 km2) |
| - Land | 10.6 sq mi (27.4 km2) |
| - Water | 0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2) |
| Elevation | 610 ft (186 m) |
| Population (2000) | |
| - City | 9,916 |
| - Density | 936.3/sq mi (361.5/km2) |
| - Metro | 69,567 (Laurens County) |
| Time zone | EST (UTC-5) |
| - Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| ZIP code | 29360 |
| Area code(s) | 864 |
| FIPS code | 45-40615[1] |
| GNIS feature ID | 1246310[2] |
| Website | cityoflaurenssc.com |
Laurens is a city in Laurens County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 9,916 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Laurens County[3]. Located in the western part of South Carolina, it is named after Henry Laurens, who was president of the Continental Congress during the Revolutionary War. It is part of the Greenville–Mauldin–Easley Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Original maps indicate the town may have originally been called Laurensville. The earliest known reference to the name Laurens is a town charter in 1873.
Laurens and Laurens County is part of the Old 96 District, which also includes Abbeville County, Greenwood County, McCormick County, and Edgefield County.
The textile, manufacturing, and glass industry was at one point a major source of employment; however, most have closed over the last 30 years, which has significantly hurt the city and its economic conditions. The unemployment rate, as of February, 2009, sat at 11.3%.[4] Walmart operates a distribution center outside of the city near Interstate 385, which serves as a major employer. Although the economic, crime and unemployment issues have been significant hurdles, the area has seen several recent economic retail developments. Laurens was the town chosen for a makeover in the second season of Town Haul.
Laurens is home to Gary Davis and Pink Anderson, acoustic blues musicians who were born in the city, as well as Redtop Davis, lightweight boxer of the 1940s and 1950s. The bands Eleventyseven and Days Off Screen is also from Laurens.
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[edit] Geography and climate
Laurens is located at 34°30′3″N 82°1′6″W / 34.50083°N 82.01833°W (34.500717, -82.018271)[5].
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 10.6 square miles (27.4 km²), all of it land.
Laurens has a generally mild climate. The average wintertime high is 59°F and the average wintertime low is 36°F. The average summertime high is 89°F and the average summertime low is 65°F. The city averages around 4.6" of rainfall monthly. The last significant snowfall was in early March 2009.
[edit] Demographics
As of the census[1] of 2000, there were 9,916 people, 3,952 households, and 2,596 families residing in the city. The population density was 936.6 people per square mile (361.5/km²). There were 4,396 housing units at an average density of 415.2/sq mi (160.3/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 53.72% White, 43.57% African American, 0.26% Native American, 0.16% Asian, 0.11% Pacific Islander, 1.34% from other races, and 0.84% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.42% of the population.
There were 3,952 households out of which 30.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 38.0% were married couples living together, 23.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.3% were non-families. 31.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.38 and the average family size was 2.97.
In the city the population was spread out with 25.0% under the age of 18, 8.4% from 18 to 24, 25.2% from 25 to 44, 21.7% from 45 to 64, and 19.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 81.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 74.0 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $28,756, and the median income for a family was $36,656. Males had a median income of $28,149 versus $21,883 for females. The per capita income for the city was $14,582. About 12.9% of families and 17.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 25.8% of those under age 18 and 15.5% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] Government
The Laurens City Hall is located on the town square. The form of government is Mayor/Council. Sharon Brownlee currently serves as mayor, and members of City Council include: Marian Miller, Richard Griffin, Sylvia S. Douglas, Frank Richardson, Martin Lowry, Johnnie L. Bolt.
[edit] Media
The city's only print newspaper, The Laurens Advertiser, is a weekly, published every Wednesday. A smaller version, called The Laurens Advertiser EXTRA, is published and distributed every Friday and distributed via mail. Unlike the large version of the Advertiser, the Advertiser Extra is distributed free of charge, without subscription to many residents throughout Laurens county. Laurens is home to the upstate's premier commercial printer, Print-A-Matic, Inc., founded by Robert Seymour in 1979. Laurens is also the home of WLBG-AM 860, which carries a News/Talk format as 'Real Radio 860.' Their feature program is 'Good Morning Upcountry' with hosts Randy Stevens and Big Gene Pinson.
[edit] References
- ^ a b "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
- ^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. http://geonames.usgs.gov. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
- ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. http://www.naco.org/Template.cfm?Section=Find_a_County&Template=/cffiles/counties/usamap.cfm. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
- ^ http://www.eascinc.com/unemployment_rate.html
- ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2000 and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2005-05-03. http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/gazette.html. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
[edit] External links
- Laurens City, SC Official Website
- Laurens County, SC Official Website
- Laurens County Chamber of Commerce
- Laurens County History
- The Laurens County Advertiser Online
- GoLaurens.com
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