McBee, South Carolina

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Coordinates: 34°28′4″N 80°15′29″W / 34.46778, -80.25806
McBee, South Carolina
Location of McBee, South Carolina
Country	United States
State	South Carolina
County	Chesterfield
Area
- Total	1.2 sq mi (3.0 km²)
- Land	1.2 sq mi (3.0 km²)
- Water	0.0 sq mi (0.0 km²)
Elevation	479 ft (146 m)
Population (2000)
- Total	714
- Density	613.3/sq mi (236.8/km²)
Time zone	Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
- Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code	29101
Area code(s)	843
FIPS code	45-43495^[1]
GNIS feature ID	1231526^[2]

McBee (pronounced /ˈmækbi/) is a town in Chesterfield County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 714 at the 2000 census.

1 Geography
2 Demographics
3 History
4 Famous Residents
5 References
6 External links

[edit] Geography

McBee is located at 34°28′4″N, 80°15′29″W (34.467803, -80.258075)^[3].

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 1.2 square miles (3.0 km²), all of it land.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^[1] of 2000, there were 714 people, 282 households, and 195 families residing in the town. The population density was 613.3 people per square mile (237.7/km²). There were 329 housing units at an average density of 282.6/sq mi (109.5/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 53.36% White, 45.52% African American, 0.56% Native American, and 0.56% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.70% of the population.

There were 282 households out of which 29.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.3% were married couples living together, 18.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.5% were non-families. 27.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.53 and the average family size was 3.09.

In the town the population was spread out with 26.1% under the age of 18, 8.7% from 18 to 24, 26.1% from 25 to 44, 26.9% from 45 to 64, and 12.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 83.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 79.6 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $27,083, and the median income for a family was $34,688. Males had a median income of $28,667 versus $21,500 for females. The per capita income for the town was $12,828. About 20.1% of families and 26.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 33.2% of those under age 18 and 28.7% of those age 65 or over.

[edit] History

The same as Patrick and Pageland, McBee was named after a railroad executive; in this case, V.E. "Bunch" McBee, born July 26, 1849, in Greenville Co., SC, the son of William Pinkney and Harriett Butler McBee. Bunch McBee was one of South Carolina's leading forces in the building of railroads, was responsible for the Columbia, South Carolina to Hamlet, North Carolina line, which runs through McBee, and was at one time superintendent of the Seaboard Air Line Railway.

McBee, incorporated in 1902, when it became the starting point of the Columbia, Monroe, and Charlotte Railroad. Even though the downtown area has deteriorated, there are industries around the area that supports the 715 inhabitants. In fact,within 5 miles of the town about 1500 people work. Two large firms operate there, A.O. Smith and Talley Metals. And, of course, McBee is well known for the peach industry.

The Old McBee Train Depot still stands today, and has been converted into a Railroad Museum and the town library, within holds the history of the railroad system with many displays covering many aspects of a bygone era.