Union, South Carolina

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Coordinates: 34°43′2″N 81°37′30″W / 34.71722, -81.625
Union, South Carolina
Location of Union, South Carolina
Country	United States
State	South Carolina
County	Union
Area
- Total	8.0 sq mi (20.6 km²)
- Land	8.0 sq mi (20.6 km²)
- Water	0.0 sq mi (0.0 km²)
Elevation	643 ft (196 m)
Population (2000)
- Total	8,793
- Density	1,105.0/sq mi (426.7/km²)
Time zone	Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
- Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code	29379
Area code(s)	864
FIPS code	45-73105^[1]
GNIS feature ID	1251248^[2]

Union is a city in and the county seat of Union County^[3], South Carolina, United States. The population was 8,793 at the 2000 census. It is the principal city of the Union Micropolitan Statistical Area (population 29,881 according to year 2000 estimates by the U.S. Census Bureau), an (MSA) which includes all of Union County and which is further included in the greater Greenville-Spartanburg-Anderson, South Carolina Combined Statistical Area (population 1,185,534 according to year 2005 U.S. Census Bureau estimates).

Both Union and Union County received their names from the old Union Church that stood a short distance from the Monarch Mill. When it was first founded, Union was known as Unionville; later it was shortened to Union. The county’s first white settlers came from Virginia in 1749. Union County’s population grew the fastest between 1762 and the start of the Revolutionary War. Settlers built log cabins and cultivated tobacco, flax, corn and wheat. Union was one of the first towns settled in the area and was untouched during the Civil War because the Broad River flooded and turned Sherman’s troops away from the town.

Union is also the home of Boogaloo Folk Life Productions, an annual community effort wherein recollections of historical events are collected by local residents and presented in a play.

The city is most well known as the site of the Susan Smith child murder case in 1994.

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

[edit] Geography

Union is located at 34°43′2″N, 81°37′30″W (34.717308, -81.624924)^[4].

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 8.0 square miles (20.6 km²), all of it land.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^[1] of 2000, there were 8,793 people, 3,791 households, and 2,399 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,105.0 people per square mile (426.5/km²). There were 4,240 housing units at an average density of 532.9/sq mi (205.7/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 56.48% White, 42.12% African American, 0.24% Native American, 0.38% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.05% from other races, and 0.73% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.68% of the population.

There were 3,791 households out of which 25.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 38.5% were married couples living together, 21.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.7% were non-families. 33.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.28 and the average family size was 2.91.

In the city the population was spread out with 22.9% under the age of 18, 8.3% from 18 to 24, 25.6% from 25 to 44, 23.1% from 45 to 64, and 20.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 79.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 74.3 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $26,110, and the median income for a family was $34,714. Males had a median income of $29,071 versus $19,966 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,175. About 17.6% of families and 20.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 29.1% of those under age 18 and 15.3% of those age 65 or over.

[edit] Famous Residents

Cotton Owens, NASCAR driver
Clifford Ray, former professional basketball player
Hollis Champion, recording artist
Susan Smith -- City of Union gained notoriety because of Smith, who was convicted of murder for drowning her two sons in 1994.
Darrell Austin, Former NFL Offensive Lineman Played 6 NFL Seasons 4 with the New York Jets and two with the Tampa Bay Bucs

[edit] Schools

The county all together had three schools, Union Comprehensive High, Jonesville High, and Lockhart High. As of a council ruling, the three schools have been consolidated. The other two schools will join Union High, which is being renamed to Union County High School. The [[School's Mascot is The Yellow Jackets.

The Union Yellow Jacket Football team has seen great success in recent past. They won the 4A State Football Championship in 1990 and 1995, and won the 3A State Title in 1999,2000, and 2002. They were also state runner-up in 2001. The Yellow Jackets were led to their three most recent championships by former head coach and current State Representative Mike Anthony. He retired following the 2004 season. He was succeed by Tommy Bobo former Union Offensive Coordinator who left following the 1999 season to become the head football coach at Wren High School. Bobo led the Jackets to the region championship and the state semi-finals 2005. Bobo resigned in 2007 after the school board decided to consolidate the three high schools. He has accepted a position as an assistant at Spartanburg's Dorman High School. Jonesville High School Coach David Lipsey has been hired to replace Bobo and be the first coach of Union County High School.

The county is also home to a branch Campus of the University of South Carolina. USC Union was opened in 1965. They were once home to the USCU Bantams, a junior college basketball team, who saw some great success at that level before the team was ended in the 1980s. The Dean of USCU is Dr. Huge Rowland.