Belton, South Carolina

Infobox Settlement
official_name = Belton, South Carolina
settlement_type = City
motto =


imagesize =
image_caption =


mapsize = 250px
map_caption = Location in Anderson County, South Carolina


mapsize1 =
map_caption1 =
subdivision_type = Country
subdivision_type1 = State
subdivision_type2 = County
subdivision_name = United States
subdivision_name1 = South Carolina
subdivision_name2 = Anderson
government_type =
leader_title =
leader_name =
established_date =
area_magnitude = 1 E8
area_total_km2 = 10.0
area_land_km2 = 10.0
area_water_km2 = 0
population_as_of = 2000
population_total = 4461
population_density_km2 = 447.4
timezone = EST
utc_offset = -5
timezone_DST = EDT
utc_offset_DST = -4
elevation_ft = 902
latd = 34 |latm = 31 |lats = 32 |latNS = N
longd = 82 |longm = 29 |longs = 46 |longEW = W
area_total_sq_mi = 3.9
area_land_sq_mi = 3.9
area_water_sq_mi = 0.0
elevation_m = 269.7
postal_code_type = ZIP code
postal_code = 29627
area_code = 864
blank_name = FIPS code
blank_info = 45-05365GR|2
blank1_name = GNIS feature ID
blank1_info = 1246736GR|3
footnotes =
border="0" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="0" style="margin: 0 0 0 0; background: #f9f9f9;"
website =

Belton is a city in eastern Anderson County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 4,461 at the 2000 census.

Geography

Belton is located at coor dms|34|31|32|N|82|29|46|W|city (34.525630, -82.496129)GR|1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 3.8 square miles (10.0 km²), all of it land.

Demographics

As of the censusGR|2 of 2000, there were 4,461 people, 1,948 households, and 1,275 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,158.2 people per square mile (447.4/km²). There were 2,129 housing units at an average density of 552.7/sq mi (213.5/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 80.52% White, 17.51% African American, 0.38% Native American, 0.27% Asian, 0.34% from other races, and 0.99% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.79% of the population.

There were 1,948 households out of which 25.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.8% were married couples living together, 15.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.5% were non-families. 31.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.29 and the average family size was 2.84.

In the city the population was spread out with 22.9% under the age of 18, 7.6% from 18 to 24, 26.4% from 25 to 44, 23.7% from 45 to 64, and 19.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 82.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 78.0 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $28,191, and the median income for a family was $36,531. Males had a median income of $30,100 versus $22,470 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,970. About 15.2% of families and 16.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 23.2% of those under age 18 and 12.0% of those age 65 or over.

History

In 1845 a group was created to connect the Piedmont region of South Carolina by rail to the existing rail system which then ran from Columbia to Charleston. The expanded rail line ran through what was to become Belton, with a spur line which ran to the nearby town of Anderson. Because of the population explosion that occurred by the time the railroad had been completed in 1853, the state incorporated the town in 1855, with the boundaries being located within a half mile radius from the new railroad depot.

The city was given the name of Belton by Josephine Brown, daughter of the owner of most land surrounding the railroad junction. She chose the name after the first president of the C and G Railroad from Newberry, John Belton O'Neal.cite web|url=http://src1.cas.sc.edu/dept2/iss/SCNames/index.php?action=showPage&book=1&volume=10&page=7|title="Names in South Carolina"]

The city prospered not only due to the railroad junction, but also because of the areas cotton crop, which lead to the establishment of cotton mills.

In 1908, a municipal water system was established. A 155 feet (47.24 meters) concrete tower with a 165,000 gallon capacity was built. Known as the Belton Standpipe, the tower is still in use today. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on November 5, 1987cite web|url=http://www.nationalregister.sc.gov/anderson/S10817704006/index.htm|date=2007-09-16|title="SCDAH - Belton Standpipe"] . The standpipe was also the inspiration for the yearly Belton Standpipe Festival, originally held in 1987 as a fund raising event.

Schools

The town of Belton is part of the Anderson County School District Two. Public schools in Belton include -

*Belton-Honea Path High School grades 9-12
*Belton Middle School grades 6-8
*Belton Elementary School grades 3-5
*Wright Elementary School grades K-6
*Marshall Primary School grades 4K-2

Notes

External links

* [http://www.cityofbeltonsc.com/ City of Belton]
* [http://www.beltonsc.com Belton Area Partnership]
* [http://www.anderson2.org/home.aspx Anderson County School District Two]