Laurens, South Carolina

Infobox Settlement
official_name = Laurens, South Carolina
settlement_type = City
nickname = Gateway to the Upstate


imagesize = 250px
image_caption = Gateway Park


mapsize = 250px
map_caption = Location of Laurens in South Carolina


mapsize1 =
map_caption1 =
subdivision_type = Country
subdivision_type1 = State
subdivision_type2 = County
subdivision_name = United States
subdivision_name1 = South Carolina
subdivision_name2 = Laurens
government_type =
leader_title = Mayor
leader_name = Sharon Brownlee
established_date =
area_magnitude =
area_total_km2 = 27.4
area_land_km2 = 27.4
area_water_km2 = 0.0
area_total_sq_mi = 10.6
area_land_sq_mi = 10.6
area_water_sq_mi = 0.0
elevation_m = 186
elevation_ft = 610
latd = 34 |latm = 30 |lats = 3 |latNS = N
longd = 82 |longm = 1 |longs = 6 |longEW = W
population_as_of = 2000
population_note =
population_total = 9916
population_metro = 69567 (Laurens County)
population_density_km2 = 361.5
timezone = EST
utc_offset = -5
timezone_DST = EDT
utc_offset_DST = -4
latitude = 34°30'3 N
longitude = 82°1'6" W
website = [http://www.cityoflaurenssc.com cityoflaurenssc.com]
postal_code_type = ZIP code
postal_code = 29360
area_code = 864
blank_name = FIPS code
blank_info = 45-40615GR|2
blank1_name = GNIS feature ID
blank1_info = 1246310GR|3
footnotes =

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 CountyGR|6. 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. The Textile and glass industry was at one point a major source of employment; however, most of the old mills have closed over the last 20-30 years.

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.

Laurens is home to Gary Davis and Pink Anderson, acoustic blues musicians who were born in the city.
Redtop Davis, lightweight boxer of the 1940s and 1950s, was also born in Laurens.

Laurens was the town chosen for a makeover in the second season of Town Haul.

Geography and climate

Laurens is located at coor dms|34|30|3|N|82|1|6|W|city (34.500717, -82.018271)GR|1.

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 2004.

Demographics

As of the censusGR|2 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.

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.

Education

Laurens is home to numerous public and private educational institutions. Some notable schools are the following:

* E.B. Morse Elementary School
* Ford Elementary School
* Gray Court-Owings Elementary/Middle
* Hickory Tavern Elementary School
* Hickory Tavern Middle School
* Laurens Academy
* Lighthouse Christian Academy
* Laurens District 55 High School
* Laurens Elementary School
* Laurens Middle School
* Piedmont Technical College at Laurens
* Sanders Middle School
* Waterloo Elementary School

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. The web site [http://www.golaurens.com golaurens.com] , is an online news outlet that provides not only local news stories on a daily basis, but also videos of local activities.Laurens is also the home of WLBG-AM 860, which carries a News/Talk format as 'Real Radio 860.'

References

External links

* [http://www.golaurens.com GoLaurens.com]
* [http://www.laurenscounty.org/cc/history.html Laurens County History]
* [http://www.cityoflaurenssc.com Laurens City, SC Official Website]
* [http://www.laurenscounty.org/ Laurens County, SC Official Website]
* [http://www.laurenscounty.org/cc/index.html Laurens County Chamber of Commerce]
* [http://www.wlbg.com Real Radio 860 WLBG-AM]