Bethune, South Carolina

Bethune, South Carolina
Town
Location of Bethune, South Carolina Location of Bethune, South Carolina
Coordinates:
Country	United States
State	South Carolina
County	Kershaw
Government
• Mayor	Carlisle Davis
Area
• Total	1.1 sq mi (2.9 km2)
• Land	1.1 sq mi (2.9 km2)
• Water	0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2)
Elevation	289 ft (88 m)
Population (2000)
• Total	352
• Density	309.4/sq mi (119.5/km2)
Time zone	Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
• Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code	29009
Area code(s)	843
FIPS code	45-06040
GNIS feature ID	1246845

Bethune is a small town in Kershaw County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 352 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Columbia, South Carolina Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History

Europeans first moved into the area in the early 1800s finding members of the Kadapaw tribe living in the area. Originally, the settlers named the town Lynchwood and, in 1828, they established a post office. After the railroads came to the area, the town was officially chartered in 1900 and the name changed to honor Daniel Murdock Bethune.

Geography

Bethune is located at (34.414881, -80.347414).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 1.1 square miles (2.8 km²), all of it land.

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
1910	317		—
1920	299		−5.7%
1930	522		74.6%
1940	620		18.8%
1950	639		3.1%
1960	579		−9.4%
1970	506		−12.6%
1980	481		−4.9%
1990	405		−15.8%
2000	352		−13.1%
2010	334		−5.1%
Est. 2014	343		2.7%
U.S. Decennial Census

As of the census of 2000, there were 352 people, 165 households, and 104 families residing in the town. The population density was 309.4 people per square mile (119.2/km²). There were 193 housing units at an average density of 169.6 per square mile (65.4/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 89.77% White, 9.66% African American, 0.28% Pacific Islander, 0.28% from other races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.84% of the population.

There were 165 households out of which 21.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.7% were married couples living together, 10.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.4% were non-families. 34.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 21.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.13 and the average family size was 2.72.

In the town the population was spread out with 17.3% under the age of 18, 7.1% from 18 to 24, 22.2% from 25 to 44, 29.8% from 45 to 64, and 23.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 47 years. For every 100 females there were 83.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.2 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $32,083, and the median income for a family was $40,972. Males had a median income of $37,250 versus $26,406 for females. The per capita income for the town was $18,879. About 5.3% of families and 7.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.5% of those under age 18 and 10.7% of those age 65 or over.