Johnston, South Carolina

Johnston, South Carolina
Town
Location in Edgefield County, South Carolina Location in Edgefield County, South Carolina
Coordinates:
Country	United States
State	South Carolina
County	Edgefield
Government
• Type	Mayor-Council
• Mayor	Terrence D. Culbreath
Area
• Total	2.6 sq mi (6.7 km2)
• Land	2.5 sq mi (6.5 km2)
• Water	0.1 sq mi (0.2 km2)
Elevation	663 ft (202 m)
Population (2000)
• Total	2,471
• Density	931/sq mi (359.3/km2)
Time zone	EST (UTC-5)
• Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code	29832
Area code(s)	803
FIPS code	45-37150
GNIS feature ID	1246191
Website	johnstonsc.us

Johnston is a town in Edgefield County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 2,470 at the 2012 census. It is part of the Augusta, Georgia metropolitan area. The town's official welcome sign states that it is "Peach Capital of the World."

History

Johnston is called The Hub of the Ridge because it is located at the meeting place of the three river systems which flow away from the Ridge, a fertile plateau about thirty miles long between clay hills to the north and sand hills to the south. The area has been settled since the mid-1700s. In 1791 as George Washington traveled through the area on his triumphant tour through the country, he stopped at the Lott family plantation, just east of Johnston.

In the late 1860s, the Charlotte, Columbia and Augusta Railroad expanded westward from Columbia to Augusta. Edward Jones Mims, M.D., persuaded William Johnston, president of the railroad, to run the railroad through the 1200-acre Mims plantation. In return, Dr. Mims agreed to name the new town for Mr. Johnston.

In the early 1900s, the peach industry became successful in this area. Today, the Ridge produces about sixty percent of South Carolina’s peaches.

Geography

Johnston is located at (33.831927, -81.802304).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 2.6 square miles (6.7 km²), of which 2.5 square miles (6.5 km²) is land and 0.1 square miles (0.26 km²) (2.33%) is water.

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
1880	463		—
1890	827		78.6%
1900	865		4.6%
1910	943		9.0%
1920	1,101		16.8%
1930	1,072		−2.6%
1940	1,100		2.6%
1950	1,426		29.6%
1960	2,119		48.6%
1970	2,552		20.4%
1980	2,624		2.8%
1990	2,688		2.4%
2000	2,336		−13.1%
2010	2,362		1.1%
Est. 2014	2,337		−1.1%
U.S. Decennial Census

As of the census of 2000, there were 2,336 people, 923 households, and 635 families residing in the town. The population density was 930.6 people per square mile (359.3/km²). There were 1,012 housing units at an average density of 403.2 per square mile (155.7/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 35.92% White, 62.63% African American, 0.26% Native American, 0.13% Asian, 0.39% from other races, and 0.68% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.33% of the population.

File:Johnston SC Sign.jpg

The official welcome sign

There were 923 households out of which 30.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.6% were married couples living together, 22.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.2% were non-families. 28.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.4% 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 3.12.

In the town the population was spread out with 27.1% under the age of 18, 9.4% from 18 to 24, 26.7% from 25 to 44, 21.6% from 45 to 64, and 15.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 88.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.1 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $25,570, and the median income for a family was $29,531. Males had a median income of $25,521 versus $19,572 for females. The per capita income for the town was $12,671. About 21.2% of families and 23.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 28.9% of those under age 18 and 20.8% of those age 65 or over.

Schools

There is one school located in town, Johnston Elementary School. It is part of the Edgefield County School District and serves grades K-5.

External links

• Town of Johnston