Dillon is a city in

Dillon County Dillon County is a county located in the U.S. state of South Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the county's population was 28,292, down from 32,062 in 2010. The county seat is Dillon. Founded in 1910 from a portion of Marion County, both Dillo ...

in eastern

South Carolina )''Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = ...

, United States. It is the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US st ...

and largest city of Dillon County. It was established on December 22, 1888. Both the name of the city and county comes from James W. Dillon, an early settler and key figure in bringing a railroad through the area. The population was 6,788 in the 2010 U.S. census.

History

Dillon County Courthouse The Dillon County Courthouse, built in 1911, is a historic courthouse located at 301 West Main Street in the city of Dillon in Dillon County, South Carolina. It was designed in the Classical Revival style by Darlington native William Augustus E ...

, James W. Dillon House, and Dillon Downtown Historic District are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Geography

Dillon is located near the center of Dillon County in the Pee Dee region of northeastern South Carolina. The

Little Pee Dee River The Little Pee Dee River is a tributary of the Pee Dee River (which originates in the Appalachian Mountains where it is known as the Yadkin River). The Little Pee Dee technically arises near Laurinburg, North Carolina as Gum Swamp, which flows so ...

, a tributary of the Pee Dee River, runs just east of the city. U.S. Routes 301 and

501 __NOTOC__ Year 501 ( DI) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Avienus and Pompeius (or, less frequently, year 1254 '' Ab u ...

pass through the city as Second Avenue, leading northeast to

Interstate 95 Interstate 95 (I-95) is the main north–south Interstate Highway on the East Coast of the United States, running from U.S. Route 1, US Route 1 (US 1) in Miami, Miami, Florida, to the Houlton–Woodstock Border Crossing between M ...

at South of the Border along the

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

line, and southwest to Latta.

passes northeast of the city, with access from Exits 190 and 193. I-95 leads northeast to

Lumberton, North Carolina Lumberton is a city in Robeson County, North Carolina, United States. As of 2020, its population was 19,025. It is the seat of Robeson County's government. Located in southern North Carolina's Inner Banks region, Lumberton is located on the Lum ...

, and southwest to

Florence Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilancio demografico an ...

South Carolina Highway 9 South Carolina Highway 9 (SC 9) is a major state highway in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The highway travels from Cherry Grove Beach to the North Carolina state line upstate. The highway is currently the longest state highway in ...

passes through the center of town, leading northwest to

Bennettsville Bennettsville is a city located in the U.S. state of South Carolina on the Great Pee Dee River. As the county seat of Marlboro County, Bennettsville is noted for its historic homes and buildings from the 19th and early 20th centuries—including ...

and southeast to Lake View.

South Carolina Highway 57 South Carolina Highway 57 (SC 57) is a state highway in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of South Carolina. The highway travels in a southeast-northwest orientation from the unincorporated community of Fork northwest through Dillon t ...

follows SC 9 through Dillon but leads north to the

border and south to Mullins. SC 9 and 57 follow Main Street southeast out of town.

South Carolina Highway 34 South Carolina Highway 34 (SC 34) is a primary state highway in the U.S. state of South Carolina. As one of the longer state highways, it traverses the state east-west from Greenwood to Dillon, connecting the cities of Newberry, Win ...

follows Main Street northwest out of town, leading west to

Darlington Darlington is a market town in the Borough of Darlington, County Durham, England. The River Skerne flows through the town; it is a tributary of the River Tees. The Tees itself flows south of the town. In the 19th century, Darlington underwen ...

. According to the

U.S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

, Dillon has a total area of , of which , or 0.21%, is water. The

flows southwards east of the center of town.

Economy

In the spring of 2018, Dillon Inland Port was constructed, furthering economic growth based on the

Port of Charleston The Port of Charleston is a seaport located in South Carolina in the Southeastern United States. The port's facilities span three municipalities — Charleston, North Charleston, and Mount Pleasant — with six public terminals owned and operate ...

Demographics

2020 census

As of the

2020 United States census The United States census of 2020 was the twenty-fourth decennial United States census. Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2020. Other than a pilot study during the 2000 census, this was the first U.S. census to of ...

, there were 6,384 people, 2,159 households, and 1,364 families residing in the city.

2010 census

The population grew 7.5 percent from the

2000 File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from ...

to 2010. The city is 53.1% Black or

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 42.8% White or Caucasian persons, 1.6% American Indian or Alaska Native persons, 1.2% persons of Hispanic or Latino origin, and 1.2% persons reporting two or more races. There was a recorded 2,454 households, averaging between two and three (2.57) people per household, as well as 2,916 housing units within the city. Of the 2,916 housing units 13.7% were multi-unit structures. The average value of a housing unit was $101,800 for owner occupied units. The census also showed that the population density of Dillon was 1,299.1 persons per square mile. The land area of the city of Dillon was 5.23 square miles. The median household income was found to be $30,455 with a rate of 30.4% of people living in poverty.

Government

Dillon's government is a city manager-council type. The current

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...

is Corey Jackson.

Wellness center

The city of Dillon offers a public wellness center, located at 1647 Commerce Drive. The $4.1 million facility was built in 2008. It is a building that offers exercise equipment, a sauna, gymnasium, walking track, and meeting rooms. It also offers rooms for rental. The exercise facilities can be used for a fee of $5, or memberships are available at monthly rates.

Education

Public education in Dillon is administered by Dillon District Four Schools. The district operates East Elementary, South Elementary, Stewart Heights Elementary, Lake View Elementary, Gordon Elementary, Dillon Middle School,

Dillon High School Dillon High School is a public high school in Dillon, South Carolina, United States. It is a part of Dillon School District Four. It is located on 1730 Highway 301 North, approximately from the border of North Carolina and South Carolina ) ...

and Lake View High School. Dillon Christian School is a private institution. Northeastern Technical College offers secondary education. Dillon has a

public library A public library is a library that is accessible by the general public and is usually funded from public sources, such as taxes. It is operated by librarians and library paraprofessionals, who are also Civil service, civil servants. There are ...

, a branch of the Dillon County Library.

Transportation

Highways

Downtown Dillon is the intersection of US 301, US 501, SC 9, SC 34 and SC 57.

I-95 Interstate 95 (I-95) is the main north–south Interstate Highway on the East Coast of the United States, running from US Route 1 (US 1) in Miami, Florida, to the Houlton–Woodstock Border Crossing between Maine and the Canadia ...

has two exits to Dillon, and it is planned that

I-73 Interstate 73 (I-73) is a north–south Interstate Highway, located within the US state of North Carolina. Currently, there is one continuous section of I-73, totaling , first traversing the U.S. Route 220 (US 220) freeway from ...

will serve Dillon as part of a future southward expansion.

Rail

Amtrak The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, Trade name, doing business as Amtrak () , is the national Passenger train, passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates inter-city rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous United Stat ...

, the national rail passenger carrier, provides daily service from Dillon with the '' Palmetto'', which runs between

Savannah, Georgia Savannah ( ) is the oldest city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia and is the county seat of Chatham County, Georgia, Chatham County. Established in 1733 on the Savannah River, the city of Savannah became the Kingdom of Great Br ...

, and

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

on the

South End Subdivision The South End Subdivision is a railroad line owned by CSX Transportation in the U.S. states of North Carolina and South Carolina. The line runs from Rocky Mount, North Carolina, to Florence, South Carolina, for a total of . At its north end the ...

. Trains stop at the Dillon station, originally opened for passenger use by the

Atlantic Coast Line Railroad The Atlantic Coast Line Railroad was a United States Class I railroad formed in 1900, though predecessor railroads had used the ACL brand since 1871. In 1967 it merged with long-time rival Seaboard Air Line Railroad to form the Seaboard Coast L ...

in 1904. A second line known as the Andrews Subdivision, formerly owned by the

Seaboard Air Line Railroad The Seaboard Air Line Railroad , which styled itself "The Route of Courteous Service," was an American railroad which existed from April 14, 1900, until July 1, 1967, when it merged with the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad, its longtime rival, t ...

runs through Dillon, but only carries freight.

CSX CSX Transportation , known colloquially as simply CSX, is a Class I freight railroad operating in the Eastern United States and the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. The railroad operates approximately 21,000 route miles () of track. ...

owns both railroad lines which cross Dillon.

Media

The ''Dillon Herald'' is the city of Dillon's newspaper. The paper was established in 1894 and is the oldest "continuously operated" business in Dillon County. Dillon Observer is an online newspaper in Dillon, South Carolina
Dillon Observer
was established in 2020.

Notable people

Ben Bernanke Ben Shalom Bernanke ( ; born December 13, 1953) is an American economist who served as the 14th chairman of the Federal Reserve from 2006 to 2014. After leaving the Fed, he was appointed a distinguished fellow at the Brookings Institution. Durin ...

chairman of the Federal Reserve The chair of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System is the head of the Federal Reserve, and is the active executive officer of the Federal Reserve Board of Governors, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System. The chair shal ...

from 2006 to 2014 * Alfred W. Bethea, farmer and businessman, member of the

South Carolina House of Representatives The South Carolina House of Representatives is the lower house of the South Carolina General Assembly. It consists of 124 representatives elected to two-year terms at the same time as U.S. congressional elections. Unlike many legislatures, seati ...

from 1961 to 1966;

American Independent Party The American Independent Party (AIP) is a far-right political party in the United States that was established in 1967. The AIP is best known for its nomination of former Democratic Governor George Wallace of Alabama, who carried five states in t ...

gubernatorial A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

nominee in 1970 *

John Chavis John Chavis (c. 1763–June 15, 1838) was a free Black educator and Presbyterian minister in the American South during the early 19th century. Born in Oxford, North Carolina, he fought for the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary ...

, defensive coordinator, Texas A&M * Johnny Davis, two-time PKA kickboxing world champion *

Derrick Hamilton Derrick T. Hamilton (born November 30, 1981) is a former American football wide receiver. He was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in the third round of the 2004 NFL Draft. He played college football at Clemson. Hamilton was also a member of ...

, football player * Rufus R. Jones, professional wrestler * Willie Jones, Major League Baseball player * Kenneth Manning, professor of rhetoric and of the history of science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology *

Kevin Steele Kevin Steele (born March 17, 1958) is an American football coach and former player, currently serving as the defensive coordinator at the University of Miami. Steele has previously worked as defensive coordinator at Auburn, LSU, Clemson, and c ...

, current

University of Miami The University of Miami (UM, UMiami, Miami, U of M, and The U) is a private research university in Coral Gables, Florida. , the university enrolled 19,096 students in 12 colleges and schools across nearly 350 academic majors and programs, incl ...

defensive coordinator * Lieutenant General

Jack C. Stultz Lieutenant General Jack C. Stultz, Jr. (born June 11, 1952) is a retired United States Army general who served as the commanding general of the United States Army Reserve. Biography Jack Calvin Stultz, Jr. was born in Leaksville North Carolina. ...

, former Chief, Army Reserve; former Commanding General, U.S. Army Reserve Command *

Robin Tallon Robert Mooneyhan "Robin" Tallon Jr. (born August 8, 1946) is an American businessman and politician who served as a United States representative from South Carolina. He is a member of the Democratic Party. Early life and education Born in He ...

, former member of Congress

References

External links

* {{authority control County seats in South Carolina Cities in Dillon County, South Carolina Cities in South Carolina