Belton is a city in eastern

Anderson County, South Carolina Anderson County is a county located in the U.S. state of South Carolina. As of the 2020 census, its population was 203,718. Its county seat is Anderson. Named for Revolutionary War leader Robert Anderson, the county is located in northwest ...

. The population was 4,134 at the 2010 census.

History

In 1845 a group was created to connect the

Piedmont Piedmont ( ; ; ) is one of the 20 regions of Italy, located in the northwest Italy, Northwest of the country. It borders the Liguria region to the south, the Lombardy and Emilia-Romagna regions to the east, and the Aosta Valley region to the ...

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 after the first president of the

Columbia and Greenville Railroad The Columbia and Greenville Railroad was a South Carolina, US, railroad that operated in the late 19th century. Originally chartered and begun as the Greenville and Columbia Railroad, the line was sold under foreclosure and reorganized under the ...

from

Newberry Newberry is a surname, a variant of Newbury. Notable people with the surname include: * Booker Newberry III (1956–2023), American singer and keyboardist * Brennan Newberry (born, 1990), American professional stock car racing driver * Brian Ne ...

, John Belton O'Neal. The city prospered not only due to the railroad junction, but also because of the area's

cotton Cotton (), first recorded in ancient India, is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus '' Gossypium'' in the mallow family Malvaceae. The fiber is almost pure ...

crop, which led to the establishment of

cotton mill A cotton mill is a building that houses spinning or weaving machinery for the production of yarn or cloth from cotton, an important product during the Industrial Revolution in the development of the factory system. Although some were driven ...

s. In 1908, a municipal water system was established. A reinforced concrete tower with a 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 The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

on November 5, 1987. The standpipe is the inspiration for the yearly Belton Standpipe Festival, first held in 1987 as a fundraising event. In bygone years Belton was the

cotton gin A cotton gin—meaning "cotton engine"—is a machine that quickly and easily separates cotton fibers from their seeds, enabling much greater productivity than manual cotton separation.. Reprinted by McGraw-Hill, New York and London, 1926 (); ...

ning center for South Carolina, with many cotton mills that were part of the heritage. Belton boasts an arts center that holds regular art exhibitions open to the public. The arts center adds much character and artistic vibrancy to the city, and is available for event rentals and hosting many city events. The old train depot has been completely refurbished and is currently used as a comfortable function venue. Part of the depot is a museum filled with old Belton history. Tennis is an integral part of Belton's culture. The South Carolina Palmetto championships are held in Belton each year, using local residential tennis courts as part of the competition. In addition to the Belton Standpipe, the Belton Depot and Chamberlain-Kay House are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Geography

Belton is located in eastern Anderson County at (34.525630, -82.496129). It is east of Anderson, the county seat, by U.S. Routes 76 and

178 Year 178 ( CLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Scipio and Rufus (or, less frequently, year 931 ''Ab urbe condita''). The denomination 178 for this ...

. Honea Path is to the southeast by the same highway, and South Carolina Highway 20 leads north to Greenville. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the city has a total area of , of which , or 0.33%, is water.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 4,335 people, 1,956 households, and 1,158 families residing in the city.

2000 census

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2000, there were 4,461 people, 1,948 households, and 1,275 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 2,129 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 80.52%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 17.51%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.38% Native American, 0.27% Asian, 0.34% from other races, and 0.99% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

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 Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

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 Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the city was $16,970. About 15.2% of families and 16.3% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 23.2% of those under age 18 and 12.0% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Public education in Belton is administered by Anderson County School District Two. The district operates several elementary schools, Belton Middle School and

Belton-Honea Path High School Belton-Honea Path High School (BHP) is a comprehensive, co-educational, public secondary school located in Honea Path, South Carolina, United States. It is the only public high school serving Honea Path and Belton. The school is accredited by ...

. Belton has a

public library A public library is a library, most often a lending 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 servic ...

, a branch of the Anderson County Library System.

Notable people

William L. Ball William Lockhart Ball III (born June 10, 1948) is an American former government official and political appointee. He held senior posts in the Reagan Administration, beginning as an Assistant Secretary of State under George Shultz in 1985 . He m ...

Dave Cockrum David Emmett Cockrum (; November 11, 1943 – November 26, 2006) was an American comics artist known for his co-creation of the new X-Men characters Nightcrawler (character), Nightcrawler, Storm (Marvel Comics), Storm, Colossus (character), Colos ...

Matthew LeCroy Matthew Hanks LeCroy (born December 13, 1975) is an American former professional baseball catcher, first baseman, and designated hitter. He is currently the manager of the Rochester Red Wings, the Triple-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals. ...

* Ralph McT. Pennell, U.S. Army major general * Viola Thompson

References

External links

City of Belton official website

Belton Area Partnership

Anderson County School District Two

Belton/Historic Belton Historical Marker

Greenville & Columbia RR / Belton Historical Marker
{{authority control Cities in South Carolina Cities in Anderson County, South Carolina Populated places established in 1855 1855 establishments in South Carolina