Dillon is a city in Dillon County in eastern

South Carolina South Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders North Carolina to the north and northeast, the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, and Georgia (U.S. state), Georg ...

, United States. It is the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

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

The County was founded in 1910 from a portion of Marion County. The County and the City of Dillon are named for prosperous local citizen James W. Dillon (1826−1913), an Irishman who settled there and led a campaign to bring the railroad into the community. The result of this effort was the construction of the Wilson Short Cut Railroad, which later became part of 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 ...

, and which brought greater prosperity to the area by directly linking Dillon County to the national network of railroads. For many decades, residents of Dillon County were farmers growing cotton and tobacco. Timber harvesting remains a major industry in the County. Dillon County has seen a growth in manufacturing and distribution centers over the past 20 years due in part to Interstate 95 which runs through the County north-south. Dillon was once known as "The "Wedding Capital of the East" because South Carolina allowed people as young as 14 to get married and did not have other requirements. Many couples who got married there went to South of the Border for their

honeymoon A honeymoon is a vacation taken by newlyweds after their wedding to celebrate their marriage. Today, honeymoons are often celebrated in destinations considered exotic or romantic. In a similar context, it may also refer to the phase in a couple ...

Geography

Dillon is located near the center of Dillon County in the Pee Dee region of northeastern South Carolina. The Little Pee Dee River, a tributary of the

Pee Dee River The Pee Dee River, also known as the Great Pee Dee River, is a river in the Carolinas of the United States. It originates in the Appalachian Mountains in North Carolina, where its upper course, above the mouth of the Uwharrie River, is known a ...

, runs just east of the city. U.S. Routes

301 __NOTOC__ Year 301 ( CCCI) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Postumius and Nepotianus (or, less frequently, year 1054 ''Ab urbe condita''). The denominatio ...

and 501 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 1) in Miami, Florida, north to the Houlton–Woodstock Border Crossing between Maine and the ...

at South of the Border along the

North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...

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 county seat of Robeson County. Located in southern North Carolina's Inner Banks region, Lumberton is located on the Lumbe ...

, and southwest to

Florence Florence ( ; ) is the capital city of the Italy, Italian region of Tuscany. It is also the most populated city in Tuscany, with 362,353 inhabitants, and 989,460 in Metropolitan City of Florence, its metropolitan province as of 2025. Florence ...

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 ...

passes through the center of town, leading northwest to Bennettsville and southeast to Lake View. South Carolina Highway 57 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 follows Main Street northwest out of town, leading west to

Darlington Darlington is a market town in the Borough of Darlington, County Durham, England. It lies on the River Skerne, west of Middlesbrough and south of Durham. Darlington had a population of 107,800 at the 2021 Census, making it a "large town" ...

. According to the

U.S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, 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 U.S. Census Bureau is part of the U ...

, Dillon has a total area of , of which , or 0.21%, is water. The Little Pee Dee River flows southwards east of the center of town.

Climate

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 operated b ...

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 United States census, 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 2000 was designated as the International Year for the Culture of Peace and the World Mathematics, Mathematical Year. Popular culture holds the year 2000 as the first year of the 21st century and the 3rd millennium, because of a tende ...

to 2010. The city is 53.1% Black or

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 ...

, 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 corporation, 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 responsibilitie ...

is Tally McColl.

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 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, 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 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 U.S. Route 1 (US 1) in Miami, Florida, north to the Houlton–Woodstock Border Crossing between Maine and the ...

has two exits to Dillon, and it is planned that I-73 will serve Dillon as part of a future southward expansion. In August 2023, Dillon got a 40 stall Version 3

Tesla Supercharger The Tesla Supercharger network is an electric vehicle fast charging network built and operated by American vehicle manufacturer Tesla, Inc. The Supercharger network was introduced on September 24, 2012, as the Tesla Tesla Model S, Model S en ...

station, the largest in the southeastern United States.

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 intercity 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 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 Brita ...

, and

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

on the South End Subdivision. Trains stop at the Dillon station, originally opened for passenger use by the

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

Seaboard Air Line Railroad The Seaboard Air Line Railroad , known colloquially as the Seaboard Railroad during its time, was an American railroad that existed from April 14, 1900, until July 1, 1967, when it merged with the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad, its longtime ri ...

runs through Dillon, but only carries freight.

CSX CSX Transportation , known colloquially as simply CSX, is a Railroad classes, Class I freight railroad company operating in the Eastern United States and the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. Operating about 21,000 route miles () of trac ...

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 Federal Reserve, he was appointed a distinguished fellow at the Brookings Insti ...

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 Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System. The chairman presides at meetings of the Board. ...

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, seatin ...

from 1961 to 1966;

American Independent Party The American Independent Party (AIP) is an American political party that was established in 1967. The American Independent Party is best known for its nomination of Democratic then-former Governor George Wallace of Alabama, who carried five s ...

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

nominee in 1970 * John Chavis, defensive coordinator, Birmingham Stallions * Johnny Davis, two-time PKA kickboxing world champion * Derrick Hamilton, football player * Rufus R. Jones, professional wrestler *

Willie Jones Willie Jones may refer to: Sports *Willie Jones (fullback) Willie Douglas Jones Jr. (August 30, 1939 – September 9, 2016) was an American professional American football, football Fullback (American football), fullback who played one season wi ...

, Major League Baseball player * Kenneth Manning, professor of rhetoric and of the history of science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology * Kevin Steele, current

University of Alabama The University of Alabama (informally known as Alabama, UA, the Capstone, or Bama) is a Public university, public research university in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States. Established in 1820 and opened to students in 1831, the University of ...

defensive coordinator * Lieutenant General Jack C. Stultz, former Chief, Army Reserve; former Commanding General, U.S. Army Reserve Command * Robin Tallon, former member of Congress

References

External links

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