Fountain Inn is a city in
Greenville and
Laurens counties in the
U.S. state
In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...
of
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 ...
. The population was 10,416 at the
2020 census,
up from 7,799 in
2010
The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...
. It is part of the
Greenville-Mauldin-Easley Metropolitan Statistical Area.
History
The
Cannon Building,
Fairview Presbyterian Church,
Fountain Inn High School,
Fountain Inn Principal's House and Teacherage,
McDowell House,
Robert Quillen Office and Library,
Tullyton, and
F. W. Welborn House are 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 ...
.
Geography
The southern part of the city is in Laurens County, while the bulk of the city is in Greenville County. The city's nickname is "The Diamond Tip of the Golden Strip". The city took its name from an inn and fountain that were along the old stagecoach route. The stagecoach drivers called the stop "Fountain Inn", and it stuck. A small garden fountain is installed at City Hall, and there is a marker on the north side of town showing the former location of the old inn.
South Carolina Highway 14 runs through the center of town as Main Street, and
Interstate 385
Interstate 385 (I-385) is an auxiliary Interstate Highway located in the Upstate South Carolina, Upstate region of South Carolina. I-385 is a spur route of Interstate 85 in South Carolina, I-85. The highway provides a connection between Gre ...
runs along the southern edge of the city, with access from Exits 22, 23, and 26.
Greenville is to the northwest, and
Columbia is to the southeast. Via Highway 14,
Laurens is to the southeast.
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 ...
, the city of Fountain Inn has a total area of , of which , or 0.43%, are water.
There are several festivals in Fountain Inn, including Aunt Het Day, based on syndicated cartoon columnist
Robert Quillen, that brings in several hundred visitors as Main Street is closed and filled with many unique vendors.
Demographics
2020 census
As of the
2020 United States census, there were 10,416 people, 3,170 households, and 2,532 families residing in the city.
As of 2023, of the 10,416 people, about 7,777 are in Greenville County and about 2,639 are in Laurens County.
2020 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 2020, there were 10,416 people. The population density was . There were 2,465 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 61.49%
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 ...
, 27.9%
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 ...
, 1.6%
Native American, 0.2%
Asian, 0.00%
Pacific Islander
Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...
, and 7.4% 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 8.7
% of the population.
There were 3,538 households.
The population in the city consists of 25.7% under 18 and 9.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years.
The median income for a family was $65,221. 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 $25,855. About 13.2% 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 ...
.
Government
Fountain Inn is governed by a mayor, a city council, a city administrator, and several boards and commissions. The current officeholders are:
City council
* Mayor: GP McLeer
* Council Ward I: Jason Sanders
* Council Ward II: Jay Thomasson
* Council Ward III: Joey Garrett
* Council Ward IV: Phil Clemmer
* Council Ward V: John Don
* Council Ward VI: Mack Blackstone
Crime
The city of Fountain Inn has one of the lowest crime rates in Greenville County and has the best record in closing case files of towns of similar sizes and geographic area. The Fountain Inn Police Department has annual reports and information regarding current records and statistical surveys of the area.
Education
Residents in both counties are in the
Greenville County School District
Greenville County School District (GCSD) is a public school district in Greenville County, South Carolina, United States. It is the largest school district in the state of South Carolina and the 44th largest in the US.
As of the 2019–2020 ...
.
88.9% of the residents have a high school diploma or equivalent, 28.1% with bachelor's degree, and 4.1% hold a master's, professional or doctorate.
Notable people
Fountain Inn was the adopted home of journalist and humorist
Robert Quillen, one of the "leading purveyors of village nostalgia" during the early decades of the 20th century.
[John Hammond Moore, ed., ''The Voice of Small-Town America: The Selected Writings of Robert Quillen, 1920-1948'' (Columbia: University of South Carolina Press, 2008), xi.]
Fountain Inn was the home town of one-legged tap dancer
Clayton "Peg Leg" Bates.
Fountain Inn is the home town of
Travelle Wharton, a retired NFL offensive lineman. He played for the
Carolina Panthers
The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. The t ...
of the NFL from 2004 through 2011. He joined the
Cincinnati Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American football team based in Cincinnati. The Bengals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team plays its h ...
for the 2012 season. He played college football at the
University of South Carolina
The University of South Carolina (USC, SC, or Carolina) is a Public university, public research university in Columbia, South Carolina, United States. Founded in 1801 as South Carolina College, It is the flagship of the University of South Car ...
.
See also
Fountain Inn High School
References
External links
City of Fountain Inn official website
{{authority control
Cities in South Carolina
Cities in Greenville County, South Carolina
Cities in Laurens County, South Carolina
Upstate South Carolina