Jamestown is a town in Berkeley County,

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. The population was 72 at the 2010 census. Jamestown is included within the

Charleston-North Charleston-Summerville metropolitan area The Charleston metropolitan area is an urban area centered around Charleston, South Carolina. The U.S. Office of Management and Budget designates the area as the Charleston-North Charleston, SC Metropolitan Statistical Area, a metropolitan statis ...

History

Originally settled by Huguenot refugees from France in the 17th century, the area was established as St. James Santee in 1706, the first parish of the Church of England in Carolina outside Charleston.

Geography

Jamestown is located in northeastern Berkeley County at , south of the

Santee River } The Santee River is a river in South Carolina in the United States, and is long. The Santee and its tributaries provide the principal drainage for the coastal areas of southeastern South Carolina and navigation for the central coastal plain of ...

U.S. Route 17 Alternate U.S. Highway 17 Alternate (US 17 Alt.) is a alternate route of US 17 in South Carolina that travels between Pocotaligo and Georgetown. It has been four-laned in various segments since 1970. Route description US 17 Alt. ...

passes through the town, leading east to Georgetown and west to Moncks Corner, the Berkeley County seat.

South Carolina Highway 41 South Carolina Highway 41 (SC 41) is a state highway, connecting the Charleston region with eastern portions of the Pee Dee region in South Carolina. It serves as an alternative route to U.S. Route 52. Route description The route travel ...

leads south from Jamestown to Mount Pleasant in the Charleston area and north to

Andrews Andrews may refer to: Places Australia *Andrews, Queensland *Andrews, South Australia United States *Andrews, Florida (disambiguation), various places *Andrews, Indiana *Andrews, Nebraska *Andrews, North Carolina *Andrews, Oregon *Andrews, South ...

. The town is within

Francis Marion National Forest The Francis Marion National Forest is located north of Charleston, South Carolina. It is named for revolutionary war hero Francis Marion, who was known to the British as the Swamp Fox. It lies entirely within the Middle Atlantic coastal forests ...

. 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 ...

, Jamestown has a total area of , all of it land. Bridge-jamestown-b

Demographics

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 97 people, 42 households, and 28 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 51 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 55.67%

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 ...

, 43.30%

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 ...

, 1.03% from other 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 1.03% of the population. There were 42 households, out of which 33.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 35.7% 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, 31.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.0% were non-families. 28.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.31 and the average family size was 2.83. In the town, the population was spread out, with 27.8% under the age of 18, 5.2% from 18 to 24, 28.9% from 25 to 44, 23.7% from 45 to 64, and 14.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 73.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 75.0 males. The median income for a household in the town was $16,250, and the median income for a family was $13,542. Males had a median income of $19,375 versus $16,875 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 town was $7,021. There were 41.9% of families and 52.5% of the population living 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 91.9% of under eighteens and none of those over 64.

Events

Every year Jamestown holds the Hell Hole Swamp Festival on the first full weekend in May. It is a family event with children's games,

cocoa Cocoa may refer to: Chocolate * Chocolate * ''Theobroma cacao'', the cocoa tree * Cocoa bean, seed of ''Theobroma cacao'' * Chocolate liquor, or cocoa liquor, pure, liquid chocolate extracted from the cocoa bean, including both cocoa butter and ...

-spitting contest (organizers say

tobacco Tobacco is the common name of several plants in the genus '' Nicotiana'' of the family Solanaceae, and the general term for any product prepared from the cured leaves of these plants. More than 70 species of tobacco are known, but the ...

was discontinued due to lack of participation), horseshoe pitching, arm wrestling, beauty contests, a parade, talent contest, exhibits (including a confiscated

moonshine Moonshine is alcohol proof, high-proof liquor, traditionally made or distributed alcohol law, illegally. The name was derived from a tradition of distilling the alcohol (drug), alcohol at night to avoid detection. In the first decades of the ...

still, which is also the festival's logo), and arts and crafts. The festival started in 1972, and 2011 was the 40th anniversary. A 10k Gator Run began in 1976 and is billed as the oldest road race in South Carolina; winners get real alligator heads as trophies.

Reputation as a speed trap

Jamestown has garnered a reputation as a

speed trap Speed limit, Speed limits are enforced on most public roadways by authorities, with the purpose to improve driver compliance with speed limits. Methods used include roadside speed traps set up and operated by the police and automated roadside "s ...

for motorists. As of 2009, Jamestown generates 62% of its annual operating budget ($195,000 of $313,000) through writing tickets. Jamestown uses its placement along an alternate route to popular vacation destination

Myrtle Beach Myrtle Beach is a resort city on the East Coast of the United States in Horry County, South Carolina. It is located in the center of a long and continuous stretch of beach known as the " Grand Strand” in the northeastern part of the state. It ...

to trap unwary drivers. Entering the town, the speed limit drops from to . Many motorists complain that the speed limit change is poorly marked along with poorly marked pedestrian cross walks. Jamestown police officers often sit in convenience store or church parking lots near the intersection of SC Route 41 and U.S. Highway 17-A, particularly at night, and catch drivers as they slow down to turn. Speeding tickets in Jamestown generally run anywhere from $180 to $300, and drivers can usually avoid having points added to their license by paying anywhere from $50 to $200 extra.

References

{{authority control Towns in Berkeley County, South Carolina Towns in South Carolina Charleston–North Charleston–Summerville metropolitan area