Lancaster, South Carolina

The city of Lancaster () is the county seat of Lancaster County, South Carolina, United States, located in the Charlotte Metropolitan Area. As of the United States Census of 2010, the city population was 8,526. The city was named after the famous House of Lancaster.

History

The following are listed on the National Register of Historic Places:

* Robert Barnwell Allison House
* Craig House
* Cureton House
* Thomas Walker Huey House
* Lancaster Cotton Oil Company
* Lancaster County Courthouse
* Lancaster County Jail
* Lancaster Downtown Historic District
* Lancaster Presbyterian Church
* Mount Carmel A.M.E. Zion Campground
* North Carolina-South Carolina Cornerstone
* Perry-McIlwain-McDow House
* Leroy Springs House
* Wade-Beckham House
* Waxhaw Presbyterian Church Cemetery

Geography

Lancaster is located at (34.721100, -80.773315).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and (1.36%) is water.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 8,460 people, 3,469 households, and 2,064 families residing in the city.

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 10,160 people, 5,396 households, and 3,115 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 3,778 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 49.49% African American, 47.54% White, 0.12% Native American, 0.88% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 1.15% from other races, and 0.78% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.25% of the population.

There were 3,396 households, out of which 27.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 35.5% were married couples living together, 22.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.7% were non-families. 33.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 3.01.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 25.8% under the age of 18, 8.9% from 18 to 24, 26.8% from 25 to 44, 21.8% from 45 to 64, and 16.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 83.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 77.1 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $28,650, and the median income for a family was $33,380. Males had a median income of $27,090 versus $22,382 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,828. About 18.0% of families and 23.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 33.2% of those under age 18 and 17.8% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Lancaster is home to the Lancaster County School District, SC which has around 11 elementary schools, 5 middle schools, and 4 high schools. In 2008 South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford named Andrew Jackson Middle School, located in nearby Kershaw, as the recipient of the state's Best Special Education School Award. The City is also home to the University of South Carolina at Lancaster, also known as USCL.

Public Schools Located in Lancaster:

* Lancaster High School
*Andrew Jackson High School
Indian Land High school
*Andrew Jackson Middle School
Indian Land Middle School
*A.R. Rucker Middle School
*Buford Elementary School
Indian Land Intermediate
Indian Land Elementary
*Buford Middle School
*Buford High School
*Erwin Elementary School
* South Middle School
*North Elementary School
*McDonald Green Elementary School
*Brooklyn Springs Elementary School
*Clinton Elementary School
*Discovery Elementary School
*Southside Pre-School

Private Schools:
* Carolina Christian Academy

Universities:
* USC Lancaster

Library:
*Lancaster has a public library which is the main building of the Lancaster County Library System. Additional branches are located in Indian Land and Kershaw.

Media

* Lancaster is mentioned in the novelette, ''Facing Demons: An All Hallows' Eve Tale'' by Kevin Matthew Hayes.

Notable people

* Tom Addison – former professional football player and team captain of the Boston Patriots, 1960-1968
* Cathy Smith Bowers – poet and professor; North Carolina Poet Laureate, 2010–2012
* Tom Caskey (born c. 1938), human geneticist
* Danny Clyburn – baseball player
* Don Dixon – musician and producer
* Charles Duke – NASA astronaut who walked on the Moon during the Apollo 16 mission
* Mark Hammond - South Carolina Secretary of State
* Hattie N. Harrison – Maryland legislator and educator
* Jim Hodges – former governor of South Carolina
* Andrew Jackson – seventh president of the United States (disputed birthplace/childhood home with Waxhaw, North Carolina)
* Nina Mae McKinney – one of the early African-American film stars in the United States and one of the early African Americans to appear on British television
* Julie Roberts – country music singer
* Aaron Robinson – professional baseball player, primarily with the New York Yankees, 1943-1951
* J. Marion Sims – controversial founder of gynecology; the J. Marion Sims Foundation is located in Lancaster
* Elliot White Springs – World War I flying ace
* Sindarius Thornwell – professional basketball player who last played for the NBA's Los Angeles Clippers
* Maurice Williams – singer

* Brandon Still-Keyboardist for Blackberry Smoke (2009–present)
* Leslie Snipes-Snipes’ art resides in prestigious collections like Atlanta’s High Museum of Art and the Museum of Contemporary Art of Georgia. Born in Lancaster, South Carolina, Leslie Snipes’ journey began with a childhood love for drawing. She earned a BFA from Appalachian State University and an MFA from the University of Georgia, where she mastered painting, sculpture, and printmaking. After teaching at institutions like Emory University and Wesleyan College, Snipes faced a crossroads: institutional pressures stifled her creative voice. In a bold move, she left academia, sold her possessions, and relocated to Boone, NC’s mountains. There, she embraced minimalism as a form of liberation, channeling nature’s quiet rhythms into her art.

References

External links

*

Lancaster Police Department

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Cities in South Carolina
Cities in Lancaster County, South Carolina
County seats in South Carolina
1830 establishments in South Carolina
Populated places established in 1830