Moncks Corner is a town in and 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 ...

Berkeley County, South Carolina Berkeley County is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state of South Carolina. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, its population was 229,861. Its county seat is Moncks Corner, South Carolina, Moncks Corner, and the larg ...

, United States. The population was 7,885 at the 2010 census. As defined by the U.S. Census Bureau, Moncks Corner is included within the Charleston-North Charleston, SC Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History

Settled by indigenous peoples for thousands of years, the area of Moncks Corner was occupied by the historic Edistow people, a sub-tribe of the Cusabo tribes. Its various bands shared a language distinct from that of the major language families in the present-day state: Algonquian, Siouan, and Iroquoian, including Cherokee. Although now extinct as a tribe, Etiwan, Edisto, Cherokee, and Catawba descendants make up the eight families of the

Wassamasaw Tribe of Varnertown Indians The Wassamasaw Tribe of Varnertown Indians or Wassamasaw Tribe is a state-recognized tribe and 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization headquartered in Berkeley County, South Carolina. The organization was awarded the status of a state-recognized tribe b ...

, a community located between Moncks Corner and Summerville. The 1,500-member tribe were recognized by the state as an Indian Tribe in 2009.Bo Petersen, "Researchers explore local tribe's ties to legendary temple"
''The Post and Courier,'' April 17, 2005, accessed December 14, 2011Bo Petersen, "Local tribe reclaims its roots, heritage"
April 17, 2005, accessed December 14, 2011 During the colonial era, Moncks Corner became a major settlement area of French

Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...

Huguenot The Huguenots ( , ; ) are a Religious denomination, religious group of French people, French Protestants who held to the Reformed (Calvinist) tradition of Protestantism. The term, which may be derived from the name of a Swiss political leader, ...

s, who came to South Carolina between 1684 and 1688 as refugees due to religious persecution in France. Many family surnames in Berkeley and adjacent counties are of French origin. The Huguenots soon began to intermarry with the English colonists. The town of Moncks Corner dates back to 1728 and is named for landowner Thomas Monck, a slaveholder who branded his runaway slaves on their chest with his name "T Monck." The town began as a

trading post A trading post, trading station, or trading house, also known as a factory in European and colonial contexts, is an establishment or settlement where goods and services could be traded. Typically a trading post allows people from one geogr ...

with a few taverns and stores. The

Battle of Monck's Corner The Battle of Monck's Corner was fought on April 14, 1780, outside of Charleston, South Carolina, which was under siege by British forces under the command of General Sir Henry Clinton in the American Revolutionary War. The British Legion, un ...

was fought here in 1780, associated with the

Siege of Charleston The siege of Charleston was a major engagement and major British victory in the American Revolutionary War, fought in the environs of Charles Town (today Charleston), the capital of South Carolina, between March 29 and May 12, 1780. The British ...

. The Northeastern Railroad, which ran between

Charleston, South Carolina Charleston is the List of municipalities in South Carolina, most populous city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The city lies just south of the geographical midpoint of South Carolina's coastline on Charleston Harbor, an inlet of the Atla ...

, and

Siler City, North Carolina Siler City is a town in western Chatham County, North Carolina, United States. As of the 2020 census, the town's population was 7,702. History Siler City began when Plikard Dederic Siler and his wife, Elizabeth Hartsoe Siler, settled about fou ...

, laid its tracks in 1856, and the train depot became the center of the new town of Moncks Corner. The town of Moncks Corner was chartered on December 26, 1885, and incorporated December 15, 1909. Moncks Corner was granted the trademark "Capital of

Santee Cooper __NOTOC__ Santee Cooper, also known officially from the 1930s as the South Carolina Public Service Authority, is South Carolina's state-owned electric and water utility that came into being during the New Deal as both a rural electrification and ...

Country" by the South Carolina Secretary of State September 9, 1999, and again October 21, 2004. The trademark is a symbol of its abundant outdoor activities, such as horseback riding, hiking, water sports, boating and freshwater fishing. Moncks Corner is also the home of

's corporate office complex. The Biggin Church Ruins, Cooper River Historic District, Lewisfield Plantation, Mulberry Plantation,

Santee Canal The Santee Canal was one of the earliest canals built in the United States. It was built to provide a direct water route between Charleston and Columbia, the new state capital of South Carolina. It was named to the National Register of Historic ...

, and Strawberry Chapel and Childsbury Town Site 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

Moncks Corner is located near the center of Berkeley County at (33.1966, -80.0067). Its boundary extends east to the West Branch of the Cooper River, south of the outlet of Lake Moultrie.

US 52 U.S. Route 52 (US 52) is a major United States Numbered Highway System, U.S. Highway in the central United States, Central United States that extends from the northern to southeastern region of the United States. Contrary to most other even ...

is the main highway through the town, leading south to Charleston and north 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 ...

. US 17 Alt also passes through the town, leading east to Georgetown and southwest to Summerville. SC 6 leads northwest from Moncks Corner along the south and west sides of Lakes Moultrie and Marion to

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 ...

at Santee. 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 ...

, Moncks Corner has a total area of , of which is land and , or 1.81%, is water.

Climate

Moncks Corner is a

humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a subtropical -temperate climate type, characterized by long and hot summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between ...

(Cfa) according to the

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

system. It is similar to Charleston in regards of the said climate, which Moncks Corner is a suburb of. However, due to the distance from the coast compared to Charleston, it is noticeably hotter in the summer.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 13,297 people, 3,774 households, and 2,796 families residing in the town.

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 5,952 people, 2,103 households, and 1,491 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 2,334 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 57.33%

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 ...

, 36.59%

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 ...

, 0.64% Native American, 0.55% Asian, 0.05%

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 ...

, 2.97% from other races, and 1.86% 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 4.20% of the population. There were 2,103 households, out of which 40.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.6% 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, 23.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.1% were non-families. 25.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.61 and the average family size was 3.09. In the town, the population was spread out, with 28.9% under the age of 18, 10.5% from 18 to 24, 30.0% from 25 to 44, 18.1% from 45 to 64, and 12.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females, there were 87.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 81.8 males. The median income for a household in the town was $31,711, and the median income for a family was $37,335. Males had a median income of $30,634 versus $21,796 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 $15,202. About 16.5% of families and 17.6% 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 26.6% of those under age 18 and 11.7% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Moncks Corner has a public library, a branch of the Berkeley County Library System.

Notable people

* Omar Brown, National Football League (NFL) player * Charlamagne tha God (born 1978), radio and TV personality * Andre Ellington, NFL player * Bruce Ellington (born 1991), NFL player *

Steven Furtick Larry Stevens Furtick Jr. (born February 19, 1980), known professionally as Steven Furtick, is an American evangelical Christian pastor, author, and composer of Elevation Worship. He is the founder and general overseer of Elevation Church, base ...

, pastor of Elevation Church * Willie J. Hill Jr. (born 1951), bishop of the

Reformed Episcopal Church The Reformed Episcopal Church (REC) is an Anglican Church. It was founded in 1873 in New York City by George David Cummins, a former bishop of the Episcopal Church (United States), Protestant Episcopal Church. The REC is a founding member of the ...

Diocese of the Southeast *

Robin Kenyatta Robin Kenyatta (March 6, 1942 – October 26, 2004) was an American jazz alto saxophone, alto saxophonist. Early life Born Robert Prince Haynes in Moncks Corner, South Carolina, Kenyatta grew up in New York City and began playing the saxophone a ...

, jazz musician * Ryan Stewart, NFL player, '' 2 Live Stews'' radio personality with brother Doug * Isaac Wright Jr. (born 1962), lawyer * Kwame Brown, basketball player * Kathryn Dennis, reality TV star (''Southern Charm'')

References

External links

Town of Moncks Corner official website

Old Santee Canal Park

Berkeley County School District
{{authority control French-American culture in South Carolina Huguenot history in the United States Towns in South Carolina Towns in Berkeley County, South Carolina County seats in South Carolina Charleston–North Charleston–Summerville metropolitan area