Pickens County is a

county A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...

located in the northwest part of the U.S. state 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 ...

. As of the 2020 census, its population was 131,404. Its

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 ...

is Pickens. The county was created in 1826. It is part of the Greenville-Anderson-Greer, SC Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History

Pickens County was part of

Cherokee The Cherokee (; , or ) people are one of the Indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands of the United States. Prior to the 18th century, they were concentrated in their homelands, in towns along river valleys of what is now southwestern ...

homeland territory until well after the

American Revolution The American Revolution (1765–1783) was a colonial rebellion and war of independence in which the Thirteen Colonies broke from British America, British rule to form the United States of America. The revolution culminated in the American ...

. The Cherokee had allied with the British, hoping to gain expulsion of European-American settlers from their lands. But they were defeated in local battles of the Revolution and forced to cede their lands under various treaties. This former Cherokee territory was included in the new state's Ninety-Six Judicial District. In 1791 the state legislature established Washington District, a judicial area composed of present-day Greenville, Anderson, Pickens, and Oconee counties (the latter was not organized until 1868); at that time it also included Pendleton County. Streets for the county seat and courthouse town of Pickensville (near present-day Easley) were laid off. New buildings perhaps included a large wooden hotel, which served as a

stagecoach A stagecoach (also: stage coach, stage, road coach, ) is a four-wheeled public transport coach used to carry paying passengers and light packages on journeys long enough to need a change of horses. It is strongly sprung and generally drawn by ...

stop. In 1798 Washington District was divided into Greenville and Pendleton districts. The latter included what eventually became Anderson, Oconee, and Pickens counties. After a new courthouse was erected at Pendleton to accommodate the Court of General Sessions and Common Pleas, Pickensville began to decline. In view of the growing population and poor transportation facilities in Pendleton District, the legislature divided it into counties in 1826. But a year later, it decided to establish judicial districts instead. The legislation went into effect in 1828. The lower part became Anderson and the upper Pickens, named in honor of Brigadier General Andrew Pickens of the American Revolution. His home, Hopewell, was on the southern border of the district. A courthouse was established on the west bank of the Keowee River, and a small town called Pickens Court House soon developed here. Since 1825, John C. Calhoun made his home in what became Pickens County, at Fort Hill, which became the basis around which

Clemson University Clemson University () is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university near Clemson, South Carolina, United States. - The blue-shaded pattern denotes university property. This shows Clemson University is ''out ...

would later grow up. By 1860 Pickens District had a population of more than 19,000 persons, of whom 22 percent were enslaved African Americans. The district was largely rural and agricultural, with

cotton Cotton (), first recorded in ancient India, is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus '' Gossypium'' in the mallow family Malvaceae. The fiber is almost pure ...

the most important commodity crop. Its small industry consisted mainly of sawmills, gristmills, and a few other shops producing goods for home consumption. The district's

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 ...

churches were numerous, but schools were few. The Blue Ridge Railroad reached the district in September 1860. There was little organized troop combat here during the

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

, but the district was frequently plundered by marauders and deserters who swept down from the mountains.

Post-Civil War to present

After the war, the region was largely destitute. The South Carolina Constitutional Convention of 1868, meeting during the first year of Congressional

Reconstruction Reconstruction may refer to: Politics, history, and sociology *Reconstruction (law), the transfer of a company's (or several companies') business to a new company *''Perestroika'' (Russian for "reconstruction"), a late 20th century Soviet Union ...

, changed the name "district" to "county" throughout the state. The convention also organized Oconee County, from a portion of Pickens District that was west of the Keowee and Seneca rivers, plus a small area around the Fort Hill estate formerly belonging to statesman John C. Calhoun. In the 1960s, this small area around the Calhoun property was transferred to Pickens County. A new courthouse for Pickens County was erected at its present location. Many of the residents of Old Pickens, on the Keowee River, moved to the newly created town, some relocating their dismantled homes. The loss of the Oconee area greatly reduced the population of Pickens County. It did not again reach 19,000 until 1900. The county's growth was accelerated by the building of the Atlanta and Charlotte Air Line Railway (later called the Southern Railway) in the 1870s. The town of Easley, named for General W. K. Easley, was chartered in 1874. The towns of

Liberty Liberty is the state of being free within society from oppressive restrictions imposed by authority on one's way of life, behavior, or political views. The concept of liberty can vary depending on perspective and context. In the Constitutional ...

and Central sprang up along the railroad about the same time and were soon incorporated. Calhoun (now part of Clemson) was founded in the 1890s, to be followed in the early 1900s by Six Mile and Norris as incorporated areas. A major factor in Pickens County's growth was the development of the regional

textile industry The textile industry is primarily concerned with the design, production and distribution of textiles: yarn, cloth and clothing. Industry process Cotton manufacturing Cotton is the world's most important natural fibre. In the year 2007, th ...

, which had earlier been based in

New England New England is a region consisting of six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York (state), New York to the west and by the ...

and New York. The county's first modern cotton mill, organized by D. K. Norris and others, was established at Cateechee in 1895. By 1900 the county boasted three cotton mills, two railroads, three banks, three roller mills, 37 sawmills, ten shingle mills, and four brickyards. Yet until 1940, with a population of 37,000 (13.2 percent black), the county remained primarily rural and agricultural. Like many other

Piedmont Piedmont ( ; ; ) is one of the 20 regions of Italy, located in the northwest Italy, Northwest of the country. It borders the Liguria region to the south, the Lombardy and Emilia-Romagna regions to the east, and the Aosta Valley region to the ...

counties, Pickens had a one-crop economy. Its citizens were engaged mainly in growing cotton or manufacturing it into cloth. A notable change in the Pickens landscape was the coming of paved highways; one completed across the county, about 1930, ran from Greenville to Walhalla by way of Easley, Liberty, and Central. The most significant developments in the county's history have occurred since World War II. By 1972 there were 99 manufacturing plants in the county, employing almost 15,000 personnel and producing not only textiles but a wide variety of other products. The population today is estimated to be 93,894 residents. According to an article written for ''Pickens County Heritage'', new residents continue to be attracted to Pickens County "because of its climate, industrial opportunity, proximity to Greenville's labor market, and scenic beauty".

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (3.67%) is water. The county also contains the highest natural point in South Carolina, Sassafras Mountain, with an elevation of . Table Rock State Park is in Pickens County. Pickens County is in the

Savannah River The Savannah River is a major river in the Southeastern United States, forming most of the border between the states of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia and South Carolina. The river flows from the Appalachian Mountains to the Atlantic Ocean, ...

basin, the Saluda River basin, and the

French Broad River The French Broad River is a river in the U.S. states of North Carolina and Tennessee. It flows from near the town of Rosman, North Carolina, Rosman in Transylvania County, North Carolina, into Tennessee, where its confluence with the Holston R ...

basin.

State and local protected areas/sites

* Cateechee Point County Park * Causey Tract, Gravely Wildlife Management Area, Clemson University * Eastatoe Creek Heritage Preserve/Wildlife Management Area * Glassy Mountain Heritage Preserve * Hagood Mill Historic Site * Jocassee Gorges Wilderness Area * Keowee-Toxaway State Park * Keowee Wildlife Management Area * Laurel Fork Heritage Preserve/Wildlife Management Area * Long Shoals Roadside Park * Meadow Falls * Nine Times Forest * Nine Times Preserve * Pinnacle Mountain * Poe Creek State Forest (part) * Table Rock State Park * Twelve Mile Recreation Area * Wadakoe Mountain Heritage Preserve/Wildlife Management Area

Major water bodies

* Lake Hartwell * Lake Jocassee * Lake Keowee * Keowee River * South Saluda River * Table Rock Reservoir

Adjacent counties

* Transylvania County, North Carolina – north * Greenville County – east * Anderson County – south * Oconee County – west

Major highways

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Major infrastructure

* Clemson Station * Greenville-Pickens Speedway * Pickens County Airport

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, there were 131,404 people, 48,203 households, and 31,630 families residing in the county.

2010 census

At the 2010 census, there were 119,224 people, 45,228 households, and 29,540 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 51,244 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 88.7% white, 6.6% black or African American, 1.6% Asian, 0.2% American Indian, 1.4% from other races, and 1.5% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 3.1% of the population. In terms of ancestry, Of the 45,228 households, 30.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.0% were married couples living together, 10.8% had a female householder with no husband present, 34.7% were non-families, and 25.2% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 2.95. The median age was 34.9 years. The median income for a household in the county was $41,898 and the median income for a family was $53,911. Males had a median income of $41,615 versus $31,464 for females. The per capita income for the county was $20,647. About 8.9% of families and 16.6% 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 18.3% of those under age 18 and 7.8% of those age 65 or over.

2000 census

At the 2000 census, there were 110,757 people, 41,306 households, and 28,459 families residing in the county. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

was . There were 46,000 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 90.27%

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 ...

, 6.82%

Black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

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 ...

, 0.16% Native American, 1.18% Asian, 0.01%

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 ...

, 0.70% from other races, and 0.85% from two or more races. 1.70% of the population were

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. 27.9% were of American, 11.8% English, 11.6% Irish, 10.3% German and 5.0% Scotch-Irish ancestry according to Census 2000. There were 41,306 households, out of which 31.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.60% 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, 9.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.10% were non-families. 23.30% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.20% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.50 and the average family size was 2.95. In the county, the population was spread out, with 22.30% under the age of 18, 17.50% from 18 to 24, 27.60% from 25 to 44, 21.20% from 45 to 64, and 11.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.20 males. The median income for a household in the county was $36,214, and the median income for a family was $44,507. Males had a median income of $31,795 versus $22,600 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 county was $17,434. About 7.80% of families and 13.70% of the population were below the

, including 12.20% of those under age 18 and 11.70% of those age 65 or over.

Law, government, and public safety

Police

The Pickens County Sheriff's Office is the largest law enforcement agency in the county, and provides its services to all unincorporated areas of the county, incorporated communities without a police department, and may assist a city or town police department upon request by the department. The sheriff's office consists of the command staff, administrative support division, uniform patrol division, detective division, and judicial services division. Within these divisions are the uniform patrol unit, the chaplain unit, special victims unit, sex offender unit, forensics unit, special operations unit, general investigations unit, animal enforcement unit, school resource officers unit, victim services unit, marine patrol unit, aviation unit, K-9 unit, professional standards unit, civil process unit, training unit, records unit, communications unit, detention unit, transport unit, court security unit, community action team, and special weapons and tactics team. The sheriff's office is headquartered at the Pickens County Law Enforcement Center in Pickens. The Pickens County Detention Center is a stand-alone facility located in Pickens that is also managed by the sheriff's office. The sheriff's office has a total of 199 full and part-time personnel. The current sheriff is Tommy Blankenship. The City of Easley Police Department is the second largest law enforcement agency in the county, and provides its services to persons living within the city limits of Easley. The department consists of an administration division, uniform patrol division, and detective division. There are 42 police officers and 3 civilians working for the department. The department is headquartered at the Easley Law Enforcement Center in downtown Easley. The current chief of police is Brandon Liner. The City of Pickens Police Department provides its services to persons living within the city limits of Pickens. The department is headquartered at the Pickens Police Station next to the Pickens Fire Station. The current chief of police is Randall Beach. The City of Clemson Police Department provides its services to persons living within the city limits of Clemson. The department is headquartered at the Clemson Law Enforcement Center. The current chief of police is Jorge Campos The City of Liberty Police Department provides its services to persons living within the city limits of Liberty. The department is headquartered at Liberty Town Hall in downtown Liberty. The current chief of police is Victor Tetter. The Town of Central Police Department provides its services to persons living within the town limits of Central. The department consists of the chief of police, an investigative sergeant, training sergeant, five officers, and a victims advocate/administrative assistant. The department's headquarters are located in downtown Central. The current chief of police is Steve Thompson. The Clemson University Police Department provides its services to the Clemson University campus. The interim police chief is Christopher Harrington. The South Carolina Highway Patrol provides its services on all roads, highways, and interstate highways in the county. There is one SCHP barracks in Pickens County, Post B, serving both Oconee and Pickens counties. Post B falls under SCHP Troop 3. (Oconee/Pickens/Anderson/Greenville/Spartanburg counties)

Fire safety

There is no countywide fire department, but several communities in the county do maintain their own fire departments. * Central Fire Department * Central Rural Fire Department * Clemson University Fire Department * Crosswell Fire Department * Dacusville Rural Fire Department * Easley Fire Department * Liberty Fire Department * Norris Fire Department * Pickens Fire Department * Six Mile Fire Department

Politics

Pickens County was one of the first areas of South Carolina to turn Republican. It has gone Republican all but twice since 1952, and at all times since 1980.

Jimmy Carter James Earl Carter Jr. (October 1, 1924December 29, 2024) was an American politician and humanitarian who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party ...

's narrow loss in 1980 is the last time that a Democrat has won even 40 percent of the county's vote. Despite this, Democrats held most state and local offices well into the 1990s. Since 2000, it has been the most Republican county in the state, with the GOP taking 70+ percent of the vote each time. In 2008, it was the only county in the state to give

John McCain John Sidney McCain III (August 29, 1936 – August 25, 2018) was an American statesman and United States Navy, naval officer who represented the Arizona, state of Arizona in United States Congress, Congress for over 35 years, first as ...

over 70% of the vote.

Economy

In 2022, the GDP was $5 billion (about $37,089 per capita), and the real GDP was $4.2 billion (about $30,795 per capita) in chained 2017 dollars. , some of the largest employers in the county include

Aramark Aramark is an American Foodservice, food service and Facility management, facilities services provider to clients in areas including education, prisons, healthcare, business, and leisure. It operates in North America (United States and Canada) a ...

, the city of Clemson,

, Danfoss,

Ingles Ingles Markets, Inc. (stylized as ingles) is an American supermarket chain based in Black Mountain, North Carolina. As of September 2021, the company operates 198 supermarkets in the Appalachian region of the Southeastern United States. The c ...

Lowe's Lowe's Companies, Inc. ( ) is an American retail company specializing in home improvement. Headquartered in Mooresville, North Carolina, the company operates a chain of retail stores in the United States. As of October 28, 2022, Lowe's and i ...

, Merck & Co., Prisma Health, Publix, St. Jude Medical, and

Walmart Walmart Inc. (; formerly Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.) is an American multinational retail corporation that operates a chain of hypermarkets (also called supercenters), discount department stores, and grocery stores in the United States and 23 other ...

Education

School districts

Pickens County School District is the sole school district of the county. In 2010 the district was ranked the highest in the state with an "A−" transparency score from Sunshine Review.

Schools

* Ambler Elementary – Pickens * Central Elementary – Central * Chastain Road Elementary – Liberty * Clemson Elementary – Clemson * Crosswell Elementary – Easley * Dacusville Elementary – Dacusville * East End Elementary – Easley * Forest Acres Elementary – Easley * Hagood Elementary – Pickens * Liberty Elementary – Liberty * McKissick Elementary – Easley * Pickens Elementary – Pickens * Six Mile Elementary – Six Mile * West End Elementary – Easley * Dacusville Middle – Dacusville * Liberty Middle – Liberty * Pickens Middle – Pickens * R.C. Edwards Middle – Central * R.H. Gettys Middle – Easley * D.W. Daniel High – Central * Easley High School – Easley * Liberty High – Liberty * Pickens High School – Pickens

Colleges and universities

* Southern Wesleyan University

Public library

Pickens County is served by the Pickens County Library System, headquartered in Easley, with four branch libraries in the county.

Communities

Cities

* Clemson (partly in Anderson County) * Easley (largest community; partly in Anderson County) *

* Pickens (county seat)

Towns

* Central * Norris * Six Mile

Census-designated places

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* Cateechee *

* Dacusville

Unincorporated communities

* Nine Times * Pumpkintown * Rocky Bottom *

Sunset Sunset (or sundown) is the disappearance of the Sun at the end of the Sun path, below the horizon of the Earth (or any other astronomical object in the Solar System) due to its Earth's rotation, rotation. As viewed from everywhere on Earth, it ...

Notable people

* Bobby Baker, scandal-plagued Secretary to the Majority Leader of the Senate until 1963 * Charles H. Barker, awarded a

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest Awards and decorations of the United States Armed Forces, military decoration and is awarded to recognize American United States Army, soldiers, United States Navy, sailors, Un ...

for his actions in the Korean War * Benjy Bronk, in-studio joke writer and on-air persona for the Howard Stern Show * John C. Calhoun, influential politician of the first half of the nineteenth century * DeAndre Hopkins, wide receiver for the

Arizona Cardinals The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West division. The ...

of the NFL * Shoeless Joe Jackson, baseball player, born July 16, 1888; closely associated with the Black Sox Scandal in 1919 * Stanley Morgan, former NFL wide receiver who played for the New England Patriots; was born in Easley on February 17, 1955; member of the New England Patriots Hall of Fame * Ray Robinson Williams, blind lawyer and state senator * Sam Wyche, former NFL football player and coach, resident

References

External links

* * {{Authority control 1826 establishments in South Carolina Populated places established in 1826 Upstate South Carolina