Powdersville is a

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counte ...

(CDP) in

Anderson County, South Carolina Anderson County is a county located in the U.S. state of South Carolina. As of the 2020 census, its population was 203,718. Its county seat is Anderson. Named for Revolutionary War leader Robert Anderson, the county is located in northwest ...

. The population was 10,025 at the 2020 census,.

History

The name Powders comes from the production and trade of

gunpowder Gunpowder, also commonly known as black powder to distinguish it from modern smokeless powder, is the earliest known chemical explosive. It consists of a mixture of sulfur, charcoal (which is mostly carbon), and potassium nitrate, potassium ni ...

in the area. One of the first stores in present-day Powdersville was called the Powdersville Area General Store. In 1859 a

powder mill A powder mill was a mill where gunpowder is made from sulfur, saltpeter and charcoal. Milling steps Crude grinding and mixing operations such as the Frankford Powder-Mill of Philadelphia were a cottage industry until the Industrial Revolution ...

was established in present-day Powdersville by John Bowen. During the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

, the area was used to store gunpowder though Columbia remained the primary production site of the state's powder. Due to the area's use of gunpowder, the name Powders became a fixture for the location. The Saluda Valley-Powdersville Water Company was created in 1971 to serve drinking water to around 1,200 customers. In 1992, the name changed to Powdersville Water Company and in 2001 the name changed again to Powdersville Water District. The first high school in Powdersville was established in 2011 as Powdersville High School.

Geography

Powdersville is located in the northern corner of Anderson County at (34.782620, -82.492138). Its northwest border is the Pickens County line, and its northeast border is the

Saluda River The Saluda River is a principal tributary of the Congaree River, about 200 mi (320 km) long, in northern and western South Carolina in the United States. Via the Congaree River, it is part of the watershed of the Santee River, whic ...

, which forms the Greenville County line. The southeast border of the CDP is formed by

Interstate 85 Interstate 85 (I-85) is a major Interstate Highway in the Southeastern United States. Its southern terminus is at an interchange with I-65 in Montgomery, Alabama; its northern terminus is an interchange with I-95 in Petersburg, Virginia, ...

, a six-lane highway with access to Powdersville via exits 39 and 40. Greenville, the largest city in the region, is to the northeast. 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 ...

, the CDP has a total area of , of which is land and , or 0.90%, is water.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 10,025 people, 3,515 households, and 2,570 families residing in the CDP.

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 5,362 people, 1,989 households, and 1,615 families residing in the CDP. The population density was . There were 2,133 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the CDP was 94.18%

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 ...

, 4.35%

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 ...

, 0.26% Native American, 0.37% Asian, 0.06%

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 ...

, 0.21% from other races, and 0.58% 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 1.14% of the population. There were 1,989 households, out of which 37.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 69.8% 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, 8.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 18.8% were non-families. 16.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.70 and the average family size was 3.01. In the CDP, the population was spread out, with 26.0% under the age of 18, 7.0% from 18 to 24, 30.4% from 25 to 44, 27.2% from 45 to 64, and 9.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.1 males. The median income for a household in the CDP was $50,255, and the median income for a family was $57,131. Males had a median income of $41,297 versus $25,136 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 CDP was $20,901. About 2.4% of families and 2.5% 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 1.1% of those under age 18 and 7.3% of those age 65 or over.

Religion

The largest religious group in Powdersville is

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 ...

. The oldest church congregation in Powdersville dating back to 1833 is Bethesda Church. File:PalmettoBaptistChurchPowdersville.jpg, Palmetto Baptist Church File:BethesdaUnitedMethodistPowdersvilleSC.jpg, Bethesda United Methodist Church File:SiloamBaptistChurchPowdersville.jpg, Siloam Baptist Church File:LifespringchurchofGodPowdersville.jpg, Lifespring Church of God File:CarpentersHousePowdersville.jpg, The Carpenters House File:NewSpringchurchPowdersville.jpg, NewSpring Church Powdersville

Education

Public education in Powdersville is administered by Anderson County School District One. The district operates Concrete Primary School, Powdersville Elementary School, Powdersville Middle School and Powdersville High School. Powdersville has a

public library A public library is a library, most often a lending library, that is accessible by the general public and is usually funded from public sources, such as taxes. It is operated by librarians and library paraprofessionals, who are also Civil servic ...

, a branch of the Anderson County Library System.

Transportation

State Highways

SC 153 *

SC 81

Interstate

References

External links

Powdersville.com
local information

''The Powdersville Post''
{{authority control Census-designated places in Anderson County, South Carolina Census-designated places in South Carolina