Summerville, South Carolina
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Summerville is a town in the
U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...
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 ...
situated mostly in Dorchester County, with small portions in Berkeley and Charleston counties. Summerville is the seventh biggest city in the state. The town lies approximately five miles from the Ashley River. It is part of the Charleston-North Charleston-Summerville, SC Metropolitan Statistical Area. Summerville's population at the 2020 census was 50,915.


History

The first settlement in Summerville began after the
American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...
; it was called Pineland Village in 1785. Development in the area resulted from plantation owners who resided in the Charleston area and came to Summerville to escape seasonal insects and their attendant swamp fever. Summerville became an official town on December 17, 1847. That year, the town passed a law against cutting down trees, the nation's first such law, and a $25 fine was issued to anyone who did so without permission. The town's official seal reads " (The Pine is Sacred)". The 1886 Charleston earthquake affected Summerville, which resulted in a fire that reduced many of the buildings in the town square to ruins. During this earthquake, the Old White Meeting House Ruins and Cemetery, located near Summerville, was also destroyed. Today, Summerville is located within the Middleton Place-Summerville Seismic Zone, which is the most active seismic zone in South Carolina. In 1899, the International Congress of Physicians (or "Tuberculosis Congress") listed Summerville as one of the world's two best areas for treatment of and recovery from lung and throat disorders, due to its dry and sandy location and the many pine trees that release
turpentine Turpentine (which is also called spirit of turpentine, oil of turpentine, terebenthine, terebenthene, terebinthine and, colloquially, turps) is a fluid obtainable by the distillation of resin harvested from living trees, mainly pines. Principall ...
derivatives into the air. This notation is credited with aiding Summerville's commercial and residential development. The former Summerville post office built in 1938 contains a mural, ''Train Time – Summerville'', painted by Bernadine Custer in 1939. Federally commissioned murals were produced from 1934 to 1943 in the U.S. through the
Section of Painting and Sculpture Section, Sectioning, or Sectioned may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * Section (music), a complete, but not independent, musical idea * Section (typography), a subdivision, especially of a chapter, in books and documents ** Section s ...
, later called the
Section of Fine Arts Section, Sectioning, or Sectioned may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * Section (music), a complete, but not independent, musical idea * Section (typography), a subdivision, especially of a chapter, in books and documents ** Section sig ...
, of the Treasury Department. In 2019 Dorchester County announced that it was redeveloping 500 N. Main Street, the biggest tract of land in Downtown Summerville. The Ashley River Road, Middleton Place,
Colonial Dorchester State Historic Site Colonial Dorchester State Historic Site sits along the Ashley River (South Carolina), Ashley River, near the town of Summerville, SC, Summerville in Dorchester County, South Carolina. In 1969, the site was donated to the South Carolina State Par ...
, Old White Meeting House Ruins and Cemetery, and the Summerville Historic District 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

The center of Summerville is in southeastern Dorchester County; the town extends northeast into Berkeley and Charleston counties. It is bordered to the east by the town of Lincolnville and to the southeast by the city of North Charleston. Summerville's town limits extend south as far as the Ashley River next to Old Fort Dorchester State Historical Park. U.S. Route 78 passes near the center of Summerville, leading southeast to downtown Charleston and northwest to
Interstate 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
St. George Saint George (;Geʽez: ጊዮርጊስ, , ka, გიორგი, , , died 23 April 303), also George of Lydda, was an early Christian martyr who is venerated as a saint in Christianity. According to holy tradition, he was a soldier in the ...
. Interstate 26 leads through Summerville's northeast corner, with access from Exit 199, leading southeast to Charleston and northwest to Columbia. 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 town has a total area of , of which is land and (5.24%) is water.


Demographics


2020 census

As of the 2020 census, there were 50,915 people, 19,374 households, and 13,130 families residing in the town. In 2023, of the 70,270 people in Summerville, about 42,960 of them were in Dorchester County, 5,405 of them were in Berkeley County, and 2,550 of them were in Charleston County.


2010 census

At the 2010 census, there were 43,392 people residing in 16,181 households in the town. Summerville's
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 ...
is 2,404.7 inhabitants per square mile. There were 16,181 households, of which 38.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.9% 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, 15.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.0% were non-families. 25.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.55. In the town, 27.0% of the population was under the age of 18, and 10.5% was 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34.7 years. The median income for a household in the town was $54,677. About 11.2% of the population was 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 ...
. The median value of an owner-occupied home was $182,000.


Culture

Starting in 1972, Summerville has supported the Summerville Family YMCA in hosting the annual Flowertown Festival to support health and wellness programs at the YMCA. It is South Carolina's largest arts and crafts festival. It is held during the last weekend of March or the first weekend of April in the Summerville Azalea Park. It often coincides with the annual Cooper River Bridge Run held in Charleston the same weekend. During the three days of the Flowertown Festival, Summerville sees about 200,000 visitors. Admission and parking is free to all who attend. No alcohol or pets are permitted at the festival. About 200 artists from around the country are invited and display their works for purchase. Area restaurants are featured in the festival's "Taste" section, where tickets can be purchased to sample their offerings. Children can enjoy the carnival in the Children's Jubilee/Kids Fest section. In 1925, these flowers led Summerville's Chamber of Commerce to adopt the slogan "Flower Town in the Pines." Summerville claims the title "The Birthplace of Sweet Tea." A recipe for sweet iced tea published in Texas native Marion Cabell's 1879 cookbook ''Housekeeping in Old Virginia'' has been cited as evidence against this claim.


Government

Summerville has a
council A council is a group of people who come together to consult, deliberate, or make decisions. A council may function as a legislature, especially at a town, city or county/shire level, but most legislative bodies at the state/provincial or natio ...
form of government, with a town council acting as the chief legislative and executive body of the municipality. Day-to-day operations and legislation implementation are delegated to a town administrator hired to assist the town council in its executive functions. The council has seven members: a mayor elected at-large and six other members elected from single-member districts. By tradition, the mayor presides over council meetings and serves as spokesperson for the council. Summerville has had five mayors in the past fifteen years: Berlin G. Myers (1972-2011), Bill Collins (2011-2016), Wiley Johnson (2016-2020), Ricky Waring (2020-2024), and Russ Touchberry (2024- ).


Fire department

The Town of Summerville Fire & Rescue comprises 97 full-time firefighters and 19 volunteers. These firemen operate out of six stations across town and are subdivided into five engine companies and two ladder companies. Also included in the department is the Fire Marshall Office, which comprises a chief fire marshall and two assistants. The department operates on a 24/48 schedule and maintains a Class 1 ISO rating. In 2025, the 2026 budget for the Summerville Fire Department was estimated at $12.8 million. The current fire chief is Brent Melcher.


Police department

The Town of Summerville Police Department consists of 120 sworn officers and 29 civilian staff members, with 2.33 full-time law enforcement officers per 1,000 residents. The estimated 2026 budget for the Summerville Police Department was $15.4 million. The current chief of police is Doug Wright.


EMS and medical centers

Emergency medical services Emergency medical services (EMS), also known as ambulance services, pre-hospital care or paramedic services, are emergency services that provide urgent pre-hospital treatment and stabilisation for serious illness and injuries and transport to d ...
for the town are provided primarily by Dorchester County EMS. In some cases, these services are provided by both Charleston and Berkley County EMS, due to small parts of the town being in these counties. While the city of Charleston is the primary medical center for the
area Area is the measure of a region's size on a surface. The area of a plane region or ''plane area'' refers to the area of a shape or planar lamina, while '' surface area'' refers to the area of an open surface or the boundary of a three-di ...
, Summerville is home to the Summerville Medical Center and many different MUSC campuses, which serve the town.


Crime

This table shows the service statistics collected by the Summerville Police Department. In 2023 the Summerville Police Department received 94,446 calls for service, resulting in 2,030 arrests.


Education

Public education in the portions of Summerville in Dorchester County is administered by Dorchester School District Two, which operates Summerville High School, Ashley Ridge High School, and Fort Dorchester High School. Summerville High School's Memorial Stadium, which has a capacity of around 6,500, is used for American football games. All areas in Berkeley County are in the Berkeley County School District. All areas in Charleston County are in the Charleston County School District. Summerville 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 Dorchester County Library. Private schools in the area include Pinewood Preparatory School and others.


Notable people

* Jonathan Amon, soccer player * Christopher Celiz, army ranger and
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 ...
recipient *
Jenn Colella Jennifer Lin Colella is an American actress and singer. She is best known for her work in musical theatre. She received a 71st Tony Awards#Winners and nominees, Tony Award nomination and won the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actress ...
, comedian, actress, and singer * Janet Cone, college athletic director at UNC Asheville * Chuck Eidson, professional basketball player * Sam Esmail, film and television producer known for ''
Mr. Robot ''Mr. Robot'' is an American drama thriller television series created by Sam Esmail for USA Network. It stars Rami Malek as Elliot Alderson, a cybersecurity engineer and hacker with social anxiety disorder, clinical depression, and dissoci ...
'' and ''
Homecoming Homecoming is the tradition of welcoming back alumni or other former members of an organization to celebrate the organization's existence. It is a tradition in many high schools, colleges, and churches in the United States and Canada. United St ...
'', resident of a few years * Brett Gardner, professional baseball player * A. J. Green, professional football player * Charles Green, known as Angry Grandpa on
YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...
* Shanola Hampton, actress * De'Angelo Henderson, professional football player * Keith Jennings, professional football player * Milton Jennings, professional basketball player * Stanford Jennings, professional football player * Dro Kenji, rapper and singer * Annie Virginia McCracken, author * John McKissick, high school football coach * Fern Michaels, author * Johnny Wactor, actor


Transportation

Interstate 26 is a major thoroughfare with four exits in the town: Jedburg Road, Nexton Parkway, US Route 17A, and College Park Road. US 78, US 176, SC 165, SC 642, and SC 61 all pass through the town.


See also

* List of municipalities in South Carolina


References


Further reading

*


External links

* *
Summerville & Dorchester County's official tourism site
{{authority control Populated places established in 1847 Towns in South Carolina Towns in Berkeley County, South Carolina Towns in Charleston County, South Carolina Towns in Dorchester County, South Carolina Charleston–North Charleston–Summerville metropolitan area 1847 establishments in South Carolina