ZIP Code 29512

The city of Bennettsville was founded in 1819 on the Great Pee Dee River and named after Thomas Bennett, Jr., then governor of South Carolina. The area was developed for short-staple cotton cultivation, dependent on the labor of enslaved African Americans. The city became the center of one of the richest agricultural areas in the state. In the 21st century, a new Marlboro County library was constructed. Named in honor of national activist Marian Wright Edelman, who was born and grew up in Bennetsville. The county seat serves as a trading center for the Federal Correctional Institution, the state's largest correctional facility. The Bennettsvile Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978. It includes the Jennings-Brown House, Magnolia, Robertson-Easterling-McLaurin House, and the nearby Welsh Neck-Long Bluff-Society Hill Historic District. In 2010, the city had a population of 9,069, making it South Carolina's second largest city. It is the county seat of Marlborough County, which is home to the South Carolina College of Arts and Sciences and the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. The town is located on the banks of the GreatPee Dee, a tributary of the Little Peeee River, and is located in the eastern part of the state near the state line with North Carolina. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 6.2 square miles (16 km²), of which 5.6 sq miles (15 km²) is land and 0.6sq miles (1.6 km²] is water.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 6.2 square miles (16 km²) of which 5.6 square miles is land and 0.6square miles (1.6km²) is water. The city is home to the University of New Mexico's football team, the New Mexico Bulldogs. The team is known for its hard-nosed defense of the football stadium, which was built in the 1930s and 1940s. The town is also known as the home of the University of New Mexico's football team, which won the NCAA Division I championship in the 1950s and 1960s. It is also home to New Mexico State University, where the football team won the Division I title in the 1970s and 1980s. In the city's history, it has also been home to several colleges, including the University of New Mexico and the University of San Maurice and the University of California Santa Barbara. It was also the site of the World War II Battle of the Bulge, which took place in the late 1940s and early 1950s, when the U S. Army used the town as a staging area for the Battle of Gettysburg. The U.N. Department of Defense has a base in the city, which is used as a base for military exercises. It has also served as the location of the United States Air Force Base, which has been in operation since the late 1950s.

History

The city of Bennettsville was founded in 1819 on the Great Pee Dee River and named after Thomas Bennett, Jr., then governor of South Carolina. The area was developed for short-staple cotton cultivation, dependent on the labor of enslaved African Americans. In 1865 during the last year of the Civil War, the city was occupied by Union troops. During this time, the first County Courthouse was used as the headquarters for General William T. Sherman. The city became the center of one of the richest agricultural areas in the state. The economy boomed during this "king cotton" era. In the 20th century, the State of S.C. designated Bennettsvile as one its first "G.R.E.A.T. Town" (Governor's Rural Economic Achievement Trophy). The city is one of only a few county seats that has preserved records dating to 1785; they are available for genealogical research. The current courthouse was built in 1884 and enlarged in 1952-1954. It was later enlarged with additions, and the 1884 portion constitutes the central portion of the current building. Additions included two-story red brick wings and the present clock steeple, all designed by Bennettsvillian architect Henry D. Harrall. In 1885, Duncan Donald McColl financed development of the first railroad, bank and textile mills in Bennettseville. The town was connected to other markets and built an industry.

Registered historic sites

The Bennettsville Historic District was designated and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978. Its contributing buildings include the Jennings-Brown House (1826), the Female Academy (1830), the Medical Museum (1902), and the Murchison School. The district is located in the central part of the town of Bennettsville, North Carolina. It is home to a number of historic buildings, including the Jennings Brown House, Magnolia, Robertson-Easterling-McLaurin House, and the Welsh Neck-Long Bluff-Society Hill Historic District. The historic district was designated in 1978, and is on the National  Register of Historic Sites. It was listed on the N  Register of Historic Places in 1978, and was added to the National Register of Historable Buildings and Districts in 2000. It includes the Jennings Brown House, the Female Academy and the Medical Museum, as well as other residences in the Queen Anne and Beaux Arts style. It also includes the Welsh Neck- long bluff-society Hill Historic District, which was listed in 2000. It includes the Jennings-Brown House, the Magnolia house, and the Welsh Neck long bluffs historical district, which was listed in 2001.

Facilities

Marian Wright Edelman Library is located in Bennettsville, North Carolina. Named in honor of the national activist, it opened on February 22, 2010. The library holds 60,000 volumes and has two conference rooms, seating 50 and 12. It is located on 4.4 acres (18,000 m2) at the intersection of Marlboro Street and Fayetteville Avenue adjacent to the Murchison building (1902) The building's cost was supported by $1.325 million in federal funding. It has a single-story building with approximately 20,000 square feet (1,900 m2). Its front tower is oriented on axis with that of the M Purchison Building. It was named after the activist who founded the Children's Defense Fund, to promote programs for children and mothers. She was born and grew up in Bennettville and was raised in the town's poorest neighborhood. The Library is open seven days a week and is open from 9am to 5pm. It also has a weekly meeting for the community, which is held on the third Wednesday of the month. It holds a meeting room for the public, which has a capacity of 50 people. It can hold up to 100 people at a time, and has a conference room for up to 12 people. There is also a computer lab, which can accommodate up to 50 people at one time. There are two computer labs for the general public, one on the second floor and the other on the fourth.

Economy

The Federal Correctional Institution, Bennettsville was built outside of the city in the county. It is a medium-security prison for male prisoners, and has an associated minimum-security camp holding 139 prisoners. Together the facility houses 1776 prisoners. The county seat serves as a trading center for the county, with limited job opportunities. It has a population of about 2,000 people, with the majority of the population living in rural areas. The population of the county is less than 1,000, with most of the residents living in the rural areas of the town of Bennettsvile. The town has an unemployment rate of about 8%. The county has a high school graduation rate of less than 10%, with the highest rate being in the high school class of 2000. The average age of the community is about 40. The unemployment rate is about 8.5%. It is the highest in the state, and the county seat has a low unemployment rate, at 8.7%. It has an economy of about 1,200 people, which is about the same as the state's unemployment rate. The economy is largely based on agriculture, with only a small percentage of its population living outside the county's borders. It also has a small manufacturing sector, with a small number of small- and medium-sized businesses. The local economy is mostly based on farming, with little to no industry or manufacturing. The state's economy is based on mining, with some small-scale industries, such as coal mining, and agriculture.

Demographics

As of the 2020 U.S. census, there were 7,020 people, 2,850 households, and 1,684 families residing in the city. The racial makeup of the city was 63.15% African American, 34.80% White, 0.85% Native American and 0.50% Asian. The city is the center of an urban cluster with a total population of 12,070 (2000 census) The median income for a household in theCity was $22,389. The per capita income for the city is $13,917. About 22.0% of families and 27.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 39.2 percent of those under age 18 and 22.1% of those age 65 or over. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 3.06. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there are 107.6 males. For each 100 females age 18 or over, there is 110.6 Males. The population density was 1,686.2 people per square mile (651.0/km²). There were 3,775 housing units at an average density of 675.4 per squaremile (260.7/ km²) The city has a population of 9,425 people, with 3,289 households. It has a median income of $24,697 versus $21,054 for females, and a median age of 36.5 years.

Government

The city is run by an elected Mayor-council government system. The mayor is Carolyn A. Prince, PhD, and council members include Sandy Donaldson, Tyrone R. Davis, Allen Taylor, Tyron Abraham, Gregory Scott, and Jean Quick. The city administrator is appointed by the city council and serves as the chief executive officer to carry out policies and oversee the day-to-day business of the city. It is the first city in the state to have a female mayor and a female city administrator. It has a population of 2,000. It was founded in 1858. It's the first state in the United States to be founded by a woman. It also is the only state in which the mayor and city council are both women. It’s the first U.S. city to be elected to a mayor and council in a state that has had a woman mayor and woman city administrator for more than 30 years. It will be the second city in Louisiana to have two female mayors and two female city administrators. The current city administrator has been in office for just over a year and a half and is the city's first female city chief executive. She was appointed to the post by the mayor in April 2013. The City Council has a majority of women on the City Council, and the mayor is a woman, Carolyn Prince. The council is made up of seven members, including two men and two women. The Mayor and City Administrator are selected by the council to serve a four year term.

Education

Bennettsville has a lending library, the Marian Wright Edelman Public Library. The library is open to the public on a daily basis. The public can also borrow books from the library's computer system.

Air Quality, Water Quality, Superfund Sites & UV Index

The Air Quality index is in Bennettsville, Marlboro County, South Carolina = 89.3. These Air Quality index is based on annual reports from the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The number of ozone alert days is used as an indicator of air quality, as are the amounts of seven pollutants including particulates, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, lead, and volatile organic chemicals. The Water Quality Index is 20. A measure of the quality of an area’s water supply as rated by the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The EPA has a complex method of measuring the watershed quality, using 15 indicators such as pollutants, turbidity, sediments, and toxic discharges. The Superfund Sites Index is 20. Higher is better (100=best). Based upon the number and impact of EPA Superfund pollution sites in the county, including spending on the cleanup efforts. The UV Index in Bennettsville = 4.8 and is a measure of an area's exposure to the sun's ultraviolet rays. This is most often a combination of sunny weather, altitude, and latitude. The UV Index has been defined by the WHO (www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/radiation-the-ultraviolet-(uv)-index) and is uniform worldwide.

Employed

The most recent city population of 6,014 individuals with a median age of 34.5 age the population grows by 6.97% in Bennettsville, Marlboro County, South Carolina population since 2000 and are distributed over a density of 1,136.66 residents per square mile of area (438.86/km²). There are average 2.32 people per household in the 2,980 households with an average household income of $25,214 a year. The unemployment rate in Alabama is 21.00% of the available work force and has dropped -7.02% over the most recent 12-month period and the projected change in job supply over the next decade based on migration patterns, economic growth, and other factors will increase by 4.96%. The number of physicians in Bennettsville per 100,000 population = 79.

Weather

The annual rainfall in Bennettsville = 41.5 inches and the annual snowfall = 2.1 inches. The annual number of days with measurable precipitation (over .01 inch) = 93. The average number of days per year that are predominantly sunny = 212. 91 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily high temperature for the month of July and 33.4 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily low temperature for the month of January. The Comfort Index (higher=better) is 30, where higher values mean a more pleasant climate. The Comfort Index measure recognizes that humidity by itself isn't the problem. (Have you noticed nobody ever complains about the weather being 'cold and humid?) It's in the summertime that we notice the humidity the most, when it's hot and muggy. Our Comfort Index uses a combination of afternoon summer temperature and humidity to closely predict the effect that the humidity will have on people.

Median Home Cost

The percentage of housing units in Bennettsville, Marlboro County, South Carolina which are owned by the occupant = 49.50%. A housing unit is a house, apartment, mobile home, or room occupied as separate living quarters. The average age of homes = 39 years with median home cost = $70,690 and home appreciation of -2.24%. This is the value of the years most recent home sales data. Its important to note that this is not the average (or arithmetic mean). The median home price is the middle value when you arrange all the sales prices of homes from lowest to highest. This is a better indicator than the average, because the median is not changed as much by a few unusually high or low values. The property tax rate of $4.64 shown here is the rate per $1,000 of home value. If for simplification for example the tax rate is $14.00 and the home value is $250,000, the property tax would be $14.00 x ($250,000/1000), or $3500. This is the 'effective' tax rate.

Study

The local school district spends $4,810 per student. There are 10.3 students for each teacher in the school, 403 students for each Librarian and 372 students for each Counselor. 4.29% of the area’s population over the age of 25 with an Associate Degree or other 2-year college degree, 5.24% with a master’s degree, Ph.D. or other advanced college degree and 4.47% with high school diplomas or high school equivalency degrees (GEDs).