Clinton, South Carolina

{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2023}}
{{Infobox settlement
| official_name            = Clinton, South Carolina
| settlement_type          = [[City]]
| nickname                 = 
| motto                    = <!-- Images -->
| image_skyline            = Clinton-Broad-block-sc.jpg
| imagesize                = 250px
| image_caption            = Broad Street
| image_flag               = Flag of Clinton, South Carolina.svg
| image_seal               = Clinton, SC City Seal.png
| pushpin_map              = South Carolina
| pushpin_map_caption      = Location in South Carolina
| pushpin_label            = Clinton
| pushpin_relief           = 1
| image_map1               = 
| mapsize1                 = 
| map_caption1             = <!-- Location -->
| subdivision_type         = [[List of sovereign states|Country]]
| subdivision_name         = {{flagicon|USA}} United States
| subdivision_type1        = [[U.S. state|State]]
| subdivision_name1        = {{flagicon|South Carolina}} [[South Carolina]]
| subdivision_type2        = [[List of counties in South Carolina|County]]
| subdivision_name2        = [[Laurens County, South Carolina|Laurens]]

<!-- Government -->
| government_footnotes     = 
| government_type          = [[Council–manager government|Council–Manager]]<ref name="official" />
| leader_title             = [[Mayor]]
| leader_name              = Randy Randall <ref name="whosonthemove.com">{{cite web |title=Randy Randall Sworn in as Mayor of Clinton |url=https://whosonthemove.com/randy-randall-sworn-in-as-mayor-of-clinton/ |website=LaurensCountyBuzz|date=14 March 2023 |access-date=March 14, 2023 |language=en}}</ref>
| leader_title1            = [[City Manager]]
| leader_name1             = Tom Brooks <ref>{{cite web |title=Brooks sworn in as new Clinton city manager |url=https://www.golaurens.com/news/brooks-sworn-in-as-new-clinton-city-manager/article_0dc8830c-b551-11ec-9b65-df65a5b40b98.html |website=GoLaurens.com |date=5 April 2022 |access-date=March 14, 2023 |language=en}}</ref>
| leader_title2            = [[City Council]]
| leader_name2             = {{plainlist|
*Danny Cook
*Anita Williams
*Robbie Neal
*Gary Kuykendall
*Ronnie Roth
*Megan Walsh
}}
| established_title        = 
| established_date         = <!-- Area -->
| unit_pref                = Imperial
| area_footnotes           = <ref name="TigerWebMapServer">{{cite web|title=ArcGIS REST Services Directory|url=https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer/5/query?where=STATE='45'&outFields=NAME,STATE,PLACE,AREALAND,AREAWATER,LSADC,CENTLAT,CENTLON&orderByFields=PLACE&returnGeometry=false&returnTrueCurves=false&f=json|publisher=United States Census Bureau|accessdate=October 15, 2022}}</ref>
| area_magnitude           = 
| area_total_km2           = 27.05
| area_land_km2            = 26.89
| area_water_km2           = 0.16
| area_total_sq_mi         = 10.45
| area_land_sq_mi          = 10.38
| area_water_sq_mi         = 0.06

<!-- Population -->| population_as_of         = [[2020 United States Census|2020]]
| population_footnotes     = <ref name="USCensusDecennial2020CenPopScriptOnly"/>
| population_total         = 7633
| population_density_km2   = 283.82
| population_density_sq_mi = 735.07

<!-- General information -->| timezone                 = [[North American Eastern Time Zone|Eastern (EST)]]
| utc_offset               = -5
| timezone_DST             = EDT
| utc_offset_DST           = -4
| elevation_footnotes      = <ref name="GR3"/>
| elevation_m              = 
| elevation_ft             = 676
| coordinates              = {{coord|34|28|17|N|81|52|30|W|region:US_type:city|display=inline,title}}
| postal_code_type         = [[ZIP code]]
| postal_code              = 29325
| area_code                = [[Area code 864|864]]
| blank_name               = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
| blank_info               = 45-15295<ref name="GR2">{{cite web |url=https://www.census.gov |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |access-date=2008-01-31 |title=U.S. Census website }}</ref>
| blank1_name              = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
| blank1_info              = 1247319<ref name="GR3">{{GNIS|1247319}}</ref>
| website                  = [http://www.cityofclintonsc.com/ www.cityofclintonsc.com]
| footnotes                = 
| pop_est_as_of            = 
| pop_est_footnotes        = 
| population_est           = 
}}
'''Clinton'''  is a city in [[Laurens County, South Carolina|Laurens County]], [[South Carolina]], United States. The population was 8,490 as of the [[United States Census, 2010|2010 census]]. It is part of the [[Greenville, South Carolina|Greenville]]&ndash;[[Mauldin, South Carolina|Mauldin]]&ndash;[[Easley, South Carolina|Easley]] [[Greenville-Mauldin-Easley metropolitan area|Metropolitan Statistical Area]] in [[upstate South Carolina]]. Clinton is the home of [[Presbyterian College]].

==History==
The Cherokee Indians were Clinton's original inhabitants. The first settler to inhabit the area was John Duncan, a native of Aberdeen, Scotland, who arrived in 1752 from Pennsylvania and settled along a creek between the present-day towns of Clinton and Whitmire.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://local.townsquarepublications.com/southcarolina/laurenscounty/history.html|title=History of Laurens County|website=Laurens County, South Carolina|access-date=November 30, 2017}}</ref>

Scots-Irish immigrants from Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Virginia became the predominant settlers in the area in the two decades before the [[American Revolutionary War]] a<nowiki/>nd took active part in a Revolutionary War battle in 1780 at nearby [[Musgrove Mill State Historic Site|Musgrove Mill]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://southcarolinaparks.com/musgrove-mill|title=Musgrove Mill {{!}} South Carolina Parks Official Site|website=southcarolinaparks.com|language=en|access-date=2017-11-29}}</ref>

As late as 1852, the town was called Five Points because it arose at the intersection of four major roads and the railroad.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|title=Clinton a Brief History|last=Griffith|first=Nancy|publisher=The History Press|year=2010|isbn=9781596296473|location=Charleston, South Carolina|pages=13–15}}</ref> It was named Clinton after Henry Clinton Young,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.laurenscounty.org/cities-towns/|title=Cities & Towns|publisher=Laurens County Chamber of Commerce|access-date=15 December 2022}}</ref> a lawyer from the county seat of [[Laurens, South Carolina|Laurens]], who planned the first roads in the area.<ref name=":0" />

As the railroad began to grow, so did the town, and more plots of land were developed around the railroad. With the population's growth came the establishment of the First Presbyterian Church in 1855.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.fpcclinton.org/aboutus|title=First Presbyterian Church - Clinton, SC: About Us|website=www.fpcclinton.org|access-date=2017-11-30}}</ref>

[[Image:Child workers in Clinton, SC.jpg|thumb|left|200px|A few of the employees in the Clinton Mills, going home from work. December 1908. Photographed by [[Lewis Hine]].]]

In 1895, "factory fever" had struck the town of Clinton. This came with the establishment of the Clinton Cotton Mill in 1896<ref>{{Cite book|title=Clinton a Brief History|last=Griffith|first=Nancy|publisher=The History Press|year=2010|isbn=9781596296473|location=Charleston, South Carolina|pages=52–53}}</ref> by Mercer Silas Bailey, owner of the town's leading dry goods store. Lydia Cotton Mill, also owned by the Baileys and their descendants, followed in 1902.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://library.sc.edu/socar/uscs/2004/bailey04.html|title=Records, 1895-1981, of the Clinton and Lydia Cotton Mills founded by Mercer Silas Bailey|date=2004|website=University of South Carolina Libraries|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924070346/http://library.sc.edu/socar/uscs/2004/bailey04.html|archive-date=2015-09-24|url-status=dead}}</ref>  In 1933 there is a documented case of the [[lynching of Norris Dendy]], a 33-year-old African-American man, in Clinton after he was arrested for striking a white man.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SzZjQtsyC-kC&q=clinton+south+carolina&pg=PA1|title=Desire, Violence & Divinity in Modern Southern Fiction: Katherine Anne Porter, Flannery O'Connor, Cormac McCarthy, Walker Percy|last=Ciuba|first=Gary M.|date=2007|publisher=LSU Press|isbn=9780807131756|page=1|language=en}}</ref>

The mills continued to be a vital source of prosperity for Clinton until their closure in 2001<ref>{{Cite book|title=Clinton a Brief History|last=Griffith|first=Nancy|publisher=The History Press|year=2010|isbn=9781596296473|location=Charleston, South Carolina|pages=129–134}}</ref> brought years of economic hardship from which the area is still struggling to emerge.

The [[Clinton Commercial Historic District (Clinton, South Carolina)|Clinton Commercial Historic District]], [[Duncan's Creek Presbyterian Church]], and [[Thornwell-Presbyterian College Historic District]] are listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]].<ref name="Clinton, SC">{{Cite news|url=https://datausa.io/profile/geo/clinton-sc/#intro|title=Clinton, SC|work=Data USA|access-date=2017-12-01}}</ref><ref name="nris">{{NRISref|version=2010a}}</ref>

==Geography==
Clinton is located at {{coord|34|28|17|N|81|52|30|W|type:city}} (34.471257, -81.875023).<ref name="GR1">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/geographies/reference-files/time-series/geo/gazetteer-files.html|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=2011-04-23|date=2011-02-12|title=US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990}}</ref>  The city is concentrated around the intersection of [[U.S. Route 76]] and [[South Carolina Highway 72]], south of [[Spartanburg, South Carolina|Spartanburg]] and northwest of [[Columbia, South Carolina|Columbia]].  [[Interstate 26]] passes through the eastern portions of Clinton, and intersects [[Interstate 385]] in the city's northern outskirts.

According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the city has a total area of {{convert|9.1|sqmi|km2}}, of which {{convert|9.1|sqmi|km2}} is land and {{convert|0.1|sqmi|km2}} (0.55%) is water.

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
|1860= 197
|1880= 459
|1890= 1021
|1900= 1869
|1910= 3272
|1920= 3767
|1930= 5643
|1940= 5704
|1950= 7168
|1960= 7937
|1970= 8138
|1980= 8596
|1990= 7987
|2000= 8091
|2010= 8490
|2020= 7633
|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census<ref name="DecennialCensus">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html|title=Census of Population and Housing|publisher=Census.gov|access-date=June 4, 2015}}</ref><ref name="USCensusDecennial2020CenPopScriptOnly">{{cite web|url=https://api.census.gov/data/2020/dec/pl?get=P1_001N,NAME&for=place:*&in=state:45&key=5ccd0821c15d9f4520e2dcc0f8d92b2ec9336108|title=Census Population API|publisher=United States Census Bureau|accessdate=Oct 15, 2022}}</ref>
}}

===2020 census===
{| class="wikitable"
|+Clinton racial composition<ref>{{Cite web|title=Explore Census Data|url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?g=1600000US4515295&tid=DECENNIALPL2020.P2|access-date=2021-12-14|website=data.census.gov}}</ref>
!Race
!Num.
!Perc.
|-
|[[White (U.S. Census)|White]] (non-Hispanic)
|4,160
|54.5%
|-
|[[African American (U.S. Census)|Black or African American]] (non-Hispanic)
|2,902
|38.02%
|-
|[[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]]
|13
|0.17%
|-
|[[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]]
|98
|1.28%
|-
|[[Pacific Islander (U.S. Census)|Pacific Islander]]
|1
|0.01%
|-
|[[Race (United States Census)|Other/Mixed]]
|251
|3.29%
|-
|[[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]]
|208
|2.73%
|}
As of the [[2020 United States census]], there were 7,633 people, 3,141 households, and 1,585 families residing in the city.

===2014-2015===
As of the census taken in 2014, there were 8,619 people residing in Clinton, South Carolina. 96% of people live in urban areas, while the other 4% reside in rural areas. The population has grown 6.5% since 2000. 51.8% of the population is males (4,460) and 48.2% are females (4,159). The racial makeup of Clinton in 2015 was 58.9% White, 36.8% African American, 2.2% Hispanic, 0.6% Asian, and 0.2% American Indian. In 2015, the median age of all people in Clinton was 29.8. Native-born citizens, with a median age of 29.4, were generally younger than foreign-born citizens, with a median age of 33.1. For the population 15 years and over in Clinton 48.5% have never been married, 27.8% are now married, 4.1% are separated, 9.4% are widowed, and 10.1% are divorced.<ref name="Clinton, SC"/>

The estimated median household income in 2015 was $29,342, but the average male's salary was $15,124 more than the average female's salary. Black or African American is the most likely racial or ethnic group to be impoverished in Clinton, SC. The mostly highly paid racial group is Asians who made 1.25 times what White workers made. The average median household in South Carolina in 2015 was $47,238. The estimated per capita income in 2015 was $15,108. 75.6% have acquired a High School diploma, 20.0% have acquired a bachelor's degree, and 8.9% have acquired a graduate or professional degree. 11.3% of the population in Clinton is unemployed. The mean travel time to work is 18.3 minutes. From 2014 to 2015, employment in Clinton, SC grew at a rate of 6.08%, from 3,025 employees to 3,209 employees. The median property value in Clinton grew to $92,100 from the previous year's value of $81,800. In Clinton 42.5% of housing units are owner-occupied, lower than the national average of 63.9%. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 41.9%.

==Education==
{{See also|Presbyterian College|Clinton High School (South Carolina)}}
Laurens County School District 56 covers the southern part of Laurens County, including the town of Clinton. Summit Classical School, Eastside Elementary, Clinton Elementary, Joanna-Woodson Elementary, Clinton Middle School, and [[Clinton High School (Clinton, South Carolina)|Clinton High School]] serve the town's students.

Both Clinton Middle School (formerly Bell Street Middle School) and Clinton High School have gained statewide and national attention for their [[Science Olympiad]] programs, with the middle school winning 20 of the 34 [[South Carolina Science Olympiad]] Division B competitions, including two in 1986-1987 and all 17 competitions since 2003. The high school has won nine of the last eleven State tournaments, from 2009–14 and 2016–18.

Clinton is also home of [[Presbyterian College]] and [[Thornwell Orphanage]]. Both institutions were founded by Presbyterian minister and philanthropist William Plumer Jacobs while he was the pastor at First Presbyterian Church of Clinton.

==Media==
The city of Clinton is host to two  media outlets that serve the community as well as  surrounding  Laurens County. ''The Clinton Chronicle'' is the local newspaper and only print media source in town; it publishes new editions weekly. Founded in 1900, the ''Chronicle'' is owned by Smith Newspapers, Inc., Fort Payne, Ala. Breaking news is published to www.clintonchronicle.com as well as www.myclintonnews.com, both  operated by ''The Clinton Chronicle'' staff and  updated regularly between editions.

The second form of media found in Clinton is the local radio station WPCC, 96.5 FM and 1410 AM. This radio station plays beach and easy listening music and offers sports broadcasts through a partnership with ESPN Radio and Motor Racing Network. WPCC is also affiliated with the Atlanta Braves radio network.

==Government==
Clinton operates under a council–manager form of government.<ref name=official>[http://www.cityofclintonsc.com/index.asp?SEC=0813F20C-8C8D-428B-B07E-ECDB6B6C22A2&Type=B_BASIC Clinton's official website].</ref>  The incumbent Mayor is Comer H. "Randy" Randall; he was elected to a fourth non-consecutive term in March 2023, after having served three terms from 2002 to 2013.<ref name="whosonthemove.com">{{cite web |title=Randy Randall Sworn in as Mayor of Clinton |url=https://whosonthemove.com/randy-randall-sworn-in-as-mayor-of-clinton/ |website=LaurensCountyBuzz|date=14 March 2023 |access-date=March 14, 2023 |language=en}}</ref> The City Manager is Tom Brooks, who was appointed to the position by the Mayor.

===2023 election results===
{{col-begin}}
{{col-4}}
{|class="wikitable" style="font-size:90%"
!Race
!Candidates
!Votes
|-
|rowspan="3"|Mayor
|style="background:#ccffcc"|'''Randy Randall'''||style="background:#ccffcc"|'''407'''
|-
|Ronnie Roth||147
|-
|Leonard Pitts||104
|-
|rowspan="4"|City Council Ward 2
|style="background:#ccffcc"|'''Anita Williams'''||style="background:#ccffcc"|'''55'''
|-
|Ken Turner||30
|-
|Shaquille Harp||8
|-
|Reginald Vance||2
|-
|rowspan="3"|City Council Ward 4
|style="background:#ccffcc"|'''Gary Kuykendall (inc.)'''||style="background:#ccffcc"|'''76'''
|-
|Stewart Owens||21
|-
||Vernon McCall||15
|-
|rowspan="2"|City Council Ward 6
|style="background:#ccffcc"|'''Megan Walsh (inc.)'''||style="background:#ccffcc"|'''55'''
|-
|Andy Howard||52
|}
{{col-end}}
<small>''Source:''</small><ref>{{cite web |title=Randall wins race for Clinton mayor |url=https://www.golaurens.com/goclinton/randall-wins-race-for-clinton-mayor/article_3eb68b68-bd5b-11ed-935e-53a2619ee26d.html |website=GoLaurens |date=7 March 2023 |access-date=March 7, 2023 |language=en}}</ref>

===2021 election results===
{{col-begin}}
{{col-4}}
{|class="wikitable" style="font-size:90%"
!Race
!Candidates
!Votes
|-
|rowspan="3"|City Council Ward 1
|style="background:#ccffcc"|'''Danny Cook (inc.)'''||style="background:#ccffcc"|'''114'''
|-
|Ricky Martin||14
|-
|Henry Anderson||3
|-
|rowspan="1"|City Council Ward 3
|style="background:#ccffcc"|'''Robbie Neal (inc.)'''||style="background:#ccffcc"|'''unopposed'''
|-
|rowspan="2"|City Council Ward 5
|style="background:#ccffcc"|'''Ronnie Roth (inc.)'''||style="background:#ccffcc"|'''34'''
|-
|Mitch Meadors||31
|}
{{col-end}}
<small>''Source:''</small><ref>{{cite web |title=Incumbents sweep municipal elections |url=https://www.golaurens.com/goclinton/incumbents-sweep-municipal-elections/article_069f885e-7bc4-11eb-aa17-d70bcd3737b5.html |website=GoLaurens |date=2 March 2021 |access-date=March 7, 2023 |language=en}}</ref>

===2019 election results===
{{col-begin}}
{{col-4}}
{|class="wikitable" style="font-size:90%"
!Race
!Candidates
!Votes
|-
|rowspan="2"|Mayor
|style="background:#ccffcc"|'''Bob McLean (inc.)'''||style="background:#ccffcc"|'''475'''
|-
|Ricky Martin||324
|-
|rowspan="5"|City Council Ward 2
|style="background:#ccffcc"|'''Shirley Jenkins (inc.)'''||style="background:#ccffcc"|'''85'''
|-
|Rosa Booker||29
|-
|Sherri Amick||20
|-
|Rilla Griffin||11
|-
|Reginald Vance||4
|-
|City Council Ward 4
|style="background:#ccffcc"|'''Gary Kuykendall (inc.)'''||style="background:#ccffcc"|'''unopposed'''
|-
|rowspan="2"|City Council Ward 6
|style="background:#ccffcc"|'''Megan Walsh'''||style="background:#ccffcc"|'''70'''
|-
|Jimmy Young (inc.)||53
|}
{{col-end}}
<small>''Source:''</small><ref>{{cite web |title=Laurens County municipal election results |url=http://www.indexjournal.com/community/laurens-county-municipal-election-results/article_f2aa3adb-a078-5b5e-a21b-8f62eeef7e32.html |website=Index-Journal |date=5 March 2019 |access-date=April 9, 2019 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=McLean, Jenkins & Walsh are winners {{!}} My Clinton News |url=http://www.clintonchronicle.com/breaking-news/mclean-jenkins-walsh-are-winners |website=www.clintonchronicle.com |access-date=April 9, 2019}}</ref>

==Notable people==

* [[Cal Cooper]] (1922–1994), [[Major League Baseball|MLB]] pitcher
* [[Jackie K. Cooper]] (born 1941), author and film critic
* [[Claude Crocker]] (1924–2002), MLB pitcher
* [[Chick Galloway]] (1896–1969), MLB shortstop
* [[Kevin Long (running back)|Kevin Long]] (born 1955), [[National Football League|NFL]] running back
* [[Carl Anthony Payne II]] (born 1969), actor
* [[Johnny Riddle]] (1905–1998), MLB player
* [[Arthur "Guitar Boogie" Smith|Arthur Smith]] (1921–2014), guitarist and songwriter
* [[Charlie Wilson (baseball)|Charlie Wilson]] (1905–1970), MLB shortstop and third baseman

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Clinton, South Carolina}}
* [http://www.CityofClintonSC.com City of Clinton]

{{Laurens County, South Carolina}}
{{South Carolina}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Cities in South Carolina]]
[[Category:Cities in Laurens County, South Carolina]]
[[Category:Upstate South Carolina]]
[[Category:1852 establishments in South Carolina]]
[[Category:Populated places established in 1852]]