Fort Mill, South Carolina

Fort Mill, also known as Fort Mill Township, is a town in York County, South Carolina, United States. It is a suburb of Charlotte, North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population of the town was 24,521. Some businesses and residents in the Indian Land community of neighboring Lancaster County share a Fort Mill mailing address, but the official town boundary extends only within York County.

History

The town of Fort Mill was established in 1873, getting its name from its location between two points, the first, a fort constructed by British in colonial times to protect the Catawba Indians from marauding tribes to the north, and the second point of Webb's Mill. The Catawba Indians made their home in present-day Fort Mill for many years. Scots-Irish settlers began arriving in the 1750s and 1760s and a small settlement soon developed. Fort Mill grew rapidly in the late 19th century as textile mills were established. After many textile mill shut-downs the town continued to grow rapidly and became a major suburb of Charlotte.

Highlights in Fort Mill's history include:

In the mid-18th century, William Spratt and his wife Elizabeth were traveling through upper South Carolina in their wagon. They spent a night among the friendly Catawba Indians and were invited to stay and live in the area on a large tract of land given to them. They became the first white settlers in the Fort Mill area and their descendants still reside there. Their descendant, John Spratt, represented the area in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1983 to 2011.
The town of Fort Mill was the site of the last Confederate Government Cabinet meeting (1865).

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which is land and (1.30%) is water. Fort Mill has three golf courses. The town also maintains six parks: Harris Street Park, Steele Street Park, Doby Bridge Park, Calhoun Street Park, Veterans Park and Walter Elisha Park. Three of the six parks have picnic shelters, children's playgrounds, and restrooms. Doby Bridge and Harris Street Parks have lighted baseball fields, with Steele Street and Harris Street Parks having basketball courts, and Steele Street Park having a small water park.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Fort Mill had a population of 24,521. The median age was 36.7 years. 30.8% of residents were under the age of 18 and 11.5% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 91.5 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 87.0 males age 18 and over.

100.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 0.0% lived in rural areas.

There were 8,795 households in Fort Mill, including 4,854 families. Of all households, 46.4% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 61.6% were married-couple households, 10.8% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 23.6% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 19.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. Continental Tire the Americas (Lancaster County), LLC., Schaeffler Group, CompuCom Systems, Diversey, Inc., Sunbelt Rentals, Domtar, Springs Industries, Shutterfly, Red Ventures (Lancaster County), Daimler Trucks North America, and Puckerbutt Pepper Company, known for originally producing the Carolina Reaper and Pepper X.

Bridgetree, a data collection service, is located here.

Arts and culture

Fort Mill is home to numerous attractions and, while a growing town, it has access to many amenities outside its jurisdiction in the nearby cities of Charlotte and Rock Hill.

A portion of Cedar Fair's Carowinds amusement park is located in Fort Mill.
Upper Room Chapel is a replica of Jerusalem's Upper Room where the Last Supper was held.
Fort Mill Downtown Historic District is the location of Confederate Park, Memorial Park, and several retail shops. The Fort Mill Times (ceased publication 2020) and Fort Mill Magazine are also located on Main Street. One of the Confederate monuments in Confederate Park is the loyal slaves monument, dedicated to the proposition that slaves were loyal and gladly helpful to the Confederacy.
Annually, Fort Mill is home to the St. Phillip Neri Italian Festival at the local Catholic parish and the Strawberry Festival held at Walter Elisha Park.

Fort Mill is also known for its peach orchards and the Anne Springs Close Greenway, an extensive nature preserve consisting of approximately of lakes, forests, and pastures that provide trails for hiking, biking, and horseback riding.

Media

Fort Mill is covered by a local newspaper, The Tega Cay Sun. The Tega Cay Sun started as a daily online newspaper and is now printed monthly. Magazines include Life in the Mill and 29708.

Sports

Fort Mill is the Home of the PrimeTime Players, a Minor League Basketball Franchise who currently plays in the East Coast Basketball League . The PrimeTime Players are four-time Minor League champions, having won Championships in the TRBL 2012-2014 and the ECBL in 2015. The PrimeTime Players play their home games at Banks Street Gym at 490 Academy Street.

Fort Mill is also home to Carolina Crown, a competitive drum and bugle corps. As a member of Drum Corps International (DCI), Carolina Crown won one World Class championship (2013), won the silver medal three times (2009, 2012, 2015), the bronze medal three times (2016, 2017, 2023), and one Division II championship (1993).

Government

The government of Fort Mill takes place within the framework of a Council-Manager Form. Currently, the town council of Fort Mill consists of six board members, two of whom serve from at-large districts, while the remainder of the council represent each of four wards. Elections are held in accordance with United States election regulations every two years, and council members serve staggered four year terms.

Fort Mill is currently represented by the following legislators:

Notable people

Steve Byrnes NASCAR on Fox reporter
Ed Currie breeder of the world's hottest peppers, the Carolina Reaper and Pepper X
Thomas Lee Hall World War I Medal of Honor recipient
Cheslie Kryst Miss USA 2019
Rick Newsom NASCAR Winston Cup driver
Randy Primas first African-American Mayor of Camden, New Jersey (1981–1990)
Joshua Rudd [4 Star General, US Army] Commander, United States Cyber Command
Charlie Rymer golf commentator, member of Georgia Tech Athletics Hall of Fame, winner of U.S. Junior Amateur in 1985
Elliot White Springs World War I flying ace, author, industrialist, and a member of the South Carolina Hall of Fame
Melvin Stewart American swimmer, two-time Olympic gold medalist, co-founder of SwimSwam
Vance Walker NFL defensive tackle for the Denver Broncos
Isabella Robusto stock car racing driver
James E. Williams Medal of Honor recipient and U.S. Marshal of South Carolina
Ricky Wysocki professional disc golfer