Westminster is a city in Oconee County, South Carolina, United States. As of the 2020 census, Westminster had a population of 2,353.

History

Westminster was founded in 1874 upon completion of the Atlanta and Richmond Air-Line Railway and incorporated on March 17, 1875 when the charter was signed. It was founded as a water stop on the Southern Railway. As stores, shops and factories started to set up around the train stop, it bloomed into a decent-sized town. Its peak of expansion came in the 1920s.

The Retreat Rosenwald School and Southern Railway Passenger Station are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The Apple Festival is celebrated annually.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 3.4&nbsp;square miles (8.9&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup>), all land.

Located in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, Westminster is surrounded by several rivers, 150 waterfalls, and two major lakes.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Westminster had a population of 2,353. The median age was 39.7 years. 22.9% of residents were under the age of 18 and 20.1% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 92.2 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 86.5 males age 18 and over.

There were 958 households in Westminster, of which 34.0% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 39.1% were married-couple households, 19.5% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 35.6% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 29.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

{| class="wikitable"

|+ Racial composition as of the 2020 census

! Race !! Number !! Percent

|-

| White || 1,891 || 80.4%

|-

| Black or African American || 207 || 8.8%

|-

| American Indian and Alaska Native || 8 || 0.3%

|-

| Asian || 8 || 0.3%

|-

| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander || 3 || 0.1%

|-

| Some other race || 80 || 3.4%

|-

| Two or more races || 156 || 6.6%

|-

| Hispanic or Latino (of any race) || 155 || 6.6%

|}

2000 census

As of the census

Westminster has a lending library, a branch of the Oconee County Public Library.

Arts and culture

Annual culture events

Westminster is the home of the South Carolina Apple Festival. The annual celebration is held during the first two weeks of September, and features a parade, street vendors and booths, a rodeo, and other family activities. Westminster and the nearby community of Long Creek have several commercial apple orchards.

Westminster hosts the South Carolina Bigfoot Festival each October.

Westminster welcomes car enthusiasts and is a very popular 'cruising' destination where people come from all over the tri-state area to cruise town and show off their vehicles. Westminster proudly holds the title, "The Southeast's Cruising Destination."

April - October, the town has Music on Main where Main Street is roped off and a stage is set up for musicians to perform live.

In April and September of each year, "pickers" from near and far gather on Main Street for the Westminster Bluegrass Jam. An event where people bring their instruments and gather on the street to play music together.

Education

  • Cherokee Creek Boys School

==Notable people==<!--consensus reached to standardize this heading per WP:WikiProject Cities/US Guideline -->

  • Gresham Barrett, former U.S. Representative for ; born in Westminster.
  • Jared Burton, Major League Baseball player for the Minnesota Twins; born in Westminster.
  • Todd Chrisley, entrepreneur and reality television star; raised in Westminster.
  • Andy Lee, American football punter for the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League; born in Westminster.

References

  • City of Westminster
  • City-Data.com