Dillon, South Carolina

History

The County was founded in 1910 from a portion of Marion County. The County and the City of Dillon are named for prosperous local citizen James W. Dillon (1826−1913), an Irishman who settled there and led a campaign to bring the railroad into the community. The result of this effort was the construction of the Wilson Short Cut Railroad, which later became part of the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad, and which brought greater prosperity to the area by directly linking Dillon County to the national network of railroads. For many decades, residents of Dillon County were farmers growing cotton and tobacco. Timber harvesting remains a major industry in the County. Dillon County has seen a growth in manufacturing and distribution centers over the past 20 years due in part to Interstate 95 which runs through the County north-south.

Dillon was once known as "The "Wedding Capital of the East" because South Carolina allowed people as young as 14 to get married and did not have other requirements. Many couples who got married there went to South of the Border for their honeymoons.

Geography

Dillon is located near the center of Dillon County in the Pee Dee region of northeastern South Carolina. The Little Pee Dee River, a tributary of the Pee Dee River, runs just east of the city.

U.S. Routes 301 and 501 pass through the city as Second Avenue, leading northeast 7 mi to Interstate 95 at South of the Border along the North Carolina line, and southwest 6.5 mi to Latta. Interstate 95 passes northeast of the city, with access from Exits 190 and 193. I-95 leads northeast 25 mi to Lumberton, North Carolina, and southwest 28 mi to Florence. South Carolina Highway 9 passes through the center of town, leading northwest 26 mi to Bennettsville and southeast 13 mi to Lake View. South Carolina Highway 57 follows SC 9 through Dillon but leads north 14 mi to the North Carolina border and south 17 mi to Mullins. SC 9 and 57 follow Main Street southeast out of town. South Carolina Highway 34 follows Main Street northwest out of town, leading west 33 mi to Darlington.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Dillon has a total area of 13.6 sqkm, of which 0.03 sqkm, or 0.21%, is water. The Little Pee Dee River flows southwards 2 mi east of the center of town.

Climate

| Jan record high F = 81 | Feb record high F = 85 | Mar record high F = 97 | Apr record high F = 94 | May record high F = 102 | Jun record high F = 107 | Jul record high F = 105 | Aug record high F = 106 | Sep record high F = 102 | Oct record high F = 100 | Nov record high F = 89 | Dec record high F = 82 | year record high F = 107

|Jan avg record high F = 74.3 |Feb avg record high F = 77.2 |Mar avg record high F = 82.5 |Apr avg record high F = 86.9 |May avg record high F = 92.2 |Jun avg record high F = 96.6 |Jul avg record high F = 97.9 |Aug avg record high F = 97.0 |Sep avg record high F = 92.7 |Oct avg record high F = 87.3 |Nov avg record high F = 80.1 |Dec avg record high F = 75.0 |year avg record high F = 99.3

|Jan avg record low F = 18.0 |Feb avg record low F = 20.8 |Mar avg record low F = 26.5 |Apr avg record low F = 34.7 |May avg record low F = 45.8 |Jun avg record low F = 57.1 |Jul avg record low F = 63.8 |Aug avg record low F = 61.3 |Sep avg record low F = 52.3 |Oct avg record low F = 36.3 |Nov avg record low F = 26.2 |Dec avg record low F = 22.0 |year avg record low F = 16.0

| Jan record low F = -1 | Feb record low F = 5 | Mar record low F = 11 | Apr record low F = 24 | May record low F = 30 | Jun record low F = 42 | Jul record low F = 49 | Aug record low F = 48 | Sep record low F = 36 | Oct record low F = 18 | Nov record low F = 12 | Dec record low F = 2 | year record low F = -1

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Economy

In the spring of 2018, Dillon Inland Port was constructed, furthering economic growth based on the Port of Charleston.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 6,384 people, 2,159 households, and 1,364 families residing in the city.

2010 census

The population grew 7.5 percent from the 2000 to 2010. The city is 53.1% Black or African American, 42.8% White or Caucasian persons, 1.6% American Indian or Alaska Native persons, 1.2% persons of Hispanic or Latino origin, and 1.2% persons reporting two or more races.

There was a recorded 2,454 households, averaging between two and three (2.57) people per household, as well as 2,916 housing units within the city. Of the 2,916 housing units 13.7% were multi-unit structures. The average value of a housing unit was $101,800 for owner occupied units. The census also showed that the population density of Dillon was 1,299.1 persons per square mile. The land area of the city of Dillon was 5.23 square miles. The median household income was found to be $30,455 with a rate of 30.4% of people living in poverty.

Government

Dillon's government is a city manager-council type.

Wellness center

The city of Dillon offers a public wellness center, located at 1647 Commerce Drive. The $4.1 million facility was built in 2008. It is a 40000 sqft building that offers exercise equipment, a sauna, gymnasium, walking track, and meeting rooms. It also offers rooms for rental. The exercise facilities can be used for a fee of $10, or memberships are available at monthly rates.

Education

Public education in Dillon is administered by Dillon District Four Schools. The district operates East Elementary, South Elementary, Stewart Heights Elementary, Lake View Elementary, Gordon Elementary, Dillon Middle School, Dillon High School and Lake View High School.

Dillon Christian School is a private institution.

Northeastern Technical College offers secondary education.

Dillon has a public library, a branch of the Dillon County Library.

Transportation

Highways

Downtown Dillon is the intersection of US 301, US 501, SC 9, SC 34 and SC 57. I-95 has two exits to Dillon, and it is planned that I-73 will serve Dillon as part of a future southward expansion. In August 2023, Dillon got a 40 stall Version 3 Tesla Supercharger station, the largest in the southeastern United States.

Rail

Amtrak, the national rail passenger carrier, provides daily service from Dillon with the Palmetto, which runs between Savannah, Georgia, and New York City on the South End Subdivision. Trains stop at the Dillon station, originally opened for passenger use by the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad in 1904. A second line known as the Andrews Subdivision, formerly owned by the Seaboard Air Line Railroad runs through Dillon, but only carries freight. CSX owns both railroad lines which cross Dillon.

Media

The Dillon Herald is the city of Dillon's newspaper. The paper was established in 1894 and is the oldest "continuously operated" business in Dillon County.

Dillon Observer is an online newspaper in Dillon, South Carolina. Dillon Observer was established in 2020.

Notable people

• Ben Bernanke, chairman of the Federal Reserve from 2006 to 2014
• Alfred W. Bethea, member of the South Carolina House of Representatives from 1961 to 1966
• John Chavis, defensive coordinator, Birmingham Stallions
• Johnny Davis, two-time PKA kickboxing world champion
• Derrick Hamilton, football player
• Rufus R. Jones, professional wrestler
• Willie Jones, Major League Baseball player
• Kenneth Manning, professor of rhetoric and of the history of science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
• Kevin Steele, current University of Alabama defensive coordinator
• Lieutenant General Jack C. Stultz, former Commanding General, U.S. Army Reserve Command
• Robin Tallon, former member of Congress

References

References

1. "ArcGIS REST Services Directory". United States Census Bureau.
2. "U.S. Census website". [[United States Census Bureau]].
3. {{GNIS. 2404230
4. "Find a County". National Association of Counties.
5. "Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (G001): Dillon city, South Carolina". U.S. Census Bureau, American Factfinder.
6. "History {{!}} Dillon County".
7. Moore, Evan. (May 9, 2024). "'It was like going to Vegas': Why did NC residents once travel to this SC city to elope?". [[News and Observer]].
8. (2017-03-13). "SC Ports Breaks Ground on Inland Port Dillon".
9. "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov.
10. "Census Population API". United States Census Bureau.
11. "Explore Census Data".
12. "Census Quickfacts".
13. "Homepage". Dillon School District Four.
14. "South Carolina libraries and archives". SCIWAY.
15. "Interactive Supercharger map".
16. "The Dillon Herald".
17. Gabe Friedman. (15 September 2014). "11 Facts About Jewish South Carolina from Politicians to the Hebrew Hammer". forward.com.