Simpsonville, South Carolina


Simpsonville is a city in Greenville County, South Carolina, United States. It is part of the Greenville-Mauldin-Easley Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 18,238 at the 2010 census, up from 14,352 in 2000. The population had risen to an estimated 24,221 as of 2019. Simpsonville is part of the "Golden Strip", along with Mauldin and Fountain Inn, an area which is noted for having low unemployment due to a diversity of industries including Para-Chem, Kemet, Sealed Air and Milliken.

History

The Burdette Building, Cureton-Huff House, Hopkins Farm, and Simpsonville Baptist Church are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
In October 2018, a winning lottery ticket for a $1.6 billion Mega Millions jackpot was sold at the #7 KC Mart in Simpsonville.

Geography

Simpsonville is located in southeastern Greenville County at , between Mauldin to the northwest and Fountain Inn to the southeast. The center of town has an elevation of above sea level.
South Carolina Highway 14 runs through the center of Simpsonville as Main Street, leading north to Greer and southeast to the center of Fountain Inn. The center of Mauldin is to the northwest via South Carolina Highway 417. Interstate 385 passes through Simpsonville west of the city center, with access from Exits 26 through 29. I-385 leads northwest to the center of Greenville and southeast to Interstate 26 near Clinton. Columbia, the state capital, is southeast of Simpsonville.
According to the United States Census Bureau, Simpsonville has a total area of, of which are land and, or 0.28%, are water.

Demographics

As of the census of 2010, there were 18,238 people and 7,040 households. The population density was 2,070.1 people per square mile. There were 7,624 housing units at an average density of 865.4 per square mile. The racial makeup of the city was 75.7% White, 16.4% African American, 0.3% Native American, 1.3% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, and 2.3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 8.9% of the population. 26.0% of the population was under 18, and 11.0% of the population was over 65. 51.6% of the population was female.
For the period 2011–2015, the estimated median annual income for a household in the city was $56,691, and the per capita income was $28,537. 7.3% of the population were below the poverty line.

Crime

Simpsonville's crime statistics are higher than national average crime rates. Violent crimes in 2010 totalled 82 for the year. 2006 statistics of violent crime in Simpsonville reflect there was not one murder, reported incidents of rape were slightly higher than the national average, and incidents of aggravated assaults were what tipped the 2006 violent crime scales, tallying in at 75% over the national average. In 2007 the personal crime incidents rate tallied in at 6 per 1000 residents, while the national average was 1.3 per 1000. In September 2007, the FBI reported that the state of South Carolina's violent crime rate was the highest in the nation per capita, although Simpsonville is not mentioned at all in the article. Car theft in Simpsonville was lower than the national average, causing unsubstantiated claims that Simpsonville allegedly has a high rate of car-jackings to be discredited.

Government

Simpsonville is governed by a mayor, a city council, and several boards and commissions. The current officeholders are:
Public education in Simpsonville is administered by Greenville County School District. The district operates Hillcrest High School in Simpsonville.
Abiding Peace Academy is a K2-5 grade school of the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod in Simpsonville.
Simpsonville has a public library, a branch of the Greenville County Library System.

Notable people