| Fort Mill | |
| Other Name: | Fort Mill Township |
| Settlement Type: | Town |
| Mapsize: | 250px |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | United States |
| Subdivision Type1: | State |
| Subdivision Name1: | South Carolina |
| Subdivision Type2: | Counties |
| Subdivision Name2: | York |
| Government Type: | Council–manager |
| Leader Title: | Mayor |
| Leader Name: | Guynn Savage[1] |
| Established Title: | Established |
| Established Date: | 1873[2] |
| Total Type: | Total |
| Unit Pref: | Imperial |
| Area Footnotes: | [3] |
| Area Total Sq Mi: | 19.97 |
| Area Land Sq Mi: | 19.71 |
| Area Water Sq Mi: | 0.26 |
| Area Water Percent: | 1.30 |
| Population As Of: | 2020 |
| Population Total: | 24521 |
| Pop Est As Of: | 2023 |
| Population Est: | 33626 |
| Population Density Sq Mi: | 1244.34 |
| Population Density Km2: | 480.43 |
| Timezone: | Eastern (EST) |
| Utc Offset: | -5 |
| Timezone Dst: | EDT |
| Utc Offset Dst: | -4 |
| Elevation Ft: | 623 |
| Coordinates: | 35.0061°N -80.94°W |
| Postal Code Type: | ZIP codes |
| Postal Code: | 29715, 29716, 29708 |
| Area Code: | 803, 839 |
| Blank Name: | FIPS code |
| Blank Info: | 45-26890[4] |
| Blank1 Name: | GNIS feature ID |
| Blank1 Info: | 1247805 |
| Area Total Km2: | 51.72 |
| Area Land Km2: | 51.04 |
| Area Water Km2: | 0.68 |
| Named For: | Colonial-era British fort[5] |
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.
The Fort Mill area is home to notable businesses such as the headquarters of Carolina Crown Drum and Bugle Corps (who were DCI World Champions in 2013), LPL Financial,[6] Continental Tire the Americas (Lancaster County), LLC., CompuCom Systems, Diversey, Inc., Sunbelt Rentals, Domtar, Springs Industries, AECOM (Lancaster County), Shutterfly,[7] Red Ventures (Lancaster County), Daimler Trucks North America, and Puckerbutt Pepper Company, known for originally producing the Carolina Reaper[8] and Pepper X[9]
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.[10] 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:
The Banks-Mack House, Fort Mill Downtown Historic District, Mack-Belk House, Mills House, Nation Ford Road, National Guard Armory, Spratt Cemetery, Springfield Plantation House, Thornwell-Elliott House, Unity Presbyterian Church Complex, John M. White House, William Elliott White House, and Wilson House are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of, of which is land and (1.30%) is water.[3] Interstate 77 passes through the western portions of the town, and exit 85 is signed "South Carolina Highway 160/Fort Mill." SC 160 is the main east–west street in Fort Mill.
The town of Fort Mill held a final public hearing in October 2008 on a proposed annexation that doubled the town's physical size.[11] 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.[2] The town also maintains a banquet hall rentable through the parks and recreation department.
Fort Mill is located in a humid subtropical climate, Cfa in the Köppen climate classification. This means that the city experiences four distinct seasons, although the variation between the seasons is not as pronounced as in other parts of the United States. Generally, daytime maximum temperatures in the summer are around 90°F, with nighttime low temperatures of approximately 70°F. In winter, daytime maxima average around 50°F while nighttime low temperatures are near 30°F. Occasional readings as high as 105°F are seen, reaching a high of 108°F in 2007 or as low as NaN°F in 1989. Summers are generally humid and prone to thunderstorms, while winters are rainy with sleet and occasional snow. Snow might fall during the winter but usually does not accumulate or persist as ground cover. Fort Mill experiences rainfall related to tropical cyclones but is generally too far inland to experience damaging winds. Fort Mill has not had any direct hits from any tropical systems since 1989, when Hurricane Hugo devastated the area.
The most common soil in Fort Mill is Cecil series.[12]
| White (non-Hispanic) | 17,210 | 70.18% | |
| Black or African American (non-Hispanic) | 2,965 | 12.09% | |
| Native American | 81 | 0.33% | |
| Asian | 1,294 | 5.28% | |
| Pacific Islander | 4 | 0.02% | |
| Other/Mixed | 1,296 | 5.29% | |
| Hispanic or Latino | 1,671 | 6.81% |
As of the 2020 census, there were 24,521 people, 6,130 households, and 4,854 families residing in the town.
At the 2010 census, there were 10,811 people, 4,168 households, and 2,184 families residing in the town. The population density was 661.6 people per square mile. There were 4,479 housing units at an average density of 676.9 per square mile. The racial makeup of the town was 77.6% White, 17.6% African American, 0.4% Native American, 1.3% Asian, and 2.1% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.9% of the population.
There were 2,890 households, out of which 43.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.2% were married couples living together, 17.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.4% were non-families. 21.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.67 and the average family size was 3.14.
In the town, the population was spread out, with 31.1% under the age of 18, 6.1% from 18 to 24, 32.4% from 25 to 44, 20.0% from 45 to 64, and 11.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33.7 years. For every 100 females, there were 86.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 79.0 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $68,250, and the median income for a family was $79,495. Males had a median income of $58,986 versus $40,819 for females. The per capita income for the town was $36,548. About 7.2% of families and 9.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.6% of those under age 18 and 8.1% of those age 65 or over.
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.
Fort Mill is also known for its peach orchards and the Anne Springs Close Greenway, an extensive nature preserve consisting of approximately 2300acres of lakes, forests, and pastures that provide trails for hiking, biking, and horseback riding.
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).
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.[2] The town council meets the second Monday of each month. The town of Fort Mill currently has four boards and commissions. These are the Zoning Board of Appeals, the Planning Commission, the Historical Review Board, and the Housing Authority Board. Members of boards and commissions are appointed on a volunteer basis.
The current mayor is Guynn Savage, who was sworn on January 12, 2016.[14]
Fort Mill is currently represented by the following legislators:[2]
Fort Mill and northern portions of its township are represented in the South Carolina House by R. Raye Felder (R) as part of South Carolina House district 26.[2]
Fort Mill is the primary community within the Fort Mill School District, which also serves children from the nearby community of Tega Cay.
Fort Mill has a public library, a branch of the York County Library.[15]