York is a city located in York County, South Carolina. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 6,985. It is the county seat of York County.
York is located at 34°59'41" North, 81°14'22" West (34.994673, -81.239420).
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 20.6 km2 (7.9 mi2). 20.4 km2 (7.9 mi2) of it is land and 0.2 km2 (0.1 mi2) of it is water. The total area is 0.88% water.
As of the census of 2000, there are 6,985 people, 2,536 households, and 1,787 families residing in the city. The population density is 342.7/km2 (887.6/mi2). There are 2,766 housing units at an average density of 135.7/km2 (351.5/mi2). The racial makeup of the city is 54.43% White, 40.31% African American, 0.59% Native American, 0.42% Asian, 0.00% Pacific Islander, 3.65% from other races, and 0.60% from two or more races. 5.01% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 2,536 households out of which 33.5% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.9% are married couples living together, 25.2% have a female householder with no husband present, and 29.5% are non-families. 25.3% of all households are made up of individuals and 11.2% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.65 and the average family size is 3.13.
In the city the population is spread out with 27.9% under the age of 18, 9.1% from 18 to 24, 28.7% from 25 to 44, 19.6% from 45 to 64, and 14.5% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 34 years. For every 100 females there are 86.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 79.8 males.
The median income for a household in the city is $30,564, and the median income for a family is $34,253. Males have a median income of $31,646 versus $20,290 for females. The per capita income for the city is $14,218. 17.0% of the population and 17.2% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 23.6% of those under the age of 18 and 13.5% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
The town of York was originally known as Fergus's Crossroads for a tavern, owned by two brothers, William and John Fergus, that was located at the intersection of the road from Rutherfordton to Camden and the road from Charlottesburg (Charlotte) to Augusta. When the county of York was established in 1785, the state statute required each county to erect a courthouse and public buildings in the most convenient part of the county, with a tax levied to cover the cost of "building the court houses, prisons, pillories, whipping posts and stocks." Fergus's Crossroads was near the geographic center of the newly formed county and was chosen for the site of the new county seat.
In 1823 there were 451 people living in Yorkville, 292 white and 159 black, with 80 houses in the town, eight stores, five taverns, one male academy and one female academy, and a printing office. The town could boast 52 mechanics, eight lawyers, two physicians and one clergyman.
Yorkville was officially incorporated on December 7, 1841. W.I. Clawson was the first mayor, and Stanhope Sadler, F.M. Galbraith, T.H. Simril and B. T. Wheeler were wardens. The population was about 800. Over the next two decades, before the outbreak of the Civil War, Yorkville's population swelled to 2,000. In 1860, a gas works was installed on West Liberty Street, below the old county jail; Yorkville was the first town in the Upcountry with gas lighting.
In 1853, Lewis Grist bought his father's newspaper and changed the name to the Yorkville Enquirer, which is still published weekly.
In 1915 the residents of the town voted to shorten its name to York.
Early Churches
The first church established in York was the Independent Presbyterian Church, in 1813, which was dissolved in 1864. The oldest denomination still in existence is the Trinity Methodist Church, organized in 1824. The First Presbyterian Church was organized in 1842, the Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd in 1852, the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church in 1853, the First Baptist Church in 1866, the Divine Saviour Catholic Church in 1938, and the Abiding Presence Lutheran Church in 1957.
Antebellum Education
Private academies operated on and off during Yorkville's early years. In 1854, the Yorkville Female Academy was established on East Jefferson Street. The next year, Micah Jenkins and Asbury Coward, young Citadel graduates, established the King's Mountain Military Academy. It was closed during the Civil War, during which Jenkins was killed, but Coward returned to Yorkville and reopened the school. The original buildings no longer stand, but it became the site of the Episcopal Church Home for Children, an orphanage located for many years in York, which is today a treatment center for emotionally disturbed children named York Place.
Source:
YorkSouthCarolina.com
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