Fort Mill, also referred to as Fort Mill Township, is a municipality located in York County, South Carolina, within close proximity to Charlotte, North Carolina.

In 1873, the town of Fort Mill came into existence, taking its name from its strategic location between two notable landmarks: a British-built fort, erected during colonial times to shield the Catawba Indians from hostile tribes to the north, and Webb’s Mill, a nearby gristmill.

The town boasts a total area of 19.97 square miles, as reported by the United States Census Bureau. Of this total, 19.71 square miles consists of land, while a mere 0.26 square miles, or 1.30%, is composed of water. Interstate 77 passes through the western part of the town, with exit 85 designated as “South Carolina Highway 160/Fort Mill.” South Carolina Highway 160 serves as the primary east-west artery through Fort Mill.

Fort Mill is situated in a climate characterized by hot, humid summers and mild winters, classified as humid subtropical (Cfa) according to the Köppen climate system.

According to the 2020 census, the town was home to a population of 24,521 individuals, 6,130 households, and 4,854 families.

Fort Mill has a variety of attractions and, despite its expansion, it benefits from the amenities available in the neighboring cities of Charlotte and Rock Hill.

A part of Cedar Fair’s Carowinds theme park is situated in Fort Mill. The Upper Room is a replication of the Upper Room in Jerusalem where the Last Supper took place. The Fort Mill Downtown Historic District is home to Confederate Park, Memorial Park, and various retail stores. The Fort Mill Times and Fort Mill Magazine are located on Main Street. One of the monuments in Confederate Park is the loyal slaves monument, honoring the belief that slaves were faithful and willingly supportive of the Confederacy. Fort Mill hosts the annual St. Phillip Neri Italian Festival at the local Catholic parish and the Strawberry Festival at Walter Elisha Park. The town is famous for its peach orchards and the Anne Springs Close Greenway, a vast nature preserve spanning around 2,300 acres with lakes, forests, and pastures offering trails for hiking, biking, and horseback riding.

Fort Mill is the proud home of the PrimeTime Players, a minor league basketball team that competes in the East Coast Basketball League. With four championship titles under their belt, the PrimeTime Players have established themselves as a force to be reckoned with, having won consecutive championships in the TRBL from 2012 to 2014 and then again in the ECBL in 2015. You can catch the team in action at their home games held at the Banks Street Gym, located at 490 Academy Street.

In Fort Mill, the government operates under a Council-Manager structure. Presently, the town council is composed of six members, with two elected to represent the community as a whole and the other four representing specific districts within the town.

The Fort Mill School District encompasses the town of Fort Mill and the neighboring community of Tega Cay, providing educational services to students from both areas.

The York County Library operates a branch location in Fort Mill, providing public access to various resources and services.

Some notable individuals include Steve Byrnes, a NASCAR on Fox reporter; Ed Currie, a breeder of record-breaking peppers such as the Carolina Reaper and Pepper X; Thomas Lee Hall, a World War I Medal of Honor recipient; Cheslie Kryst, Miss USA 2019; Rick Newsom, a NASCAR Winston Cup driver; Randy Primas, the first African-American Mayor of Camden, New Jersey (1981–1990); Charlie Rymer, a golf commentator and member of the Georgia Tech Athletics Hall of Fame who won the U.S. Junior Amateur in 1985; Elliot White Springs, a World War I flying ace, author, industrialist, and South Carolina Hall of Fame member; Melvin Stewart, an Olympic swimmer and medalist who co-founded SwimSwam; Vance Walker, an NFL defensive tackle for the Denver Broncos; James E. Williams, a Medal of Honor recipient and U.S. Marshal of South Carolina; and Ricky Wysocki, the 2016 disc golf world champion.

 

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