Mount Pleasant, South Carolina

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Mount Pleasant is a town located in Charleston County, South Carolina. As of the 2005 census, the town had a total population of 65,350.

1 History
2 Modern-day Mount Pleasant
3 Geography
4 Demographics
5 Notable Mount Pleasantian
6 External links

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History

Mount Pleasant is separated from Charleston, South Carolina, by the Cooper River. For many years it was primarily populated seasonally by Charleston residents wealthy enough to afford summer homes across the river from the Charleston peninsula. The population of Mount Pleasant was centered in an area of the town now known as "The Old Village."

It was determined in 1928 that a bridge from the Charleston Peninsula to Mount Pleasant was needed. Spanning Town Creek and the Cooper River and crossing the uninhabited Drum Island, the two-lane Grace Memorial Bridge opened for traffic as a toll bridge 17 months later. A second and larger bridge, the Silas N. Pearman Bridge, opened in 1966, further connecting Mount Pleasant to its mother city.

On July 16, 2005, the brand new, eight-lane Arthur Ravenel, Jr., bridge opened for automotive traffic, replacing the two aging bridges. A week before the bridge officially opened, pedestrians were allowed to cross the bridge, and commerative coins were distributed. Also, a $250,000 fireworks display was a part of the ceremonies leading up to the actual opening of the bridge. A number of cars from the same time period as the Grace Memorial Bridge, including several restored Model A Fords, will make a final crossing of the old bridges in the near future. The old bridges will be torn down within a year.

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Modern-day Mount Pleasant

At the foot of the Cooper River Bridges lies Patriot's Point, a naval and maritime museum, home to the World War II aircraft carrier USS Yorktown, which is now a museum ship.

In 2004 Mount Pleasant became one of the first cities in the United States to pass a "pay-before-you-pump" gas ordinance. [1] [2]

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Geography

Location of Mount Pleasant, South Carolina

Mount Pleasant is located at 32°49'23" North, 79°50'44" West (32.823189, -79.845477)¹.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 128.3 km² (49.5 mi²). 108.5 km² (41.9 mi²) of it is land and 19.8 km² (7.7 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 15.44% water.

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Demographics

As of the census² of 2005, there are 65,350 people, 19,025 households, and 12,860 families residing in the town. The population density is 438.8/km² (1,136.5/mi²). There are 20,197 housing units at an average density of 186.2/km² (482.1/mi²). The racial makeup of the town is 90.17% White, 7.25% African American, 0.17% Native American, 1.18% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.39% from other races, and 0.82% from two or more races. 1.33% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There are 19,025 households out of which 33.9% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.9% are married couples living together, 8.3% have a female householder with no husband present, and 32.4% are non-families. 24.1% of all households are made up of individuals and 6.0% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.47 and the average family size is 2.99.

In the town the population is spread out with 25.1% under the age of 18, 6.5% from 18 to 24, 35.3% from 25 to 44, 22.8% from 45 to 64, and 10.3% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 36 years. For every 100 females there are 92.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 88.3 males.

The median income for a household in the town is $61,054, and the median income for a family is $71,165. Males have a median income of $50,673 versus $31,640 for females. The per capita income for the town is $30,823. 5.0% of the population and 3.2% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 5.3% of those under the age of 18 and 6.6% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.

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