Rock Hill, South Carolina
134715
225068960
2008-07-11T19:02:51Z
66.10.151.132
/* Famous natives and residents */
<!-- Infobox begins !-->{{Infobox Settlement
|official_name = Rock Hill, South Carolina
|settlement_type = [[City]]
|nickname =
|motto =
|image_skyline = Downtown_Rock_Hill.jpg
|imagesize = 250px
|image_caption = Downtown Rock Hill, South Carolina
|image_flag =
|image_seal =
|image_map = SCMap-doton-RockHill.PNG
|mapsize = 250x200px
|map_caption =
|image_map1 =
|mapsize1 =
|map_caption1 =
|subdivision_type = [[List of countries|Country]]
|subdivision_name = [[United States]]
|subdivision_type1 = [[Political divisions of the United States|State]]
|subdivision_name1 = [[South Carolina]]
|subdivision_type2 = [[List of counties in South Carolina|County]]
|subdivision_name2 = [[York County, South Carolina|York]]
|government_type =
|leader_title = [[Mayor]]
|leader_name = Doug Echols
|established_title = Founded
|established_title2 = [[Municipal corporation|Incorporated]]
|established_date = [[1852]]
|established_date2 = [[1892]]
|area_magnitude =
|area_total_km2 = 82.41
|area_total_sq_mi = 31.82
|area_land_km2 = 80.4
|area_land_sq_mi = 31.0
|area_water_km2 = 0.1
|area_water_sq_mi = 0.04
|area_water_percent = 0.10
|area_urban_km2 =
|area_urban_sq_mi =
|area_metro_km2 =
|area_metro_sq_mi =
|population_as_of = [[2005]]
|population_note =
|population_total = 61,620
|population_metro = 1474734 (2004 est)
|population_urban =
|population_density_km2 = 1819.7
|population_density_sq_mi = 1603.8
|timezone = [[North American Eastern Time Zone|Eastern]]
|utc_offset = -5
|timezone_DST = Eastern
|utc_offset_DST = -4
|latd = 34 |latm = 56 |lats = 17 |latNS = N
|longd = 81 |longm = 1 |longs = 34 |longEW = W
|elevation_m = 207
|elevation_ft = 679
|website = [http://www.ci.rock-hill.sc.us www.ci.rock-hill.sc.us]
|postal_code_type = [[ZIP code]]s
|postal_code = 29730-29734
|area_code = [[Area code 803|803]]
|blank_name = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
|blank_info = 45-61405{{GR|2}}
|blank1_name = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
|blank1_info = 1250417{{GR|3}}
|footnotes =
}}
<!-- Infobox ends !-->
'''Rock Hill''' is the largest city in [[York County, South Carolina]], and a [[satellite city]] of [[Charlotte, North Carolina]]. The population was 49,765 at the 2000 census. According to 2006 estimates, the city has a population of 61,620, making it the fourth largest city in [[South Carolina]]. The city is included in the [[Charlotte metropolitan area|Charlotte-Gastonia-Concord]] [[United States metropolitan area|metropolitan statistical area]], which has a population of 1,521,278 according to the 2005 estimate by the [[U.S. Census Bureau]].
==Geography and Climate==
{{main|Climate of the Rock Hill, South Carolina area}}
Rock Hill is located at {{coor dms|34|56|17|N|81|1|34|W|city}} (34.938094, -81.026080){{GR|1}}.
According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the city has a total area of 31.1 [[square mile]]s (80.4 [[km²]]), of which, 31.0 square miles (80.4 km²) of it is land and 0.04 square miles (0.1 km²) of it (0.10%) is water.
Rock Hill has a [[humid subtropical climate]], characterized by hot, humid summers and cool winters. Precipitation does not vary greatly between seasons. July is the hottest month, with an average high temperature of 90 °F and an average low temperature of 70 °F.<ref name="TWCRockHill">Average temperatures and precipitation, Rock Hill, South Carolina, The Weather Channel. [http://www.weather.com/outlook/travel/vacationplanner/wxclimatology/monthly/USSC0292]</ref> The coldest month of the year is January, when the average high temperature is only 52 °F (11 °C) and the average low temperature bottoms out at 32 °F (0 °C).<ref name="TWCRockHill"/> The warmest temperature ever recorded in the city is 106 °F (42 °C), on [[August 21]], [[1985]],<ref>Average temperature and record temperatures for August, Rock Hill, South Carolina, The Weather Channel. [http://www.weather.com/outlook/travel/vacationplanner/wxclimatology/daily/USSC0292?climoMonth=8]</ref> and the coldest temperature ever recorded in the city is -4 °F (-20 °C), on [[January 21]], [[1983]].<ref>Average and record temperatures for January, Rock Hill, South Carolina, The Weather Channel. [http://www.weather.com/outlook/travel/vacationplanner/wxclimatology/daily/USSC0292?climoMonth=1]</ref>
==Demographics==
As of the [[census]]{{GR|2}} of 2000, there were 49,765 people, 18,750 households, and 12,093 families residing in the city. The [[population density]] was 1,603.8 people per square mile (619.2/km²). There were 20,287 housing units at an average density of 653.8/sq mi (252.4/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 58.74% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 37.33% [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], 0.50% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 1.39% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 0.03% [[Pacific Islander (U.S. Census)|Pacific Islander]], 1.02% from [[Race (United States Census)|other races]], and 1.00% from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race were 2.48% of the population.
[[Image:Rock Hill city hall.jpg|left|thumb|390px|City Hall]]
There were 18,750 households out of which 32.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.6% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 18.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.5% were non-families. 27.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 3.05.
In the city the population was spread out with 25.1% under the age of 18, 14.8% from 18 to 24, 30.5% from 25 to 44, 18.4% from 45 to 64, and 11.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females there were 84.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 78.6 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $37,336, and the median income for a family was $45,697. Males had a median income of $32,156 versus $24,181 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the city was $18,929. About 9.7% of families and 14.0% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including 16.2% of those under age 18 and 12.0% of those age 65 or over.
==Higher Education==
Rock Hill is home to three institutes of higher education.
*[[Winthrop University]] was founded in 1886 as the Winthrop Training School in [[Columbia, South Carolina]]. It was initially an all-female school for those who desired to become teachers. The institution diversified its class ranks by extending its educational offerings to minorities in 1964 and to men in 1972. It attained university status in 1992. Winthrop has changed considerably since moving to its permanent Rock Hill home in 1895, growing from a single classroom to a comprehensive learning university of distinction. The university is home to over 6,000 students and was recently named one of the Top Ten Regional Public Universities in the South in [[U.S. News & World Report]]'s "America's Best Colleges" 2006 edition. [[The Princeton Review]] has also rated Winthrop among its “Best Southeastern Colleges” in the review's 2006 edition. Winthrop is the host of the annual [http://www.usdgc.com/ United States Disc Golf Championship].
*[http://www.yorktech.com/ York Technical College] opened in 1964 as a Technical Education Center and began with 60 students enrolled in seven programs all housed in one building. The college has grown in the past four decades from the initial enrollment to over 4,000 credit students in more than 70 credit programs. The college campus has also grown from one building to 14. In 1974, York County Technical Education Center became York Technical College. In addition to offering academic programs, the College provides continuing education for approximately 7,000 area residents and more than 250 businesses.
*[http://www.clintonjuniorcollege.edu/ Clinton Junior College] is an institution of the [[African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church]], founded in 1894 as the Clinton Institute. It initially served as a boarding high school, providing high quality education to hundreds of newly freed blacks. In the early years of the 20th century, the school became known as Clinton Normal and Industrial Institute, and was authorized to grant state teacher certificates. The college presently serves as a liberal arts junior college whose major goal is to prepare students to successfully complete a college major at a four-year institution. In 2000, Clinton Junior College is accreditated by the [http://www.tracs.org Transnational Association of Christian Colleges and Schools] (TRACS).
== Lore and history==
[[Image:civitas.jpg|thumb|125px|right|One of the four "Civitas" statues on Dave Lyle Boulevard in Rock Hill]]
* The city was named for a flint hill of rock that was in the way of the Charlotte and South Carolina Railroad Company, which was building a rail line from Charlotte to [[Columbia, South Carolina|Columbia]]. Much of this rock was removed to make way for the railroad, which built a depot at the site that evenually became known as Rock Hill.
* Rock Hill dates its history to April 17,[[1852]], the day the Rock Hill Post Office opened, even though the town was not officially incorporated until [[1870]]. Thus, Rock Hill celebrated its [[centennial]] in [[1952]] and its [[sesquicentennial]] in [[2002]].
* City limits signs proclaim that Rock Hill is a city with "no room for racism."
* The symbols of the city are the four "Civitas" statues on Dave Lyle Boulevard. Each of them hold discs that symbolize the four different industries in the city. The four Civitas statues located at the GateWay Plaza on Dave Lyle Boulevard were put up in April 1991. The twenty foot tall bronze statues were created by NY artist [http://www.audreyflack.com/AF Audrey Flack.] A fifth Civitas statue was placed in the City Hall Rotunda a year later.
* Rock Hill was home to the late [[Vernon Grant (Kellogg's)|Vernon Grant]], a commercial artist best known as the creator of Snap, Crackle and Pop, the longtime cartoon mascots of [[Rice Krispies]] cereal. Grant also was known for his many depictions of [[Santa Claus]]. He created Glen the Frog, the mascot of Rock Hill's annual spring festival, Come See Me.
* Rock Hill's Saint Anne School was the first integrated school in South Carolina. At the time of its desegreation, the school made national news. Soon the school will be receiving a plaque in front of their new location.
* Rock Hill was the setting for two significant events in the American [[civil rights movement]]. In February [[1961]], nine African-American men went to jail at the York County prison farm after staging a [[sit-in]] at a segregated [[McCrory's]] lunch counter. The event gained nationwide attention because the men followed an untried strategy called "jail, no bail," which lessened the huge financial burden civil rights groups were facing as the sit-in movement spread across the South. This event received widespread national news coverage, and the tactic was adopted by other civil rights groups. They became known as the [[Friendship Nine]] because eight of the nine men were students at Rock Hill's Friendship Junior College.
* Later that year, Rock Hill was the first stop in the [[Deep South]] for a group of 13 [[Freedom Riders]] who boarded buses in Washington, D.C., and headed South to test the [[Boynton v. Virginia|1960 ruling]] by the [[Supreme Court of the United States|U.S. Supreme Court]] outlawing racial segregation in all interstate public facilities. When civil rights leader [[John Lewis (politician)|John Lewis]] and another man stepped off the bus, they were beaten by a white mob. In [[2002]], Lewis, by then a U.S. congressman from [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]], made a triumphant return to Rock Hill, where he spoke at Winthrop University and was given the [[key to the city]]. On [[January 21]], [[2008]], Rep. Lewis returned to Rock Hill again and spoke at the city's Martin Luther King, Jr., holiday observance, where Mayor Doug Echols officially apologized to him on the city's behalf for the Freedom Riders' treatment there.
* Rock Hill is mentioned in [[Promised Land (song)|"Promised Land"]], a [[1964]] song by legendary rock and roller [[Chuck Berry]].
* Production of [[Mel Gibson]]'s 2000 movie ''[[The Patriot (2000 film)|The Patriot]]'' was headquartered in Rock Hill.
* Parts of the [[20th Century Fox]] Movie ''[[Asylum (2007 film)|Asylum]]'' were filmed at Winthrop University.
* *The [[South Atlantic Conference]] is headquartered in Rock Hill. SAC Commissioner Doug Echols is also the current Mayor of Rock Hill.
==Schools==
Elementary
* Belleview
* Central Child Development
* Children's School at Sylvia Circle
* Ebenezer Avenue
* Ebinport
* Finley Road
* Independence
* India Hook
* Lesslie
* Mount Gallant
* Mount Holly
* Northside School of the Arts
* Oakdale
* Old Pointe
* ParentSmart/Rock Hill Family Resource Center
* Richmond Drive
* Rosewood
* Sunset Park
*[http://tbcministries.com/ Trinity Christian School]
* York Road
* [[Westminster Catawba Christian School]]
Middle
* Castle Heights "Knights"
* Dutchman Creek "Gators"
* Rawlinson Road "Raiders"
* Saluda Trail "Wildcats"
* Sullivan "Falcons"
*[http://tbcministries.com/ Trinity Christian School] "Eagles"
* [[Westminster Catawba Christian School]] "Indians"
* [http://www.dayspringaca.org Dayspring Montessori Academy]
* St. Anne's Catholic School
High
* Adult & Community Education
* Applied Technology Center (ATC)
* [[Northwestern High School (Rock Hill, South Carolina)|Northwestern "Trojans"]]
* Rebound
* [[Rock Hill High School|Rock Hill High "Bearcats"]]
* [[South Pointe High School|South Pointe High School "Stallions"]]
* The Phoenix Academy
*[http://tbcministries.com/ Trinity Christian School] "Eagles"
* [[Westminster Catawba Christian School]]
==Media==
Rock Hill is home to a daily newspaper, [[The Herald (Rock Hill)|The Herald]]. Also, [[The Charlotte Observer]] has a Rock Hill bureau which publishes a York County edition three days a week. Other media include radio stations [[WRHM|WRHI]] (news/talk, 1340 AM and 94.3 FM), WAVO (Christian, 1150 AM), [[National Public Radio| NPR]] affiliate [[WNSC]] (88.9 FM), [[Public Broadcasting Service| PBS]] affiliate [[WNSC]]-TV (Channel 30) and CN2, a daily cable news program produced by [[Comporium Communications]]. Southside Baptist Church of Rock Hill broadcasts Christian music and Bible teaching from the Fundamental Broadcast Network over its radio station, WRHJ 93.1. Television station [[WMYT-TV]] Channel 55, the Charlotte market's [[MyNetworkTV]] affiliate, is licensed to Rock Hill but is located in Charlotte.
Rock Hill also took media attention in June of 2008 when National attention was focused on the city's decision to arrest and prosecute persons who cheered or congratulated their friends and relatives at high school graduations. The school districted noted that they had a right to prosecute individuals for disruptive behavior which the city defined as cheering. According to one individual arrested 'It's like a funeral in there'. As a result many parents have already began planning efforts to remove their children from 'totalitarian' efforts to control their emotions. While most cities in America have applause and laughter at graduations, Rock Hill's extreme efforts have brought out mass criticism nation wide, with many individuals threatening to boycott the city, refuse to fill gas when passing through town, and even deciding not to take employment in the town. Said one member of the realty board 'It's like they wanted quiet so badly that we sacrificed our income'. Federal law enforcment from the DA's office, and the Governor have already fielded complaints, and cited the risk of creating an incident beyond the measure of the offense, as one high school student was seriously injured when he was arrested, resulting in loss of a football scholarship. Source: USA Today Jun 11, 2008.
==Famous natives and residents==
* [[DJ Felli Fel]] was born in Rock Hill.
*Hall of Fame manager [[Sparky Anderson]] managed the Rock Hill Cardinals, a [[minor league baseball]] team, in 1965.
*Journalist [[Jim Hoagland]], a two-time [[Pulitzer Prize]] winner, is a Rock Hill native.
*[[Streetball]] player [[Kelvin Wylie]] is from Rock Hill.
*Former Front-man for the Alt-Rock Band "Fallen Away" [[Brad Tuttle]] is from Rock Hill.
*[[Tony Award]] winning [[costume designer]] [[William Ivey Long]] grew up in Rock Hill.
*Democratic political consultant [[Patrick Caddell]] was born in Rock Hill.
*[[Jonathan Hefney]], safety and punt return specialist for the [[University of Tennessee]] football team.
*[[Vernon Grant (Kellogg's)|Vernon Grant]], creator of the [[Snap, Crackle and Pop]] characters for [[Kellogg's]] [[Rice Krispies]] cereal, lived in Rock Hill.
*Edmund Lewandowski, noted Precisionist movement artist, lived in Rock Hill and was chairman of the art department at Winthrop University.
*Country music singer [[David Ball (country musician)|David Ball]] is a native of Rock Hill.
*The [[Post hardcore]] band [[Emery]] is from Rock Hill.
*Former semi-pro Skateboarder [[Kyle Davis]] is from Rock Hill.
*[[Leon Rippy]] is an Actor in numerous movies, is a native of Rock Hill.
*[[Jaimie Robinson]], a corner back for [[Florida State University]] is from Rock Hill and played for Northwestern High School.
*Actor [[Jarrod Bruce]] is a native of Rock Hill.
==National Football League (NFL) players with ties to Rock Hill==
*[[Chris Hope]] of the [[Tennessee Titans]] was a football star for Rock Hill High School.
*[[Ko Simpson]] of the [[Buffalo Bills]] was a football star for Rock Hill High School.
*[[Benjamin Watson]] of the [[New England Patriots]] played high school football for Northwestern Trojans.
*[[Jonathan Joseph]] of the [[Cincinnati Bengals]] played high school football for the Northwestern Trojans.
*[[Jonathan Hefney]]of the [[Tampa Bay Buccaneers]] played high school football for the Rock Hill Bearcats.
*Retired player [[Jeff Burris]] was born in Rock Hill, and played high school football for the Northwestern Trojans.
*Former NFL pro corner back [[Derek Ross]] is a native of Rock Hill, and graduated from [[Northwestern High School]].
*Former South Carolina Gamecock star and Buffalo Bills player, [[Rick Sanford]], Graduated from [[Northwestern High School]] in Rock Hill.
==Notes==
<references/>
==External links==
*[http://www.cityofrockhill.com City of Rock Hill]
*[http://www.rockhillusa.com Rock Hill Economic Development Corporation]
*[http://www.visityorkcounty.com/ Rock Hill/York County Convention and Visitor's Bureau]
*[http://www.patchworktales.org/ Patchwork Tales Storytelling Festival] Annual [[storytelling festival]] in March/April
*[http://www.rockhillrocks.com Rock Hill Rocks!]
*[http://www.heraldonline.com The Herald]
*[http://www.cn2.com CN2 NEWS]
{{Mapit-US-cityscale|34.938094|-81.02608}}
{{York County, South Carolina}}
{{Charlotte/Metrolina}}
{{South Carolina}}
[[Category:Cities in South Carolina]]
[[Category:York County, South Carolina]]
[[Category:University towns in the United States]]
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