Gaston, South Carolina

Gaston, South Carolina
—  Town  —
Nickname(s): The PeachTree Rock City
Location of Gaston, South Carolina
Coordinates: 33°48′57″N 81°6′3″W
Country	United States
State	South Carolina
County	Lexington
Area
• Total	3.4 sq mi (8.9 km2)
• Land	3.4 sq mi (8.9 km2)
• Water	0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2)
Elevation	499 ft (152 m)
Population (2000)
• Total	1,304
• Density	380.6/sq mi (147.0/km2)
Time zone	Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
• Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code	29053
Area code(s)	803
FIPS code	45-28780
GNIS feature ID	1231307
Website	www.gastonsc.org

Gaston is a town in Lexington County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 1,645 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Columbia, South Carolina Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Geography

Gaston is located at 33°48′57″N 81°6′3″W (33.815927, -81.100937).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 3.4 square miles (8.8 km²), all of it land.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 1,304 people, 484 households, and 366 families residing in the town. The population density was 380.6 people per square mile (146.8/km²). There were 532 housing units at an average density of 155.3 per square mile (59.9/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 95.71% White, 1.07% African American, 0.84% Native American, 0.46% from other races, and 1.92% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.92% of the population.

There were 484 households out of which 40.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.1% were married couples living together, 10.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.2% were non-families. 19.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 4.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.69 and the average family size was 3.08.

In the town the population was spread out with 28.9% under the age of 18, 8.1% from 18 to 24, 31.9% from 25 to 44, 22.9% from 45 to 64, and 8.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 97.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.0 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $31,411, and the median income for a family was $32,917. Males had a median income of $27,857 versus $21,680 for females. The per capita income for the town was $13,546. About 17.1% of families and 18.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 26.1% of those under age 18 and 9.0% of those age 65 or over.

Peachtree Rock Heritage Preserve

Peachtree Rock

Located in Lexington County outside of Gaston, SC Peachtree Rock Heritage Preserve protects 305 acres of land, home to several unique sandstone and ironstone formations. These formations, which resemble upside down pyramids, including the most famous formation, known as Peachtree Rock, which is approximately 20 feet high. Millions of years ago, this area now known as the Sandhills, was the Southeastern Coastline of the United States and is the largest source of marine fossils in South Carolina. The park contains 7.5 miles of hiking trails, however, depending upon the hiking route, a hiker can reach Peachtree Rock in less than 20 minutes. This Heritage Preserve is a local landmark off SC 6 & Peach Tree Rock Road and also contains the only coastal plain waterfall in South Carolina.

The rock formations at Peachtree Rock Nature preserve are made from different types of rock. Sandstone, a sedimentary rock that is most commonly composed of sandisized minerals such as quartz or feldspar, makes up the softer, bottom layers of the formations while ironstone accounts for the harder and less-eroded top layers. Ironstone, also a sedimentary rock, contains iron compounds, which can account for the uneven erosion of the formations at Peachtree Rock.

Sandstone (sometimes known as arenite) is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.

Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any color, but the most common colors are tan, brown, yellow, red, gray, pink, and white. Since sandstone beds often form highly visible cliffs and other topographic features, certain colors of sandstone have been strongly identified with certain regions.

Town of Gaston Hires 1-Man Police Department

Town of Gaston has hired a police officer more than two years after dismantling its police department. The State newspaper reported the Lexington County town of Gaston has hired a police chief after its finances improved. Calhoun County Sheriff's Deputy Pat Regalis will take over as police chief August 2, 2010. Lexington County deputies will continue to patrol when Regalis is off. The town has set aside $96,000 to re-establish its police department. That's nearly one-fourth of the budget for the 1,500 person town about 20 miles south of Columbia. Mayor Tony Bivens hopes to add more officers as finances improve. Gaston doesn't have property taxes and relies mostly on business fees.