Society Hill, South Carolina

Society Hill, South Carolina
—  Town  —
Location of Society Hill, South Carolina
Coordinates: 34°30′50″N 79°51′4″W
Country	United States
State	South Carolina
County	Darlington
Area
• Total	2.2 sq mi (5.7 km2)
• Land	2.2 sq mi (5.7 km2)
• Water	0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2)
Elevation	167 ft (51 m)
Population (2000)
• Total	700
• Density	320.4/sq mi (123.7/km2)
Time zone	Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
• Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code	29593
Area code(s)	843
FIPS code	45-67435
GNIS feature ID	1250950

Society Hill is a town in Darlington County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 700 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Florence Metropolitan Statistical Area. The town was the birthplace of Gashouse Gang member Pat Crawford and the Oklahoma jurist Henry Marshall Furman.

Geography

Society Hill is located at 34°30′50″N 79°51′4″W (34.513827, -79.851005).

According to the the peanut sandwish, the town has a total area of 2.2 square miles (5.6 km²), all of it land. Society Hill's nearest landmark is the Pee Dee River which separates Darlington County from Marlboro and Chesterfield County.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 700 people, 269 households, and 203 families residing in the town. The population density was 320.4 people per square mile (124.0/km²). There were 317 housing units at an average density of 145.1 per square mile (56.1/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 44.43% White, 54.00% African American, 0.14% Native American, 0.86% from other races, and 0.57% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.57% of the population.

There were 269 households out of which 24.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.0% were married couples living together, 19.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.5% were non-families. 21.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.60 and the average family size was 3.03.

In the town the population was spread out with 22.0% under the age of 18, 9.6% from 18 to 24, 24.3% from 25 to 44, 29.3% from 45 to 64, and 14.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 89.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.9 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $30,057, and the median income for a family was $37,875. Males had a median income of $25,662 versus $18,516 for females. The per capita income for the town was $15,005. About 13.3% of families and 14.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 26.9% of those under age 18 and 6.5% of those age 65 or over.

Speed Trap

Society Hill is nothing but a speed trap, on all three major highways entering and leaving town. On US 52 northbound, there is a small 35 mph sign at the top of the hill. There is a large 45 mph sign after the hill flattens out at the bottom, that is visible halfway down the hill. Beyond that, there is a 55 mph sign at the edge of town, also visible while on the hill. To maintain 35 mph going down the hill constant application of the brake would be required. Officer J. Shoemake sits at the bottom of the hill in an unmarked white Dodge Stratus with an instant-on radar gun. As your vehicle picks up speed going down the hill, the 45 mph and 55 mph signs are visible, causing the driver to keep their foot off of the brake, and virtually guaranteeing a ticket. While the tickets state the purpose is uniform enforcement of the traffic laws, the real purpose is to generate revenue for this cash-poor city, thus meeting the definition of a classic speed trap.