Buffalo, South Carolina
12 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1941 and the latest in 1986. It stands in the Union census division. It lies in ZIP code area 29321. The Survey maps it on the Union West quadrangle. 1,288 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 591 feet above sea level.
On record in Buffalo
Buildings and businesses the archive holds for this place. Each opens its own page, with the source record it came from.
On the National Register 1 record
Buffalo Mill Historic Districtlisted 1990
Surveyed buildings and structures 5 records
- Buffalo Cotton Textile Mill, Mill Building, SC Route 215, Buffalofederal building survey, 8 photographs
- Buffalo Cotton Textile Mill, Mill Office, SC Route 215, Buffalofederal building survey, 10 photographs
- Buffalo Cotton Textile Mill, Power Plant, S.C. Route 215, Buffalofederal building survey, 1 photograph
- Buffalo Cotton Textile Mill, Worker's House, S.C. Route 215, Buffalofederal building survey, 4 photographs
- Buffalo Cotton Textile Mill, Worker's House, S.C. Route 215, Buffalofederal building survey, 1 photograph
Population over time
2 figuresBuffalo grew from 1,266 to 1,288 between 2010 and 2020. These are the recorded population figures Wikidata holds for this place, reached through the Geographic Names Information System number this page is keyed on rather than by name, so they belong to this place and not to another of the same name. Most are census counts, but not all are: an early figure may be a founding or settlement estimate, and an estimate published within five years of a census is left out. The change column is computed, and is left blank where more than 20 years separate a figure from the one before it, because a gap that long is not a change between two counts.
| Year | People | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 1,266 | |
| 2020 | 1,288 | +22 (+2%) |
Topographic sheets covering this place
7 surveys from 12 printed sheetsMatched by testing this settlement's coordinate against the published boundary of every sheet in the United States Geological Survey's historical collection. Each opens the scanned sheet at the Survey.
- 1941 USGS Spartanburg quadrangle1:250000
- 1953 USGS Spartanburg quadrangle1:250000, 4 printings
- 1960 USGS Spartanburg quadrangle1:250000, 2 printings
- 1963 USGS Spartanburg quadrangle1:250000
- 1964 USGS Spartanburg quadrangle1:250000
- 1969 USGS Union West quadrangle1:24000
- 1986 USGS Spartanburg quadrangle1:100000, 2 printings
Photographs
5 photographs,Taken for the Office of War Information and the Farm Security Administration, who photographed the country between 1935 and 1944. Works of United States government photographers, with no known restriction on use. Each opens its catalogue record.
Photographer not recorded. Library of Congress
Photographer not recorded. Library of Congress
Photographer not recorded. Library of Congress
Photographer not recorded. Library of Congress
Photographer not recorded. Library of Congress
Fires near this place
154 since 1992Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 154 fires within 5 miles of Buffalo between 1992 and 2020, burning about 354 acres in total. 3 started naturally. 6 were recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Reported cause | Fires |
|---|---|
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 74 |
| Debris and open burning | 42 |
| Misuse of fire by a minor | 13 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 10 |
| Arson/incendiarism | 6 |
| Natural | 3 |
| Other causes | 2 |
| Smoking | 2 |
| Power generation/transmission/distribution | 2 |
The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.
| Date | Cause | Size | Reported by | Name on the report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 September 2007 | Equipment and vehicle use | under an acre | South Carolina Forestry Commission | not named |
| 23 September 1997 | Debris and open burning | 1.0 acres | South Carolina Forestry Commission | not named |
| 20 September 1997 | Misuse of fire by a minor | 3.0 acres | South Carolina Forestry Commission | not named |
| 19 September 2016 | Debris and open burning | under an acre | South Carolina Forestry Commission | not named |
| 16 September 1997 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 4.0 acres | South Carolina Forestry Commission | not named |
| 14 September 1997 | Debris and open burning | 3.0 acres | South Carolina Forestry Commission | not named |
| 9 August 2002 | Equipment and vehicle use | 16 acres | South Carolina Forestry Commission | not named |
| 9 August 2001 | Debris and open burning | 4.0 acres | South Carolina Forestry Commission | not named |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Mines and quarries near this place
2 within 5 milesRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 2 workings within 5 miles of Buffalo: 2 past producers. None of them still produces. What was taken out: Gold. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Where | Site | Commodity | Status | Recorded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bogan Mine | Gold | Past Producer | ||
| West Mine | Gold | Past Producer |
Storms near this place
26 since 1995Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Buffalo in 26 storm reports between 1995 and 2025: 19 thunderstorm wind, 4 hail, 2 flash flood, 1 lightning. No death or injury is recorded in these reports. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | Buffalo | $50,000 | Public reported multiple trees and power lines blown down in Buffalo and in Monarch Mill, with some trees on houses in Monarch Mill. |
| June 1999 | Lightning | Buffalo | $5,000 | no account filed |
| April 1997 | Thunderstorm Wind | Buffalo | $2,000 | no account filed |
| September 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Buffalo | - | County comms reported a tree blown down at Toney Rd & Meansville Rd and another tree down on Ingle Ave at Duncan Bypass. |
| April 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Buffalo | - | County comms reported a couple of trees blown down in the Buffalo area. |
| August 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Buffalo | - | County comms reported numerous trees blown down across the county, particularly in the city of Union. |
| July 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | Buffalo | - | County comms reported a few trees blown down in Union County, including at Least a couple of trees down in the city of Union and at least a couple more near Carlisle. |
| June 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | Buffalo | - | County comms reported trees blown down in the city of Buffalo and vicinity. |
| June 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | Buffalo | - | County comms reported numerous trees blown down across the county especially from near Jonesville and Buffalo across the city of Union. |
| July 2013 | Flash Flood | Buffalo | - | Times Drive was flooded and closed as was a portion of the Rice Avenue Extension on the west side of Union. |
| June 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Buffalo | - | Multiple trees and power lines were blown down from Buffalo to Union. |
| August 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Buffalo | - | A roof was blown off an outbuilding with numerous trees blown down from Buffalo to Union. One tree fell on a house on Kelly Rd and another tree on a house on Stevens Rd in Buffalo. |
| July 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Buffalo | - | A tree was blown down in Buffalo. Multiple large limbs were also blown down on Mill St. |
| June 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Buffalo | - | Two trees were blown down about 5 miles northeast of Cross Keys. |
| April 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | Buffalo | - | Trees and power lines blown down. Also large hail of unspecified size. |
| June 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | Buffalo | - | A tree was blown down on Bogan Rd and another near the intersection of Mudbridge Rd and West Springs highway. |
| July 2006 | Thunderstorm Wind | Buffalo | - | A mobile home was blown off its blocks and moved about 5 feet. |
| August 2006 | Thunderstorm Wind | Buffalo | - | Trees blown down along highway 215 from Riley Rd to Linersville Rd. |
| July 2004 | Thunderstorm Wind | Buffalo | - | Two large oak trees and numerous tree limbs were blown down. |
| May 2003 | Thunderstorm Wind | Buffalo | - | Trees were blown down. |
| June 2001 | Flash Flood | Buffalo | - | Overflowing creeks flooded roads in the western half of Union County, between Buffalo and Union. |
| April 2006 | Hail | Buffalo | - | no account filed |
| May 2006 | Hail | Buffalo | - | no account filed |
| May 2004 | Hail | Buffalo | - | no account filed |
| April 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | Buffalo | - | no account filed |
| May 1995 | Hail | Buffalo | - | no account filed |
Nearest settlements
The eight closest, with where each one stands in the county. Distances are straight-line, computed from the Geographic Names Information System coordinates.
| Map | Place | Distance | Sheets |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tempie Hill | 0.3 miles | 12 | |
| Goat Alley | 0.5 miles | 12 | |
| Union | 3.2 miles | 12 | |
| Rogansville (historical) | 3.5 miles | 12 | |
| Bonham | 4.0 miles | 12 | |
| Sardis | 4.6 miles | 12 | |
| Monarch | 4.6 miles | 12 | |
| Bishop Town (historical) | 4.7 miles | 12 |
Elsewhere
Matched on this settlement's Geographic Names Information System number rather than its name, so it cannot be a different place of the same name in another state.
| Wikipedia article on Buffalo | An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied. |
| Wikidata item Q2528435 | The structured record the population and elevation above come from. Public domain (CC0). |
Provenance
This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 1231101. The sheet list is computed by point-in-boundary test against the United States Geological Survey's historical topographic inventory. Both are works of the United States government and carry no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.
Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.






