BlockBefore

Gaston, South Carolina

12 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1944 and the latest in 1983. It stands in the Swansea census division. It lies in ZIP code area 29053. The Survey maps it on the Gaston quadrangle. 1,608 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 499 feet above sea level.

Gaston within Lexington County

Population over time

2 figures

Gaston fell from 1,645 to 1,608 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.

YearPeople Change
20101,645
20201,608-37 (-2%)

Topographic sheets covering this place

8 surveys from 12 printed sheets

Matched 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.

Fires near this place

663 since 1992

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 663 fires within 5 miles of Gaston between 1992 and 2020, burning about 1,717 acres in total. 14 started naturally. 30 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/undetermined266
Debris and open burning200
Misuse of fire by a minor103
Arson/incendiarism30
Equipment and vehicle use28
Natural14
Smoking9
Recreation and ceremony5
Railroad operations and maintenance4
Power generation/transmission/distribution3
Fireworks1

The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.

DateCause SizeReported by Name on the report
9 September 2001Arson/incendiarism3.0 acresSouth Carolina Forestry Commissionnot named
8 September 2018Debris and open burning2.0 acresSouth Carolina Forestry Commissionnot named
8 September 2018Debris and open burning1.5 acresSouth Carolina Forestry Commissionnot named
8 September 2018Misuse of fire by a minorunder an acreSouth Carolina Forestry Commissionnot named
8 September 1997Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreSouth Carolina Forestry Commissionnot named
7 September 1999Arson/incendiarism1.0 acresSouth Carolina Forestry Commissionnot named
30 September 2007Misuse of fire by a minor1.0 acresSouth Carolina Forestry Commissionnot named
3 September 1997Debris and open burningunder an acreSouth Carolina Forestry Commissionnot named

Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:

Every fire recorded in Lexington County

Mines and quarries near this place

10 of 11 shown

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 11 workings within 5 miles of Gaston: 5 unknowns, 5 producers, 1 past producer. 5 still produce. What was taken out: Clay, Sand and Gravel, Construction, Iron, Zirconium, Thorium, Titanium. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Where SiteCommodity StatusRecorded
Congaree CreekIron, Zirconium, Thorium, TitaniumUnknownPlacer , Modern , Fluvial
Bowen PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionProducer
Hites Kaolin PitClayProducer
Lanier Asphalt SandSand and Gravel, ConstructionProducer
Lanier Construction Company Sand PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionProducerSedimentary
Lanier PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionUnknownSedimentary
Lanier PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionProducer
Lexington County MineClayUnknownSedimentary
Unidentified MineClayPast ProducerSedimentary
Unidentified MineClayUnknownSedimentary

Every working recorded in Lexington County

Storms near this place

39 since 1995

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Gaston in 39 storm reports between 1995 and 2023: 20 hail, 15 thunderstorm wind, 3 tornado, 1 flash flood. The reports record 1 death and 6 injuries. 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.

WhenEvent Place namedHarm What the report says
July 1997Tornado (F2)Gaston1 killed, 6 hurt, $917,000An F2 tornado producing winds to 150 mph killed a 32 year old female and injured 6 others. Two homes were destroyed and 9 others had major damage. Two apartements were destroyed (duplex). Seven mobile homes were destroyed and 94 had minor damage. Numerous trees were down and two crop fields had areas of destroyed crops.
November 1995TornadoGaston$225,000Three mobile homes, two frame homes, and one shed destroyed.
April 2011Thunderstorm WindGaston$22,000Sheriff reported numerous trees and powerlines down from Gaston to Swansea.
September 2007Thunderstorm WindGaston$20,000A microburst moved across a field through a mobile home community and took down a couple of trees, did minor damage to the skirting around a dozen mobile homes, and lifted a carport off its foundation and rolled it about 40 yards. The carport was open in the front and closed on the sides and back.
June 2009Thunderstorm WindGaston$8,000Sheriff reported numerous trees down from Gaston to Swansea.
August 2008Thunderstorm WindGaston$6,000WIS TV reported trees and powerlines down in Gaston and the surrounding area.
June 2015Thunderstorm WindGaston$3,000Sheriff reported several trees down at Blackville Road and Meadowfield Road.
December 2008Thunderstorm WindGaston$2,000DOT reported several trees down in the Gaston area.
August 2009Thunderstorm WindGaston$1,000Winds blew over an 80 pound sign at the Country Gas Mart. Hail was also reported but the size was unknown.
October 2010Thunderstorm WindGaston$500Public reported a tree down and nickel size hail in Gaston.
August 2023Thunderstorm WindGaston-County Emergency Manager reported power lines down along Bismark Road north of Gaston.
May 2022HailGaston-Social media report of 1 inch hail with picture north of Gaston, just north of the Diamond Pet Food plant. Time and location lines up with radar images.
April 2022Tornado (EF1)Gaston-The tornado initially touched down along US Hwy 321 just north of the town of|Gaston. The tornado brought down several large branches and damaged a highway|speed sign. The tornado continued to move northeast near Ball Park Road. The most|significant damage began near the Lexington County and Calhoun County line along|Dixon Rd and Savany Hunt Creek Rd. The tornado then continued into Calhoun Co where it dissipated just before reaching the Congaree River.
July 2018Thunderstorm WindGaston-Tree down near intersection of Cassidy Rd and Ellen Fallaw Rd.
June 2018Thunderstorm WindGaston-Tree down at Bethel Christian Camp off of Boy Scout Rd.
May 2017HailGaston-Public reported, via mPING app, golf ball size hail in Gaston.
May 2012HailGaston-Public reported penny size hail.
June 2011HailGaston-Spotter reported nickel size hail on Stoneridge Drive and Pine Ridge Drive.
October 2010HailGaston-Public reported quarter size hail in North Gaston.
June 2010HailGaston-Public reported penny size hail.
August 2009HailGaston-BP gas station reported penny size hail.
August 2009HailGaston-BP gas station reported golf ball size hail.
June 2008HailGaston-Public reported penny size hail near Gaston.
June 2008HailGaston-Public reported penny size hail in the Swansea area.
July 2008Thunderstorm WindGaston-Reported power lines down on Highway 321 near Gaston blocking the roadway.
March 2008Thunderstorm WindGaston-NWS employee reported trees down on Old Calvery road.
June 2007HailGaston-Public reported golfball size hail on Pine Plain Road in both Lexington and Calhoun counties.
June 2007HailGaston-Gaston Express Minimart reported penny size hail.
August 2007HailGaston-Penny size hail reported at the Country Gas Mart.
April 2006HailGaston-General public reported 3/4 inch hail on Meadowfield Drive in Gaston.
June 2006HailGaston-Public reported 3/4 inch hail at the Pitt Stop store on I-26 at exit 119.
November 2006Thunderstorm WindGaston-Police reported several trees down in the Gaston area.
July 2005HailGaston-Public phoned in a report of nickel size hail.
June 2005HailGaston-General public reported half dollar hail downtown.
June 2005HailGaston-Public reported half dollar size hail.
July 2004Flash FloodGaston-Sheriff reported flooding over southeast Lexington county closing several major roads. Spotters reported 3 to 5 inches of rainfall in the area.
July 2003HailGaston-General public reported 3/4 inch hail.
July 1997Thunderstorm WindGaston-Electric company reports powerlines down from thunderstorm winds.
May 1995HailGaston-no account filed

Every storm recorded in Lexington County

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 PlaceDistance Sheets
Sharpes Hill2.8 miles13
Glenn Village4.4 miles13
Silver Lake5.4 miles13
Charwood5.4 miles13
Shuler (historical)5.4 miles13
Swansea5.4 miles13
Congaree Gardens5.7 miles13
Macedon6.0 miles13

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 GastonAn encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied.
Wikidata item Q1954371The 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 1231307. 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.