Nichols, South Carolina
8 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1948 and the latest in 1983. It stands in the Mullins census division. It lies in ZIP code area 29581. It stands on Crutchlow Branch. The Survey maps it on the Nichols quadrangle. 234 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 56 feet above sea level.
Population over time
3 figuresNichols fell from 408 to 234 between 2000 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 408 | |
| 2010 | 368 | -40 (-10%) |
| 2020 | 234 | -134 (-36%) |
Topographic sheets covering this place
5 surveys from 8 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.
- 1948 USGS Nichols quadrangle1:24000
- 1950 USGS Nichols quadrangle1:24000, 2 printings
- 1953 USGS Florence quadrangle1:250000, 3 printings
- 1954 USGS Florence quadrangle1:250000
- 1983 USGS Florence quadrangle1:100000
Fires near this place
189 since 1992Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 189 fires within 5 miles of Nichols between 1992 and 2020, burning about 1,297 acres in total. 1 started naturally. 50 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 |
|---|---|
| Debris and open burning | 55 |
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 55 |
| Arson/incendiarism | 50 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 14 |
| Railroad operations and maintenance | 8 |
| Misuse of fire by a minor | 2 |
| Other causes | 1 |
| Fireworks | 1 |
| Natural | 1 |
| Recreation and ceremony | 1 |
| Smoking | 1 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 September 2004 | Equipment and vehicle use | under an acre | South Carolina Forestry Commission | not named |
| 9 September 1997 | Arson/incendiarism | 2.0 acres | South Carolina Forestry Commission | not named |
| 7 September 2007 | Equipment and vehicle use | under an acre | South Carolina Forestry Commission | not named |
| 3 September 2007 | Debris and open burning | 3.0 acres | South Carolina Forestry Commission | not named |
| 18 September 2001 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | South Carolina Forestry Commission | not named |
| 16 September 2013 | Debris and open burning | 1.0 acres | South Carolina Forestry Commission | not named |
| 16 September 2001 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 6.0 acres | South Carolina Forestry Commission | not named |
| 15 September 2011 | Debris and open burning | 3.0 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 Nichols: 1 unknown, 1 plant. 1 still produces. What was taken out: Silica, Sand and Gravel, Construction. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| E.P. Pitts Sand Pit | Silica | Unknown | 1946, 1975 | |
| Pitts Mine | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Plant |
Storms near this place
23 since 1999Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Nichols in 23 storm reports between 1999 and 2024: 11 thunderstorm wind, 7 hail, 4 flash flood, 1 flood. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| October 2016 | Flash Flood | Nichols | $150,000 | A portion of Kemper Road was washed out. Adjacent roadways were also impacted by the flood waters. |
| September 2018 | Flash Flood | Nichols | $50,000 | Kemper Rd between sc-9 and s-321 closed due to road washout. Steele Rd from s-321 to s-60 was also washed out. |
| July 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | Nichols | $20,000 | A team from the National Weather Service conducted a survey and found a damage path from the intersection of Winnie Road and Old Nichols Highway to near the intersection of Taylor Road and Pace Road. Numerous large tree limbs were blown out to include the tops of two large pine trees. Two large hardwood trees were also uprooted. A few pieces of metal roofing were blown off a horse barn and deposited 100 yards away. Minor shingle and siding damage was also observed at two residences. The path length was about three-quarters of a mile and the maximum path width was 350 yards. The damage pattern was consistent with straight line winds up to 75 mph. Time of event was estimated based on radar data. |
| May 2010 | Hail | Nichols | $5,000 | Hail up to the size of quarters was reported at the Lighthouse Restaurant. |
| June 2016 | Thunderstorm Wind | Nichols | $3,000 | Trees were reported down near the intersection of Old Mullins Highway and Highway 9. |
| January 2013 | Thunderstorm Wind | Nichols | $3,000 | Trees were reported down on Gilchrist Road. |
| July 2006 | Thunderstorm Wind | Nichols | $2,000 | Downburst uprooted numerous trees, one falling on a car. A side garage door was ripped from its hinges. Dime size hail was also reported. |
| April 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | Nichols | $1,000 | A tree was reported down along Highway 9 near Sunny Mart. |
| May 2017 | Thunderstorm Wind | Nichols | $1,000 | A large tree was reported down off of U.S. 76 near Harbor Rd. The time was estimated based on radar data. |
| October 2017 | Thunderstorm Wind | Nichols | $1,000 | A large tree was reportedly blocking the intersection of Hwy. 76 and Grices Ferry Ct. The time was estimated based on radar data. |
| June 2016 | Thunderstorm Wind | Nichols | $1,000 | A tree was reported down on Old Mullins Highway. |
| June 2015 | Thunderstorm Wind | Nichols | $1,000 | A tree was reportedly in the roadway at the intersection of Center Church Road and Gilchrist Road. The time was estimated based on radar data. |
| April 2012 | Hail | Nichols | $1,000 | Hail up to the size of quarters was reported. The hail reportedly lasted for 10 minutes. |
| July 2012 | Thunderstorm Wind | Nichols | $1,000 | A tree was reported down near the intersection of Old Mullins Highway and Old Nichols Highway. |
| April 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Nichols | - | Power outages affecting most of Nichols, SC due to fallen trees. |
| November 2015 | Flood | Nichols | - | Highway patrol reported flooding on Pee Dee Island Road. |
| July 2014 | Hail | Nichols | - | Nickel size hail was reported on Taylor Road. The time estimated based on radar data. |
| May 2003 | Hail | Nichols | - | Skywarn reported nickel size hail. |
| April 2001 | Hail | Nichols | - | Public reported golfball size hail. |
| June 2000 | Hail | Nichols | - | Farmer reported nickel size hail. |
| June 2000 | Flash Flood | Nichols | - | Flooding was reported on Hwy 9 and US 76, near the Marion/Horry county line. Roadways were reported to be temporarily impassable for 30 minutes. |
| April 2000 | Hail | Nichols | - | Trained spotter reported marble to dime size hail. |
| September 1999 | Flash Flood | Nichols | - | Heavy rains associated with hurricane Floyd accumulated near 9 inches in the eastern part of the county and 3 inches on the west side. Flooding occurred in the Brittons Neck area and along Highway U.S. 76 from Nichols to Marion. |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stave Landing | 4.5 miles | 8 | |
| North Mullins | 5.9 miles | 11 | |
| Mullins | 5.9 miles | 11 | |
| Gapway | 7.4 miles | 8 | |
| Smithboro | 8.6 miles | 6 | |
| Zion | 9.1 miles | 6 | |
| Koonce | 10.1 miles | 11 | |
| Pendeboro | 11.1 miles | 11 |
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 Nichols | An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied. |
| Wikidata item Q2071041 | 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 1225046. 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.




