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Piedmont, South Carolina

10 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1954 and the latest in 1991. It stands in the Powdersville-Piedmont census division. It lies in ZIP code area 29673. It stands on Big Brushy Creek. The Survey maps it on the Pelzer quadrangle. 5,411 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 787 feet above sea level.

Piedmont within Anderson County

Population over time

2 figures

Piedmont grew from 5,103 to 5,411 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
20105,103
20205,411+308 (+6%)

Topographic sheets covering this place

6 surveys from 10 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

166 since 1992

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 166 fires within 5 miles of Piedmont between 1992 and 2017, burning about 444 acres in total. 2 started naturally. 26 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/undetermined58
Debris and open burning48
Arson/incendiarism26
Misuse of fire by a minor11
Recreation and ceremony9
Equipment and vehicle use5
Smoking4
Other causes2
Natural2
Power generation/transmission/distribution1

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 2000Debris and open burningunder an acreSouth Carolina Forestry Commissionnot named
9 September 2000Debris and open burning1.0 acresSouth Carolina Forestry Commissionnot named
6 September 2002Debris and open burning2.0 acresSouth Carolina Forestry Commissionnot named
3 September 2007Debris and open burningunder an acreSouth Carolina Forestry Commissionnot named
28 September 2006Arson/incendiarismunder an acreSouth Carolina Forestry Commissionnot named
14 September 2016Debris and open burning1.0 acresSouth Carolina Forestry Commissionnot named
14 September 2008Recreation and ceremonyunder an acreSouth Carolina Forestry Commissionnot named
13 September 2010Debris and open burning1.0 acresSouth Carolina Forestry Commissionnot named

Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:

Every fire recorded in Anderson County

Mines and quarries near this place

5 within 5 miles

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 5 workings within 5 miles of Piedmont: 2 past producers, 2 producers, 1 unknown. 2 still produce. What was taken out: Sand and Gravel, Construction, Stone, Crushed/Broken, Sand. 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
River Road PlantSandProducerSedimentary
Vulcan Materials Co. S. QuarryStone, Crushed/BrokenPast Producer
Delzer DredgeSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
Piedmont DredgeSand and Gravel, ConstructionProducer
Saluda River PlantSand and Gravel, ConstructionUnknownSedimentary

Every working recorded in Anderson County

Storms near this place

43 since 1995

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Piedmont in 43 storm reports between 1995 and 2025: 22 thunderstorm wind, 13 hail, 5 tornado, 2 flash flood. The reports record 1 injury. 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 1997Thunderstorm WindPiedmont1 hurt, $8,000no account filed
September 1996Tornado (F1)Piedmont$1,000,000no account filed
July 2003HailPiedmont$100,000Wind-driven large hail caused considerable damage just ahead of the tornado, particularly in the community of Wren.
July 2008LightningPiedmont$50,000Lightning ignited a fire at a home on Mountain Springs Rd, causing significant damage.
July 2003Tornado (F1)Piedmont$25,000The first Pickens County tornado moved into Anderson County northwest of Piedmont and continued to track southeast before lifting near the community of Wren. The tornado was responsible for widespread damage to trees and powerlines, and also some minor structural damage in Anderson County.
July 2003Tornado (F1)Piedmont$25,000The second Pickens County tornado entered Anderson County less than a mile to the west of the first tornado's path. The tornado continued to move southeast before lifting near the community of Wren. Most of the damage was to trees and power lines, but some minor structural damage also occurred.
April 2020Thunderstorm WindPiedmont$10,000Public reported multiple trees blown down and minor structural damage just west of I-85 in the Powdersville and Piedmont areas. Power poles were also snapped near the Highway 86 and I-85 intersection.
June 2003Flash FloodPiedmont$10,000Several roads and bridges were flooded in the Slabtown and Powdersville areas. A car was swept off a road by rushing water.
May 2003Thunderstorm WindPiedmont$10,000Numerous trees were blown down. One fell on a house.
June 1999Thunderstorm WindPiedmont$5,000no account filed
June 2002Thunderstorm WindPiedmont$3,000Numerous trees and powerlines were blown down.
January 2020Tornado (EF0)Piedmont$1,000NWS storm survey found the path of a short track, weak tornado south of Piedmont. The tornado touched down just west of Childs Rd and tracked north/northeast along Osteen Hill Rd before lifting along River Hill Ct. Multiple trees were uprooted and small trees snapped along the length of the path. Structural damage was limited to a metal carport that was torn from a house on Smith Dr.
July 2003Thunderstorm WindPiedmont$1,000Trees and power lines were blown down and blocked some roads, including part of I-85.
May 2025HailPiedmont-Public reported ping pong ball size hail on Old Greenville Highway.
June 2025Thunderstorm WindPiedmont-Public reported several trees blown down in the Piedmont area.
June 2019Thunderstorm WindPiedmont-County comms and highway patrol reported multiple trees blown down across the northeastern part of Anderson County, from near Piedmont to east of Pendleton.
July 2018Thunderstorm WindPiedmont-County comms reported many trees blown down in the northeast part of the county.
June 2017Thunderstorm WindPiedmont-Media reported several large trees uprooted or snapped along Wren School Road. Highway Patrol reported at least one more tree down nearby on Mountain Springs Rd.
July 2017Thunderstorm WindPiedmont-Public reported several large tree limbs blown down off of Hamlin Road.
July 2017HailPiedmont-Media reported nickel size hail.
June 2015HailPiedmont-Public reported quarter size hail just south of Piedmont.
June 2012Thunderstorm WindPiedmont-Multiple trees were blown down from the Piedmont area to West Pelzer.
July 2011Thunderstorm WindPiedmont-Multiple trees and power lines were blown down between Mountain Springs Rd and highway 86.
July 2010Thunderstorm WindPiedmont-A large limb fell on a home and a tree on another home on Oak Hill Dr in the town of Piedmont.
October 2010Thunderstorm WindPiedmont-Several trees were blown down on highway 86 near the Wren Fire Dept.
May 2010Thunderstorm WindPiedmont-A tree was blown down on Old Williamston Rd and another on River Rd. Both were on the northwest side of town.
June 2009HailPiedmont-Hail reported on Marshall St.
June 2009HailPiedmont-Hail reported on the north side of Piedmont.
May 2006Thunderstorm WindPiedmont-Numerous tree limbs blown down.
June 2004Thunderstorm WindPiedmont-A car was blown off a road.
July 2004Thunderstorm WindPiedmont-Power lines were blown down at the intersection of highways 81 and 153.
May 2002Thunderstorm WindPiedmont-Several trees were blown down on the west side of town.
November 2002HailPiedmont-Hail was reported along Highway 86.
November 2002Tornado (F0)Piedmont-A weak tornado touched down west of the city of Piedmont. Numerous large trees were blown over or uprooted as the tornado moved into the city. The tornado moved into Greenville county at 5:25 AM.
November 2000Thunderstorm WindPiedmont-Power lines were blown down, cutting power to several hundred residents.
May 2010HailPiedmont-no account filed
June 2004HailPiedmont-no account filed
December 2004Flash FloodPiedmont-no account filed
June 2002HailPiedmont-no account filed
March 1996HailPiedmont-no account filed
July 1996HailPiedmont-no account filed
June 1995HailPiedmont-no account filed
June 1995Thunderstorm WindPiedmont-no account filed

Every storm recorded in Anderson 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
West Pelzer4.0 miles10
White Plains4.1 miles17
Pelzer4.2 miles10
Williamston5.8 miles9
Powdersville6.4 miles14
Piercetown7.5 miles17
Cheddar8.7 miles9
Toney Creek10.5 miles9

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 PiedmontAn encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied.
Wikidata item Q63883The 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 1225406. 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.