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Salem, South Carolina

19 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1888 and the latest in 1996. It stands in the Salem census division. It lies in ZIP code area 29676. It stands on Barbecue Branch. The Survey maps it on the Salem quadrangle. 120 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 1,070 feet above sea level.

Salem within Oconee County

Population over time

2 figures

Salem fell from 135 to 120 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
2010135
2020120-15 (-11%)

Topographic sheets covering this place

8 surveys from 19 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

90 since 1992

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 90 fires within 5 miles of Salem between 1992 and 2020, burning about 264 acres in total. 5 started naturally. 7 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/undetermined38
Debris and open burning25
Arson/incendiarism7
Equipment and vehicle use6
Natural5
Smoking3
Other causes2
Misuse of fire by a minor2
Recreation and ceremony1
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
5 August 2008Natural1.0 acresSouth Carolina Forestry Commissionnot named
22 August 2011Debris and open burning2.5 acresSouth Carolina Forestry Commissionnot named
17 August 2008Naturalunder an acreSouth Carolina Forestry Commissionnot named
4 July 2008Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreSouth Carolina Forestry Commissionnot named
3 July 1996Missing data/not specified/undetermined3.0 acresSouth Carolina Forestry Commissionnot named
22 July 2000Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreSouth Carolina Forestry Commissionnot named
14 July 2008Equipment and vehicle use2.0 acresSouth Carolina Forestry Commissionnot named
6 June 2002Naturalunder an acreSouth Carolina Forestry Commissionnot named

Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:

Every fire recorded in Oconee County

Mines and quarries near this place

2 within 5 miles

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 2 workings within 5 miles of Salem: 2 prospects. None of them still produces. What was taken out: Marble, Dimension, Clay. 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
Marble ProspectMarble, DimensionProspect
Unnamed Clay ProspectClayProspect

Every working recorded in Oconee County

Storms near this place

49 since 1995

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Salem in 49 storm reports between 1995 and 2024: 23 hail, 21 thunderstorm wind, 3 lightning, 2 flash 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.

WhenEvent Place namedHarm What the report says
August 2012LightningSalem$20,000Lightning struck a home on Buckthorn Trail, starting a fire that damaged several rooms.
August 2021Thunderstorm WindSalem$10,000County comms reported multiple trees blown down in the Salem area. One tree was down on a house and others down on power lines.
July 2020Thunderstorm WindSalem$10,000Media reported a tree blown down on a mobile home in the Salem area.
August 2012LightningSalem$5,000Lightning struck a home on Cove Lane, starting a fire that damaged part of the roof.
April 2005LightningSalem$1,000no account filed
May 2024HailSalem-Spotter reported quarter size hail.
May 2024HailSalem-Public reported (via Social Media) quarter size hail near the northern part of Lake Keowee.
July 2024HailSalem-Spotter reported 3/4 inch hail.
June 2023Thunderstorm WindSalem-Power company reported trees blown down on power lines near Salem.
June 2022Thunderstorm WindSalem-At least two trees were blown down in the Salem area.
February 2020Thunderstorm WindSalem-County comms reported trees blown down at Alexander Rd and Highway 130.
April 2020Thunderstorm WindSalem-Public reported a large pine tree snapped and multiple large limbs blown down in the area surrounding High Water Ct.
April 2019Thunderstorm WindSalem-Law enforcement reported numerous trees blown down in the Salem area.
May 2018HailSalem-Spotter reported 3/4 inch hail in the Salem area.
June 2018Thunderstorm WindSalem-County comms reported numerous trees blown down in the Salem area.
March 2017HailSalem-Public reported quarter to half dollar size hail in the Salem area.
July 2016Thunderstorm WindSalem-Spotter reported multiple power lines blown down in the Salem area.
August 2015Thunderstorm WindSalem-HAM radio operator reported several trees and power lines blown down near Salem.
June 2015HailSalem-Law enforcement reported quarter size hail in the Boones Creek community.
April 2015HailSalem-County comms reported quarter size hail south of Salem.
April 2015HailSalem-Spotter reported quarter size hail.
June 2014HailSalem-Spotter reported nickel to quarter size hail on Quail Dr.
August 2013Flash FloodSalem-Several roads were flooded across central Oconee County from Walhalla to Seneca. Some roads that were closed included Collins Road, E South Boundary Road, Old Walhalla Road, Wells Highway, Highway 123, Alexander Road and Crooked Creek Road.
May 2011HailSalem-Golf ball size hail was reported on the west side of Salem.
June 2011HailSalem-Golf ball size hail was reported on highway 11 at Lake Keowee.
June 2011Thunderstorm WindSalem-Trees were blown down along highway 11 near Boones Creek Rd. Strong winds also damaged the roof of a home in the same area.
August 2011Thunderstorm WindSalem-Trees were blown down on Oconee Creek Rd and Burnt Tanyard Rd. Another tree was blown down at the intersection of highway 130 and highway 183.
June 2010Thunderstorm WindSalem-Trees were blown down in the Keowee Key area.
August 2008Thunderstorm WindSalem-Trees were blown down in the Salem area.
July 2006HailSalem-Quarter size hail reported on Lake Keowee.
April 2005HailSalem-Golfball sized hail also reported on Little River Baptist Church Road, 5 miles NNW of Salem at 1:57 PM EST.
May 2005Thunderstorm WindSalem-Highway dept reported a tree on a power line, which sparked a fire in the Bad Creek area. Salem Post Office described wind as strong enough to cause damage.
July 2005Thunderstorm WindSalem-Power lines down.
June 2004Flash FloodSalem-Little River overflowed its banks, flooding several yards.
April 2003HailSalem-Hail was reported off of highway 130.
November 2002Thunderstorm WindSalem-Numerous trees were blown down. One tree fell on a trailer.
June 2001Thunderstorm WindSalem-Sheriff's deputy reported large limbs down on roads.
July 2001Thunderstorm WindSalem-Many trees blown down, some on cars and onto property.
August 2000Thunderstorm WindSalem-Five trees and a few power lines were blown down, mainly in town.
April 2011HailSalem-no account filed
April 2011HailSalem-no account filed
October 2010HailSalem-no account filed
August 2003HailSalem-no account filed
August 2000HailSalem-no account filed
June 1998HailSalem-no account filed
June 1997HailSalem-no account filed
June 1996HailSalem-no account filed
May 1996HailSalem-no account filed
June 1995Thunderstorm WindSalem-no account filed

Every storm recorded in Oconee 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
Tamassee2.4 miles19
Boones Creek2.5 miles19
Flat Shoals3.0 miles20
Fall Creek3.1 miles19
Camp Oak3.7 miles20
Cheohee3.9 miles19
Picket Post5.7 miles20
Moody Cove5.8 miles19

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 SalemAn encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied.
Wikidata item Q2273565The 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 1230283. 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.