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Seneca, South Carolina

16 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1888 and the latest in 1991. It stands in the Seneca census division. It lies in ZIP code area 29678. The Survey maps it on the Seneca quadrangle. 8,850 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 965 feet above sea level.

Research this city

Seneca within Oconee County

On record in Seneca

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 8 records

Population over time

2 figures

Seneca grew from 8,102 to 8,850 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
20108,102
20208,850+748 (+9%)

Topographic sheets covering this place

7 surveys from 16 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

160 since 1992

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 160 fires within 5 miles of Seneca between 1992 and 2020, burning about 385 acres in total. 1 started naturally. 19 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 burning57
Missing data/not specified/undetermined45
Arson/incendiarism19
Equipment and vehicle use10
Smoking9
Misuse of fire by a minor7
Recreation and ceremony5
Railroad operations and maintenance4
Power generation/transmission/distribution2
Natural1
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
5 September 2014Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreSouth Carolina Forestry Commissionnot named
30 September 2016Recreation and ceremony1.0 acresSouth Carolina Forestry Commissionnot named
22 September 2001Railroad operations and maintenance2.0 acresSouth Carolina Forestry Commissionnot named
14 September 1999Debris and open burning5.0 acresSouth Carolina Forestry Commissionnot named
14 September 1998Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreSouth Carolina Forestry Commissionnot named
8 August 1999Arson/incendiarismunder an acreSouth Carolina Forestry Commissionnot named
3 August 1992Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreSouth Carolina Forestry Commissionnot named
20 August 2007Debris and open burning1.5 acresSouth 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

10 of 12 shown

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 12 workings within 5 miles of Seneca: 6 prospects, 2 unknowns, 2 past producers, 2 occurrences. None of them still produces. What was taken out: Mica, Gold, Sand and Gravel, Construction, Garnet. 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
Unnamed Garnet ProspectGarnetProspect
Unnamed Talc ProspectTalc-SoapstoneProspect
Richland Sand PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionUnknownSedimentary
Richland Sand PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
Cochran MineGoldPast Producer
J B Smith ProspectMicaProspect
John Dyer ProspectMicaProspect
Leroy ProspectMicaProspect
Parker DepositMicaOccurrence
Sitton ProspectGoldProspect

Every working recorded in Oconee County

Storms near this place

60 since 1993

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Seneca in 60 storm reports between 1993 and 2025: 33 thunderstorm wind, 21 hail, 4 lightning, 1 tornado. 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
July 2008LightningSeneca$500,000Lightning ignited a fire at a large home on Lake Keowee, causing extensive damage.
August 2004LightningSeneca$80,000Lightning ignited fires at 2 homes, causing significant damage to both.
March 1993Tornado (F0)Seneca$50,000no account filed
May 1998Thunderstorm WindSeneca$25,000no account filed
September 1996Thunderstorm WindSeneca$10,000no account filed
April 2005Thunderstorm WindSeneca$5,000A 60 foot tree reported on a house with some structural damage in Seneca. Ham radio report of numerous trees down across southern Oconee County. Several roads were closed due to fallen trees. Newspaper reported 600 customers lost power.
August 2003Thunderstorm WindSeneca$1,000A tree was blown onto a car.
May 2002Thunderstorm WindSeneca$1,000Several trees and powerlines were blown down. A gust of 51 kts was measured by the ASOS at the Clemson-Oconee County Airport.
March 2025Thunderstorm WindSeneca-Public reported several trees blown down around the Seneca area.
May 2025HailSeneca-Public reported (via Social Media) quarter size hail in the Seneca area.
May 2023Thunderstorm WindSeneca-County comms reported a tree was blown down at the intersection of Campbell Bridge Rd and Wild Fern Rd and another tree down at Bent Tree Dr and Friendship Rd.
June 2022Thunderstorm WindSeneca-Emergency manager reported a few trees blown down in Seneca and vicinity.
June 2022HailSeneca-Media reported 3/4 inch hail.
April 2019Thunderstorm WindSeneca-Media reported multiple trees and power lines blown down on Highway 123 near Seneca.
June 2018HailSeneca-Public reported quarter size hail on Walnut St.
August 2014Thunderstorm WindSeneca-Public reported several trees and large limbs blown down along Highway 59 on the south side of Seneca. Spotter reported several large limbs down on the Anderson County border.
May 2013HailSeneca-Penny size hail was reported just south of Seneca.
June 2009Thunderstorm WindSeneca-Numerous trees were blown down in and around Seneca.
June 2007Thunderstorm WindSeneca-Several trees down at Oconee Point campground.
February 2007Thunderstorm WindSeneca-Trees down on S. Oak St.
June 2007Thunderstorm WindSeneca-Several trees blown down in Seneca, some on vehicles.
June 2007Thunderstorm WindSeneca-Two ultralights and an outbuilding damaged at Tokeena Air Park. Also, several large oak trees were blown down in the area.
May 2006HailSeneca-Golfball size hail reported near Lake Keowee.
July 2005Thunderstorm WindSeneca-Shingles blown off a roof and a tree blown down.
August 2005Thunderstorm WindSeneca-Quite a few trees down in locations around Seneca and to the southeast of town.
June 2004Flash FloodSeneca-A creek overflowed its banks, flooding Meadowbrook Rd as well as numerous yards.
July 2003Thunderstorm WindSeneca-Wind equipment at the Clemson-Oconee County Airport measured a wind gust of 79 mph.
July 2003Thunderstorm WindSeneca-Some trees were blown down.
August 2003Thunderstorm WindSeneca-Several trees were blown down.
August 2002Thunderstorm WindSeneca-Numerous trees were blown down, some across roads.
July 2002Thunderstorm WindSeneca-Large trees, up to 30 inches in diameter and 40 feet tall, were blown down.
August 2001Thunderstorm WindSeneca-A large tree was blown across cars at the police station motor pool, causing a significant amount of damage to employees' cars.
April 2012HailSeneca-no account filed
June 2010HailSeneca-no account filed
June 2009HailSeneca-no account filed
June 2007HailSeneca-no account filed
May 2006HailSeneca-no account filed
May 2006HailSeneca-no account filed
May 2006HailSeneca-no account filed
July 2003HailSeneca-no account filed
July 2003HailSeneca-no account filed
August 2003HailSeneca-no account filed
September 2000Thunderstorm WindSeneca-no account filed
September 2000LightningSeneca-no account filed
May 1999HailSeneca-no account filed
April 1999Thunderstorm WindSeneca-no account filed
July 1999HailSeneca-no account filed
July 1998Thunderstorm WindSeneca-no account filed
June 1998Thunderstorm WindSeneca-no account filed
June 1998Thunderstorm WindSeneca-no account filed
June 1998Thunderstorm WindSeneca-no account filed
July 1997Thunderstorm WindSeneca-no account filed
August 1997HailSeneca-no account filed
March 1997Thunderstorm WindSeneca-no account filed
January 1997Thunderstorm WindSeneca-no account filed
April 1997HailSeneca-no account filed
June 1997Thunderstorm WindSeneca-no account filed
April 1997HailSeneca-no account filed
March 1996LightningSeneca-no account filed
April 1994HailSeneca-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
Lakeview Heights1.1 miles16
Cove Inlet1.2 miles16
Woodburn1.2 miles16
Walnut Grove1.2 miles16
Utica1.3 miles16
Bishop Heights1.3 miles16
White Oak Cliffs1.4 miles16
Loran Point1.4 miles16

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 SenecaAn encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied.
Wikidata item Q2679162The 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 1250833. 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.