Williston, South Carolina
16 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1923 and the latest in 1982. It stands in the Williston census division. It lies in ZIP code area 29853. The Survey maps it on the Williston quadrangle. 2,877 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 354 feet above sea level.
On record in Williston
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 1 record
Ashley-Willis Houselisted 2004
Population over time
3 figuresWilliston fell from 3,307 to 2,877 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 | 3,307 | |
| 2010 | 3,139 | -168 (-5%) |
| 2020 | 2,877 | -262 (-8%) |
Topographic sheets covering this place
10 surveys from 16 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.
- 1923 USGS Williston quadrangle1:48000
- 1927 USGS Williston quadrangle1:62500, 2 printings
- 1943 USGS Williston quadrangle1:62500, 2 printings
- 1954 USGS Augusta quadrangle1:250000
- 1957 USGS Augusta quadrangle1:250000, 3 printings
- 1958 USGS Augusta quadrangle1:250000
- 1961 USGS Augusta quadrangle1:250000, 2 printings
- 1962 USGS Augusta quadrangle1:250000
- 1979 USGS Williston quadrangle1:24000, 2 printings
- 1982 USGS Barnwell quadrangle1:100000
Fires near this place
214 since 1992Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 214 fires within 5 miles of Williston between 1992 and 2020, burning about 1,248 acres in total. 11 started naturally. 11 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 | 93 |
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 68 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 16 |
| Arson/incendiarism | 11 |
| Natural | 11 |
| Misuse of fire by a minor | 8 |
| Smoking | 2 |
| Power generation/transmission/distribution | 2 |
| Other causes | 2 |
| Recreation and ceremony | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 September 1999 | Debris and open burning | 5.0 acres | South Carolina Forestry Commission | not named |
| 30 September 2001 | Debris and open burning | under an acre | South Carolina Forestry Commission | not named |
| 26 September 2019 | Debris and open burning | 4.7 acres | South Carolina Forestry Commission | not named |
| 25 September 2005 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1.0 acres | South Carolina Forestry Commission | not named |
| 23 September 2011 | Natural | under an acre | South Carolina Forestry Commission | not named |
| 16 September 1999 | Equipment and vehicle use | under an acre | South Carolina Forestry Commission | not named |
| 14 September 1992 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 3.0 acres | South Carolina Forestry Commission | not named |
| 1 September 1992 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | South Carolina Forestry Commission | not named |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Storms near this place
47 since 1997Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Williston in 47 storm reports between 1997 and 2023: 28 thunderstorm wind, 15 hail, 3 tornado, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 2015 | Thunderstorm Wind | Williston | $12,000 | Williston City Police had multiple reports of trees and powerlines down including Janet Street. Dime size hail also occurred. |
| September 2000 | Thunderstorm Wind | Williston | $7,000 | Sheriff reported trees down in Williston, one fell onto a liquor store. |
| August 2013 | Thunderstorm Wind | Williston | $4,000 | Utility Company reported some outages due to large limbs on lines near the town of Williston. |
| June 2013 | Thunderstorm Wind | Williston | $3,000 | Augusta TV station reported trees down in Williston. |
| July 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Williston | $3,000 | Savannah River Site reported trees down near the Williston barricade. |
| April 1999 | Tornado (F1) | Williston | $3,000 | KC4JMV and damage survey confirmed an F1 tornado took down numerous trees and powerlines along a 2 mile path. Minor damage was also done to a home. |
| May 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Williston | $2,000 | Sheriff reported trees down on Moonlight road in Williston. |
| June 2013 | Flood | Williston | $1,000 | Local police reported minor flooding in the town of Williston. |
| May 2012 | Thunderstorm Wind | Williston | $1,000 | Sheriff reported a tree and large limbs down on Patterson Road. Penny size hail also occurred in the same area. |
| July 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | Williston | - | Numerous trees were downed in the Williston area. Time estimated. |
| April 2020 | Tornado (EF1) | Williston | - | A strong, long-track tornado began in Aiken Co SC, within the boundaries of the Savannah River Site, then moved in a general northeast direction. While in Aiken Co, the tornado was rated EF-3. The tornado then crossed into Barnwell Co SC, NW of the town of Williston near Davis Bridge Rd. In Barnwell Co, the tornado was rated as EF-1. The tornado continued to snap and uproot countless trees as it crossed Davis Bridge Rd, and New Forest Rd in N Barnwell Co. The tornado continued moving NE and crossed into Orangeburg Co SC. |
| June 2019 | Thunderstorm Wind | Williston | - | Trees down on Springfield Rd and Elko St. Time estimated. |
| April 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | Williston | - | Trees down in roadway Fellowship Rd at Moonlight Rd. Time estimated. |
| August 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | Williston | - | Power lines down on US Hwy 278 near Hwy 39. |
| June 2013 | Hail | Williston | - | Williston police reported 3/4 inch hail downtown. |
| June 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Williston | - | Sheriff's Dispatch reported trees down in Williston. |
| June 2011 | Hail | Williston | - | Sheriff's Dispatch reported dime to quarter size hail in Williston. |
| June 2009 | Hail | Williston | - | Public reported quarter size hail. |
| July 2008 | Hail | Williston | - | Nickel size hail reported by law enforcement in Williston. |
| July 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | Williston | - | Spotter reported multiple trees down in the town of Williston. |
| March 2008 | Hail | Williston | - | Sheriff reported golf ball size hail between Blackville and Williston on hwy 78. |
| March 2008 | Tornado (EF0) | Williston | - | Survey found a brief touchdown along hwy 78. |
| June 2007 | Thunderstorm Wind | Williston | - | EM reported trees down in Williston on two homes doing minor damage. |
| April 2006 | Thunderstorm Wind | Williston | - | Utility company reported trees down on line |
| October 2006 | Hail | Williston | - | Sheriff and Williston police reported pea to penny size hail in and around Williston. |
| April 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | Williston | - | Pilot reported numerous trees and powerlines down from Williston to Blackville. |
| May 2005 | Hail | Williston | - | Public called in a report of quarter size hail. |
| June 2004 | Hail | Williston | - | WAGT TV reported penny size hail in Williston. |
| December 2004 | Hail | Williston | - | Emergency Manager reported dime size hail in Williston. |
| March 2003 | Thunderstorm Wind | Williston | - | Sheriff reported trees down on powerlines on hwy 39. |
| March 2003 | Hail | Williston | - | Public called and reported dime size hail near Williston. |
| July 2003 | Thunderstorm Wind | Williston | - | Several trees down on hwy 78. |
| July 2003 | Thunderstorm Wind | Williston | - | Williston police reported trees down near Elko. |
| July 2002 | Hail | Williston | - | Public reported nickel size hail near Williston |
| July 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | Williston | - | Newspaper reported several large trees down in Williston. |
| July 2002 | Hail | Williston | - | Newspaper reported quarter size hail in the Williston area. |
| June 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | Williston | - | Sheriff reported trees down in the Williston area. |
| June 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | Williston | - | Highway Maint. dept reported several trees down in the Williston area. |
| June 2000 | Thunderstorm Wind | Williston | - | Sheriff reported trees down. |
| July 2000 | Thunderstorm Wind | Williston | - | HWY DEPT reported trees down on hwy 39. |
| April 1999 | Hail | Williston | - | County EOC reported golf ball size hail along path of supercell. |
| July 1999 | Hail | Williston | - | Sheriff reported 3/4 inch hail. |
| June 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | Williston | - | Utility company reported trees and powerlines down on highways 78 and 781. |
| June 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | Williston | - | Sheriff reported trees down on highway 13. |
| April 1998 | Hail | Williston | - | Sheriff reports one inch hail. |
| July 1997 | Thunderstorm Wind | Williston | - | no account filed |
| April 1997 | Thunderstorm Wind | Williston | - | no account filed |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elko | 2.6 miles | 16 | |
| Reynold | 5.4 miles | 16 | |
| Farrells Mill | 5.7 miles | 16 | |
| Long Branch | 5.8 miles | 16 | |
| Walker | 6.3 miles | 15 | |
| Whaley | 7.0 miles | 15 | |
| Healing Springs | 7.8 miles | 15 | |
| Blackville | 8.5 miles | 16 |
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 Williston | An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied. |
| Wikidata item Q1942709 | 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 1227623. 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.
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.









