BATESBURG-LEESVILLE, SOUTH CAROLINA

'Batesburg-Leesville' is a town in South Carolina with a population of 5,517 (2000 census).

Contents

History

Law and Government

Mayor

Town Council

Economy

Top Employers

Poultry Industry

Poultry Festival

Future Growth

Education

Public Schools

Private Schools

Area Colleges and Universities

Media

Newspapers

Radio

Television

Geography

Demographics

External links

History

See: Isaac Woodard

Law and Government

Batesburg-Leesville is served by a council-manager style government.

Mayor

Batesburg-Leesville's mayor is James Wiszowaty.

Town Council

The town council is comprised of eight elected council persons representing single member districts. The current council members are:

★ 'District 1:' Mark DeLoach

★ 'District 2:' Todd O'Dell

★ 'District 3:' Stephen Cain

★ 'District 4:' Charles M. Simpkins

★ 'District 5:' Gladys Cullum

★ 'District 6:' Joe L. Barr

★ 'District 7:' Rita J. Crapps (also mayor pro tem)

★ 'District 8:' David B. Williams

Economy

Top Employers

Currently, the top employer in Batesburg-Leesville is Lexington County School District Three with four different schools and a district office. Following closely is Union Switch & Signal in their 184,000 ft² manufacturing facility.

Poultry Industry

The town's economic dependence on poultry harvesting is apparent due to the presence of two large processing plants: Amick Farms and Columbia Farms. These assist in making Lexington County the top poultry producer in the state.

Poultry Festival

The South Carolina Poultry Festival (formerly the Ridge Poultry Festival) has been on the second Saturday in May since the year 1986. The Festival features live music, food vendors, craft vendors, a carnival, a parade, and to conclude the event a cake auction and firework show.

Future Growth

On May 9, 2007, Wal-Mart Stores, Inc opened a new 180,000 square foot Wal-Mart Supercenter near the middle of town, as well as a strip mall for smaller businesses. Despite creating 375 new jobs, the Wal-Mart has been a point of contention for many residents since it was announced, as fears arise that competition from a new Wal-Mart will force local business owners to shut down. However, many also argue that historically when a Wal-Mart moves into a small town, the associated economic boom will result in heavily increased population growth which may allow the local businesses to remain open.
Midlands Technical College is currently planning to build a satellite campus around the site of the Old Haynes Auditorium in the Leesville side of town. It is scheduled to open in late 2007.

Education

Public Schools

The public school system in Batesburg-Leesville is administered by Lexington County School District Three, which consists of:

★ Batesburg-Leesville Primary School (grades K-2)

★ Batesburg-Leesville Elementary School (grades 3-5)

★ Batesburg-Leesville Middle School (grades 6-8)

★ Batesburg-Leesville High School (grades 9-12)
All sports teams associated with Lexington County School District Three use a panther as their mascot. The Panthers' colors are purple and gold.

Private Schools

W. Wyman King Academy and The Ridge Christian School are both private, non-denominational Christian schools accepting students in grades K-12.

Area Colleges and Universities

The University of South Carolina Aiken campus, The University of South Carolina Columbia campus, and Midlands Technical College are all within an approximate thirty minute drive from town.

Media

Newspapers

Batesburg-Leesville is served weekly by The Twin City News, which specifically focuses on local news as well as that from immediately surrounding areas (mostly Gilbert and Monetta). It is usually devoid of national or world news.
The town is also served by ''The State'' newspaper, which is also circulated through most of the state of South Carolina.

Radio

Batesburg-Leesville has only one radio station transmitting from within its borders, WBLR 1430 AM. However, Batesburg-Leesville is in range of several radio stations broadcasting from the surrounding areas, including:

★ 'WYFV' 88.7 FM - Christian - Cayce, SC

★ 'WUSC' 90.5 FM - University of South Carolina - Columbia, SC

★ 'WLTR' 91.3 FM - Classical/NPR - Columbia, SC

★ 'WARQ' 93.5 FM - New Rock - Columbia, SC

★ 'WCOS' 97.5 FM - Country - Columbia, SC

★ 'WLXC' 98.5 FM - R&B/Soul - Lexington, SC

★ 'WIBL' 105.7 FM - Country - Augusta, GA

★ 'WNOK' 104.7 FM - "Top 40" - Columbia, SC

★ 'WTCB' 106.7 FM - "Top 40" - Columbia, SC

Television

Over-the-air channels receivable in Batesburg-Leesville include:

★ 'WJBF' - Channel 6 - Augusta, GA

★ 'WAGT' - Channel 26 - Augusta, GA

★ 'WRDW-TV' - Channel 12 - Augusta, GA

★ 'WOLO-TV' - Channel 25 (ABC Affiliate) - Columbia, SC

★ 'WFXG' - Channel 54 - Augusta, GA

★ 'WLTX' - Channel 19 (CBS Affiliate) - Columbia, SC

★ 'WACH' - Channel 57 (FOX Affiliate) - Columbia, SC

★ 'WIS-TV' - Channel 10 (NBC Affiliate) - Columbia, SC

★ 'WRLK-TV' - Channel 35 - Columbia, SC
Alternatively, digital cable providers Time Warner Cable and Pond Branch Telecommunications collectively cover the majority of the greater Batesburg-Leesville area.

Geography

Batesburg-Leesville is located at (33.909767, -81.534296).
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 19.2 km² (7.4 mi²). 19.0 km² (7.3 mi²) of it is land and 0.2 km² (0.1 mi²) of it (1.21%) is water.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 5,517 people, 2,167 households, and 1,482 families residing in the town. The population density was 290.2/km² (751.4/mi²). There were 2,446 housing units at an average density of 128.7/km² (333.2/mi²). The racial makeup of the town was 52.82% White, 45.66% African American, 0.29% Native American, 0.20% Asian, 0.40% from other races, and 0.63% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.61% of the population.
There were 2,167 households out of which 31.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.0% were married couples living together, 22.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.6% were non-families. 28.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.50 and the average family size was 3.03.
In the town the population was spread out with 26.5% under the age of 18, 8.4% from 18 to 24, 25.2% from 25 to 44, 22.6% from 45 to 64, and 17.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 83.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 76.5 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $32,865, and the median income for a family was $40,040. Males had a median income of $32,447 versus $22,196 for females. The per capita income for the town was $16,078. About 16.1% of families and 18.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 25.9% of those under age 18 and 12.5% of those age 65 or over.

External links

★ Batesburg-Leesville Town Website

★ Batesburg-Leesville Chamber of Commerce