Pacolet

History

The area that would become Pacolet was seldom occupied for thousands of years, only occasionally passed through by American Indians. The local Catawba and Cherokee would almost exclusively use the land as hunting grounds, with the exception of soapstone quarries around the Pacolet River established approximately 3,000 to 5,000 years ago. The soapstone mined in the area would be used to make storage vessels and tools. It is believed that one of the quarries in the Pacolet area was the largest American Indian soapstone quarry in the United States. They would be present in many battles across the Eastern theater, including General Robert E. Lee's surrender at Appomattox Courthouse. On May 6, 1896, Pacolet Station became incorporated.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which 0.01 square miles (0.03 km2) (0.34%) is water. The most common soil series is Cecil, although there is a significant amount of Bethlehem in the area surrounding the Pacolet River. The town of Pacolet has a humid subtropical climate with long, hot, and humid summers and cool to semimild winters. The average annual temperature is 61.6 °F (16.4 °C). In the summer from June through September, average highs are in the 80s °F (20s °C) to low 90s °F (30s °C), while in the winter, average highs are in the mid-50s °F (10s °C). Annual rainfall is spread fairly evenly throughout the whole year. Pacolet receives very little snowfall, with the annual average being under 2 inches (5 cm). Annual precipitation is around 50 inches (127 cm), and the average growing season is about 235 days.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  3,251
• Carolina Wren

  Thryothorus ludovicianus (Latham, 1790) · Aves
  2,493
• Tufted Titmouse

  Baeolophus bicolor (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  2,252
• Carolina Chickadee

  Poecile carolinensis (Audubon, 1834) · Aves
  2,192
• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  2,083
• Eastern Bluebird

  Sialia sialis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  2,002
• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  1,845
• Northern Mockingbird

  Mimus polyglottos (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  1,740

Largest nearby schools

• Spartanburg High
  High · Spartanburg · 2,056 students · 15.5:1 ratio
• McCracken Middle
  Middle · Spartanburg · 926 students · 13:1 ratio
• Broome High
  High · Spartanburg · 825 students · 17.6:1 ratio
• Drayton Mills Elementary
  Elementary · Spartanburg · 751 students · 13.2:1 ratio
• Clifdale Middle
  Middle · Spartanburg · 695 students · 14.5:1 ratio
• Carver Middle
  Middle · Spartanburg · 683 students · 10.5:1 ratio
• Pine St. Elementary
  Elementary · Spartanburg · 646 students · 14:1 ratio
• E. P. Todd School
  Elementary · Spartanburg · 576 students · 11.1:1 ratio

Most recent

• M 2.54 — 2025-08-23
  4 km NNW of Coronaca, South Carolina
• M 3.04 — 2025-08-23
  3 km N of Coronaca, South Carolina
• M 2.88 — 2025-08-23
  3 km NNW of Coronaca, South Carolina
• M 2.73 — 2025-08-14
  7 km N of Columbus, North Carolina
• M 2.53 — 2024-10-13
  3 km NNW of Coronaca, South Carolina
• M 2.69 — 2022-12-08
  0 km S of Laurel Park, North Carolina