Moncks Corner is a town in and the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US ...

Berkeley County, South Carolina Berkeley County is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state of South Carolina. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, its population was 229,861. Its county seat is Moncks Corner, South Carolina, Moncks Corner. After two pre ...

, United States. The population was 7,885 at the 2010 census. As defined by the U.S. Census Bureau, Moncks Corner is included within the Charleston-North Charleston-Summerville Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History

Settled by indigenous peoples for thousands of years, the area of Moncks Corner was occupied by the historic

Edisto Edisto Island is one of South Carolina's Sea Islands, the larger part of which lies in Charleston County, with its southern tip in Colleton County. The town of Edisto Beach is in Colleton County, while the Charleston County part of the island is u ...

w people, a sub-tribe of the

Cusabo The Cusabo or Cosabo were a group of American Indian tribes who lived along the coast of the Atlantic Ocean in what is now South Carolina, approximately between present-day Charleston and south to the Savannah River, at the time of European colon ...

tribes. Its various bands shared a language distinct from that of the major language families in the present-day state: Algonquian, Siouan, and Iroquoian, including Cherokee. Although now extinct as a tribe, Etiwan, Edisto, Cherokee, and Catawba descendants make up the eight families of the

Wassamasaw Tribe of Varnertown Indians The Wassamasaw Tribe of Varnertown Indians, is a small state-recognized tribe of Native Americans descended from historic tribes of the Colonial Era. Located in Berkeley County in the Low Country, in 2005 the people were granted recognition as ...

, a community located between Moncks Corner and Summerville. The 1,500-member tribe were recognized by the state as an Indian Tribe in 2009.Bo Petersen, "Researchers explore local tribe's ties to legendary temple"
''The Post and Courier,'' 17 April 2005, accessed 14 December 2011Bo Petersen, "Local tribe reclaims its roots, heritage"
17 April 2005, accessed 14 December 2011 During the colonial era, Moncks Corner became a major settlement area of French

Protestant Protestantism is a Christian denomination, branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Reformation, Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century agai ...

Huguenot The Huguenots ( , also , ) were a religious group of French Protestants who held to the Reformed, or Calvinist, tradition of Protestantism. The term, which may be derived from the name of a Swiss political leader, the Genevan burgomaster Bez ...

s, who came to South Carolina between 1684 and 1688 as refugees due to religious persecution in France. Many family surnames in Berkeley and adjacent counties are of French origin. The Huguenots soon began to intermarry with the English colonists. The town of Moncks Corner dates back to 1728 and is named for landowner Thomas Monck, a slaveholder who branded his runaway slaves on their chest with his name "T Monck." The town began as a

trading post A trading post, trading station, or trading house, also known as a factory, is an establishment or settlement where goods and services could be traded. Typically the location of the trading post would allow people from one geographic area to tr ...

with a few taverns and stores. The

Battle of Monck's Corner The Battle of Monck's Corner was fought on April 14, 1780, outside the city of Charleston, South Carolina, which was under siege by British forces under the command of General Sir Henry Clinton in the American Revolutionary War. The Loyalist Br ...

was fought here in 1780, associated with the

Siege of Charleston The siege of Charleston was a major engagement and major British victory in the American Revolutionary War, fought in the environs of Charles Town (today Charleston), the capital of South Carolina, between March 29 and May 12, 1780. The Britis ...

Street view Monck's Corner South Carolina 1904

The Northeastern Railroad, which ran between Charleston, South Carolina, and

Siler City, North Carolina Siler City is a town in western Chatham County, North Carolina, United States. As of the 2020 census, the town's population was 7,702. History Siler City began when Plikard Dederic Siler and his wife, Elizabeth Hartsoe Siler, settled about four ...

, laid its tracks in 1856, and the train depot became the center of the new town of Moncks Corner. The town of Moncks Corner was chartered on December 26, 1885, and incorporated December 15, 1909. Moncks Corner was granted the trademark "Capital of

Santee Cooper __NOTOC__ Santee Cooper, also known officially from the 1930s as the South Carolina Public Service Authority, is South Carolina's state-owned electric and water utility that came into being during the New Deal as both a rural electrification and ...

Country" by the South Carolina Secretary of State September 9, 1999, and again October 21, 2004. The trademark is a symbol of its abundant outdoor activities, such as horseback riding, hiking, water sports, boating and freshwater fishing. Moncks Corner is also the home of

's corporate office complex. The

Biggin Church Ruins The Biggin Church Ruins are the ruins of a church in Berkeley County, South Carolina. Biggin Church is its name in the USGS Geographic Names Information System. The ruins are about from Moncks Corner, South Carolina, near the intersection of S ...

Cooper River Historic District Cooper River Historic District is a national historic district located along the East and West Branches of the Cooper River near Moncks Corner, Berkeley County, South Carolina. It encompasses 32 contributing buildings, 77 contributing sites, 8 ...

, Lewisfield Plantation, Mulberry Plantation,

Santee Canal The Santee Canal was one of the earliest canals built in the United States. It was built to provide a direct water route between Charleston and Columbia, the new South Carolina state capital. It was named to the National Register of Historic Places ...

, and Strawberry Chapel and Childsbury Town Site are listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artist ...

Geography

Moncks Corner is located near the center of Berkeley County at (33.1966, -80.0067). Its boundary extends east to the West Branch of the Cooper River, south of the outlet of

Lake Moultrie Lake Moultrie is the third largest lake in South Carolina. Created in the 1940s by a state utility project to dam the Cooper River, it covers more than . It provides a wide variety of recreational opportunities, including fishing. Location Lak ...

U.S. Route 52 U.S. Route 52 (US 52) is a major United States highway in the central United States that extends from the northern to southeastern region of the United States. Contrary to most other even-numbered U.S. Highways, US 52 primarily follows ...

is the main highway through the town, leading south to

Charleston Charleston most commonly refers to: * Charleston, South Carolina * Charleston, West Virginia, the state capital * Charleston (dance) Charleston may also refer to: Places Australia * Charleston, South Australia Canada * Charleston, Newfoun ...

and north to

Florence Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilancio demografico ...

. U.S. Route 17 Alternate also passes through the town, leading east to Georgetown and southwest to Summerville.

South Carolina Highway 6 South Carolina Highway 6 (SC 6) is a primary state highway in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It extends from US 76 in Ballentine to US 52/ SC 6 Truck in Moncks Corner. It uniquely links all three of the major hyd ...

leads northwest from Moncks Corner along the south and west sides of Lakes Moultrie and Marion to

Interstate 95 Interstate 95 (I-95) is the main north–south Interstate Highway on the East Coast of the United States, running from US Route 1 (US 1) in Miami, Florida, to the Houlton–Woodstock Border Crossing between Maine and the Canadi ...

Santee Santee may refer to: People * Santee Dakota, a subgroup of the Dakota people, of the U.S. Great Plains * Santee (South Carolina), a Native American people of South Carolina Places * Lake Santee, Indiana, a reservoir and census-designated place ...

. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy An economy is an area of th ...

, Moncks Corner has a total area of , of which is land and , or 1.81%, is water.

Climate

Moncks Corner is a humid subtropical climate(Cfa) according to the

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, nota ...

system. It is similar to

in regards of the said climate, which Moncks Corner is a suburb of. However, due to the distance from the coast compared to Charleston, it is noticeably hotter in the summer.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 13,297 people, 3,774 households, and 2,796 families residing in the town.

2000 census

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses in ...

of 2000, there were 5,952 people, 2,103 households, and 1,491 families residing in the town. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical ...

was 1,333.1 people per square mile (515.3/km²). There were 2,334 housing units at an average density of 522.8 per square mile (202.1/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 57.33%

White White is the lightness, lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully diffuse reflection, reflect and scattering, scatter all the ...

, 36.59%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American ...

, 0.64% Native American, 0.55% Asian, 0.05%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of Ocea ...

, 2.97% from other races, and 1.86% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties for ...

or Latino of any race were 4.20% of the population. There were 2,103 households, out of which 40.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.6% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...

living together, 23.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.1% were non-families. 25.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.61 and the average family size was 3.09. In the town, the population was spread out, with 28.9% under the age of 18, 10.5% from 18 to 24, 30.0% from 25 to 44, 18.1% from 45 to 64, and 12.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females, there were 87.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 81.8 males. The median income for a household in the town was $31,711, and the median income for a family was $37,335. Males had a median income of $30,634 versus $21,796 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the town was $15,202. About 16.5% of families and 17.6% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 26.6% of those under age 18 and 11.7% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Moncks Corner has a public library, a branch of the Berkeley County Library System.

Notable people

* Omar Brown, National Football League (NFL) player *

Charlamagne tha God Lenard Larry McKelvey (born June 29, 1978), known professionally as Charlamagne tha God or simply Charlamagne, is an American radio host and television personality. He is a co-host of the nationally syndicated radio show '' The Breakfast Club' ...

(born 1978), radio and TV personality *

Andre Ellington Andre DeAngelo Ellington (born February 3, 1989) is a former American football running back. He played college football at Clemson and was drafted by the Arizona Cardinals in the sixth round of the 2013 NFL Draft. High school career Ellington ...

, NFL player * Bruce Ellington (born 1991), NFL player *

Steven Furtick Larry Stevens "Steven" Furtick Jr. (born February 19, 1980) is an American Baptist evangelical Christian pastor, author, and songwriter of Elevation Worship. He is the founder and senior pastor of Elevation Church, based in Charlotte North Ca ...

, pastor of

Elevation Church Elevation Church is a Baptist Evangelical multi-site megachurch pastored by Steven Furtick, based in Charlotte, North Carolina, affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention.Southern Baptist ConventionElevation sbc.net, USA, Retrieved January 1 ...

* Willie J. Hill Jr. (born 1951), bishop of the

Reformed Episcopal Church The Reformed Episcopal Church (REC) is an Anglican church of evangelical Episcopalian heritage. It was founded in 1873 in New York City by George David Cummins, a former bishop of the Protestant Episcopal Church. The REC is a founding member o ...

Diocese of the Southeast *

Robin Kenyatta Robin Kenyatta (March 6, 1942 – October 26, 2004) was an American jazz alto saxophonist. Early life Born Robert Prince Haynes in Moncks Corner, South Carolina, Kenyatta grew up in New York City and began playing the saxophone at age 14. He wa ...

, jazz musician * Ryan Stewart, NFL player, ''

2 Live Stews The ''2 Live Stews'' was an American syndicated sports talk radio show originating from WQXI (AM) 790 The Zone, in Atlanta, Georgia hosted by brothers Doug and Ryan Stewart. The hosts and cast Both brothers were born and raised in Moncks Co ...

'' radio personality with brother Doug * Isaac Wright Jr. (born 1962), lawyer *

Kwame Brown Kwame Hasani Brown (born March 10, 1982) is an American former professional basketball player who spent 12 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Selected by the Washington Wizards in the 2001 NBA draft, Brown was the first No. ...

, basketball player *

Kathryn Dennis ''Southern Charm'' is an American reality television series that premiered on Bravo on March 3, 2014. The series chronicles the personal and professional lives of several socialites who reside in Charleston, South Carolina. The show focuses on t ...

, Reality TV Star (Southern Charm)

References

External links

Town of Moncks Corner official website

Old Santee Canal Park

Berkeley County School District
{{authority control French-American culture in South Carolina Huguenot history in the United States Towns in South Carolina Towns in Berkeley County, South Carolina County seats in South Carolina Charleston–North Charleston–Summerville metropolitan area