Wade Hampton, South Carolina, is named after a colorful Civil War character who was elected Governor in 1876 and then served in the Senate. His campaign headquarters were in Grace Piexotto’s brothel; the state Supreme Court had to decide the election due to suspected fraud; and he was elected to the U.S. Senate the day his leg was amputated as the result of an injury sustained in a fall from a horse.
Wade Hampton is a small town in the northwest corner of the state
Wade Hampton, South Carolina, is named after a colorful Civil War character who was elected Governor in 1876 and then served in the Senate. His campaign headquarters were in Grace Piexotto’s brothel; the state Supreme Court had to decide the election due to suspected fraud; and he was elected to the U.S. Senate the day his leg was amputated as the result of an injury sustained in a fall from a horse.
Wade Hampton is a small town in the northwest corner of the state. Actually, it's not even a town. It is a census-designated place. With a population of 20,622, the whole area spans only 8.9 square miles.
With such lurid and questionable beginnings, you would think this would be a rip-roaring place. In reality, it is an ordinary, quiet Main-Street-U.S.A. kind of town. It even forgot to grow during the last decade, experiencing an .8 percent (barely) growth rate since the year 2000. Its real claim to fame is not within its designated land area. Instead, it's best known for it's close proximity to Greenville, South Carolina, and Paris Mountain State Park.
One Big Neighborhood
As a census-designated place, Wade Hampton can be thought of as one big neighborhood. It does have a variety of places to rent, though, including single-family residences, duplexes, condominiums, apartment complexes, rowhouses and mobile homes. The median house is higher than the median value for the state as a whole. However, Wade Hampton has a low vacancy rate, so it would not be advisable to cruise into town with a U-Haul trailer full of your possessions unless the rent papers are signed. Forty percent of the housing in town is rented.
Living It Up (and Down)
Many of the people who live in Wade Hampton work in Greenville. The commute time for these people is less than 15 minutes, and most drive their cars. Wade Hampton can almost be considered a suburb of Greenville because it is only 9 minutes away to the south. When not working, residents have to make their own fun. However, 5 miles to the northwest is Paris Mountain State Park, which is filled with things to do, such as fishing, boating on a 15-acre lake, swimming, bird watching and hiking 15 miles of trails. This is a nice place to find an apartment rental, even if it is now, considering its beginnings, rather uneventful.