The Golden Strip

When the City of Greenville's population began to decline starting in the 1960s, suburban municipalities experienced just the opposite. Their populations began to rise quickly. One example of this phenomenon can be seen in the nearby “Golden Strip” municipalities of Mauldin, Simpsonville, and Fountain Inn.

To document the demographic shift of the white population of Greenville County from the city to the suburbs, we present population data from the neighboring areas of Mauldin, Simpsonville, and Fountain Inn -- colloquially known to locals as "The Golden Strip."

After these three municipalities were connected to Greenville through new road and highway projects (I-385 and U.S. 286) and were linked to the city water supply, they soon saw an increase in residential development. These infrastructure projects made it easier for new residents to commute back and forth from the city. For more on the historical origins of the name “Golden Strip” and the reasons behind its rapid growth, see this Greenville News article.

Between 1960 - 2020, the populations of Mauldin, Simpsonville, and Fountain Inn rose steadily.

Prior to 1980, increases in population in Mauldin, Simpsonville, and Fountain Inn driven largely by new white households. These were part of the original recipient municipalities of the “white flight” leaving the City of Greenville. Although originally nearly all white, they have become more diverse over the years as American suburbs have become more racially integrated.

See   population change by race for Mauldin, Simpsonville, and Fountain Inn individually here  .