Five Forks, South Carolina

Five Forks is a census-designated place (CDP) in Greenville County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 17,737 at the 2020 census, up from 14,140 in 2010, and 8,064 in 2000. It is a growing, affluent suburb of Greenville and is part of the Greenville–Mauldin–Easley Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Geography
Five Forks is located in eastern Greenville County at 34.80583°N, -82.23028°W (34.805912, -82.230346). It is 11 mi east of Downtown Greenville.

The area is bounded by SC 14 to the west, Roper Mountain and Anderson Ridge roads to the north, Jonesville Road to the east, and Gilder Creek (a tributary of the Enoree River ) to the south. According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 19.7 km2, of which 0.1 sqkm, or 0.59%, is water.

History
The Five Forks area is named for a conflux of five roads, which the Greenville edition of The Post and Courier identifies as Woodruff (the main east–west artery), Batesville, Scuffletown, Bennetts Bridge, and one now called Five Forks Road. The area was still very rural into the early 1990s before rapid growth made it a destination for shopping, restaurants, and entertainment. A 1983 USGS map of the region shows an asterisk- or star-shaped intersection of roads – Woodruff passing through, with Adams Mill, Five Forks, and Scuffletown – before a Woodruff bypass and other realignment changed it.

In 2019, Niche.com ranked Five Forks as the best place to live, and second best place to raise a family, out of 190 best places in South Carolina.

In April 2019, an EF1 tornado was confirmed to have touched down, beginning in Simpsonville and ending its path in Five Forks.

In March 2021, an area plan for Five Forks was posted by Greenville County for comment. The plan had been developed since 2018 by a committee of Five Forks residents to address heavy traffic, loss of trees, and inconsistent growth, and covers commercial design, environmental protection, and goals for residential control. All three county council members who represent parts of Five Forks support the plan, and no one spoke against it at a public hearing in May 2021. The county's addition of overlay districts, as suggested by the plan, would legally govern future development in Five Forks. A motion for the council to adopt the plan as an amendment to the county's comprehensive plan was unanimously carried in August 2021.

2010
As of the census of 2010, there were 14,140 people and 4,630 households residing in the CDP. The population density was 1,860.5 PD/sqmi. There were 4,805 housing units at an average density of 632.2 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the CDP was 87.5% White, 5.5% African American, 0.2% Native American, 4.4% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 1.0% some other race, and 1.5% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.2% of the population.

There were 4,630 households, out of which 53.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 78.3% were headed by married couples living together, 6.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 13.1% were non-families. 11.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 3.1% were someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.05, and the average family size was 3.31.

In the CDP, the population was spread out, with 33.3% under the age of 18, 4.4% from 18 to 24, 27.8% from 25 to 44, 27.5% from 45 to 64, and 6.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37.3 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.6 males.

For the period 2011–15, the estimated median annual income for a household in the CDP was $115,050, and $120,139 for families. Male full-time workers had a median income of $86,543 versus $53,879 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $43,114. About 1.3% of families and 1.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.3% of those under age 18 and 1.9% of those age 65 or over.

2020
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 17,737 people, 5,627 households, and 5,029 families residing in the CDP. 27.2% of residents were under the age of 18.

As of 2021, average household income in Five Forks was twice the average for the rest of Greenville County.

Education
Public education in Five Forks is administered by the Greenville County School District. The district operates Monarch Elementary School in Five Forks. Southside Christian School is a large private school within the CDP, and Primrose Schools has a local campus.

Five Forks has a public library, a branch of the Greenville County Library System.

Government
Five Forks is governed by Greenville County, whose 12-member council includes three who represent portions of the CDP: Butch Kirven, Dan Tripp, and Chris Harrison. All three are members of the Republican Party.

Districts 21 and 35 of the South Carolina House of Representatives cover portions of Five Forks, as do state senate districts 8, 12, and 13. The CDP is within South Carolina's 4th congressional district, represented by William Timmons since 2019.

Fire and safety
Five Forks is served by Clear Spring Fire and Rescue, as well as the Pelham Batesville Fire Department station 3. It has no police force of its own and is served by the Greenville County Sheriff's Office.