Fort Mill

Fort Mill is a suburban town with about 35,000 residents located along the I-77 corridor in the northernmost part of South Carolina between Rock Hill and the city of Charlotte in North Carolina.

While Fort Mill is not on most tourists' agenda and is primarily a commuter town, it has a few restaurant options and offers a short day trip to residents of Charlotte and Columbia. It is also infamous for being the main headquarters of Lonely Planet and its guidebooks.

History
The town of Fort Mill was established in 1873, taking its name from a colonial-era fort built by the British and a grist mill on nearby Steele Creek. The Catawba Indians made their home in present-day Fort Mill for many years. Scotch-Irish settlers began arriving in the 1750s and 1760s and a small settlement soon developed. Fort Mill grew rapidly in the late 19th century as textile mills were established. After many textile mill shut-downs the town continued to grow rapidly and became a major suburb of Charlotte.

Climate
The Fort Mill area has a humid subtropical climate, characterized by humid summers and cool dry winters. Precipitation does not vary greatly between seasons. July is the hottest month, with an average high temperature of 91 °F and an average low temperature of 71 °F. The coldest month of the year is January, when the average high temperature is 51 °F and the average low temperature is 31 °F. In the summer months, afternoon thunderstorms are typical and are sometimes severe containing strong winds and hail. During the winter months, snowfall is fairly light and rare, only occurring on average one to three times. Please note climate information is based out of the Rock Hill/York County Airport.

By car
Fort Mill is located on I-77, just across the state border from Charlotte, North Carolina at exit numbers 83-90. U.S. Highway 21 is also a major road that runs through the town and is accessible from Pineville to the north and Rock Hill to the south.

By bus
The 82x commuter bus operated by Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) between Charlotte and Rock Hill stops at the northwestern edge of Fort Mill. That being said, it's unlikely to be a reasonable way to get to Fort Mill. Not only is its stop far from the main attractions, it's geared towards commuters, so it only goes one way in the morning and the other way in the late afternoon. You're better off driving.

Get around
Fort Mill is a large spread-out town and is best accessible by car. Cycling is allowed, but bike routes are limited to smaller residential streets.

See

 * Peach orchards

Buy
Popular shopping areas in the town of Fort Mill are listed below.

Eat
Popular restaurants in the town are listed below. There are also numerous local and national chain restaurants along the I-77 corridor in Fort Mill.



Go next

 * Charlotte—hop just across the border to North Carolina's largest city with numerous restaurants, bars and shopping malls with a pristine central district known as Uptown.
 * Rock Hill—Just south of Fort Mill, this South Carolina town offers numerous outdoor activities and quite a few local restaurants in its historic downtown.
 * Pineville—Neighboring Fort Mill, this Charlotte suburb has a large shopping mall and charming downtown.