<P> Piedmont is a part of the Greenville - Anderson - Mauldin metropolitan area . </P> <P> Native Americans and early settlers of Piedmont called the area "Big Shoals of the Saluda" after the Saluda River . The Native Americans used the shoals as a crossing . David Garrison established a grist mill around 1850 upon the shoals changing the name of the area to Garrison Shoals . Henry Pinckney Hammett bought this property for his cotton mill that used water power of the shoals . The name of the area changed again to Piedmont, "Foot of the Mountains" and became a mill town . The American Civil War disrupted Hammett's project until 1876 when his plant began operations . Piedmont was added to Hammett's charter for Piedmont Manufacturing Company and a railroad station . Water power from the Saluda River was also used to produce electricity to run the machinery from the 1880s to the 1920s . The machinery of the Piedmont Manufacturing Company was from Saco Lowell and Whitin Machine Works that helped finance Hammett's company . In 1946 the mills were sold to J.P. Stevens and Company where it then was updated with modern features . Manufacturing continued until 1977 and in 1983 most of Piedmont Manufacturing Company burned down . </P> <P> Piedmont is located in northern Anderson County and southwestern Greenville County at 34 ° 42 ′ 15" N 82 ° 27 ′ 41" W ﻿ / ﻿ 34.70417 ° N 82.46139 ° W ﻿ / 34.70417; - 82.46139 (34.704140, - 82.461427). It is 12 miles (19 km) south of the center of Greenville . Exit 35 on Interstate 85 is 2 miles (3 km) to the west of the center of Piedmont . South Carolina state road 86 cuts through the small town also, connecting with Interstate 85 at Exit 35 . According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 8.8 square miles (22.7 km), of which 8.6 square miles (22.3 km) is land and 0.15 square miles (0.4 km), or 1.93%, is water . The Saluda River flows southwards over a dam through the center of town . </P> <P> As of the census of 2000, there were 4,684 people, 1,829 households, and 1,349 families residing in the CDP . The population density was 545.6 people per square mile (210.8 / km2). There were 1,992 housing units at an average density of 232.0 per square mile (89.6 / km2). The racial makeup of the CDP was 92.08% White, 5.85% African American, 0.19% Native American, 0.23% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.11% from other races, and 1.52% from two or more races . Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.20% of the population . </P>

How far is piedmont sc from greenville sc