City of Mauldin growing in residents and entertainment options

MAULDIN, S.C. (FOX Carolina) - Friday nights in Mauldin used to not look as busy- but that’s all changing.

The city of Mauldin, just like many other small cities just outside of Greenville, is growing rapidly. Mayor Terry Merritt says just in the last year, there’s been 6 to 8 new subdivisions built in the city. Now that they have the people, the city is working on ways to keep them there and keep them entertained.

“Typically Mauldin has been kind of an underserved community as far as the arts go,” said Jeannie Harmon, the Marketing Director for the Mauldin Cultural Center.

On the surface, it might not look like much is going on in the city of Mauldin but the Cultural Center has been the catalyst for what’s to come.

“There’s not a whole lot of big public spaces where you can just go and hang out and gather. So, the Mauldin Cultural Center provides that kind of community center” said Harmon.

The theater, dance, live music, and art class events draw in thousands of people.

Mauldin’s mayor Terry Merritt says it’s been like a hub for the city without a center.

“We had to build a sense of place, why do people want to come to Mauldin? There was nothing” said Merritt.

But there’s something coming. Mayor Merritt says the expectation is for the population to increase by around 14,000 over the next 2 years.

The multi-million dollar BridgeWay Station project is progressing, and so is the 6-acre city center facility. Both providing living units, restaurants, entertainment and retail.

“You now have a reason to come to Mauldin, now we gotta give you a reason to stay here after 9:30pm, so that’s what we’re working towards” said Merritt.

The Cultural Center that started it all, won’t be lost in all that’s to come

“We keep getting told like you also bring more programming, more things and we definitely love to. We have to grow as the community grows. So, every year we kind of add a little bit more” said Harmon.

The grand opening for BridgeWay Station is expected to be in the middle of next year, but they’ll start leasing apartments as soon as January. The cultural center has several more events coming up, you can check them out here.

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