South Shore was first settled in 1890 by the Fullerton, Warnock, and the Morton families from the nearby Tygarts Valley. Significant development occurred after the coming of the Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad and George D. Winn's ferry to Portsmouth, Ohio, in the 1890s. Winn began to petition for a post office in 1893, and on July 21 the post office was established as "Fullerton", after his brothers Harvey and Harrison Fullerton. The town was incorporated for a short period during 1919. In 1895, the Taylor brickyard was established near Fullerton by Clyde King and became the area's top employer. The Taylor name was applied to both the local railway station and the nearby McCall post office on January 16, 1930. This post office was then renamed "South Shore" on February 4, 1940. Shortly after the city of South Shore was incorporated on July 2, 1957, the Fullerton and South Shore post offices were consolidated under the South Shore name. South Shore eventually annexed the entire city of Fullerton, significantly expanding its boundaries.
Geography
South Shore is located in northern Greenup County at , on the south bank of the Ohio River. U.S. Route 23 passes through the city limits, leading southeast to Greenup, the county seat, and to Ashland. To the west US-23 leads to the south end of the U.S. Grant Bridge, which carries the highway across the Ohio River into Portsmouth. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city of South Shore has a total area of, of which is land and, or 22.79%, is water.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 1,226 people, 539 households, and 335 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,916.9 people per square mile. There were 605 housing units at an average density of 945.9 per square mile. The racial makeup of the city was 97.55% White, 0.16% African American, 0.57% Native American, 0.08% Asian, 0.24% from other races, and 1.39% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.24% of the population. There were 539 households out of which 29.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.0% were married couplesliving together, 15.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.7% were non-families. 34.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 19.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.17 and the average family size was 2.80. In the city, the population was spread out with 23.2% under the age of 18, 8.7% from 18 to 24, 24.9% from 25 to 44, 21.2% from 45 to 64, and 21.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 74.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 70.5 males. The median income for a household in the city was $18,214, and the median income for a family was $25,197. Males had a median income of $23,036 versus $20,833 for females. The per capita income for the city was $12,161. About 22.4% of families and 25.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 35.3% of those under age 18 and 16.3% of those age 65 or over.
Economy
South Shore is the home of Graf Brothers Flooring and Lumber, the largest manufacturer of rift and quartered oak products in the world. Graf Bros employs approximately 275 people, mainly an immigrant workforce.
Education
South Shore has a public library, a branch of the Greenup County Public Library.
