South Carolina

This article is about the U.S. state. For other uses, seeSouth Carolina (disambiguation).

South Carolina
State
Flag Seal
Nickname: The Palmetto State
Motto(s): Dum spiro spero "While I breathe, I hope" Animis opibusque parati "Prepared in mind and resources"
Anthem:"Carolina" "South Carolina on my Mind"
Map of the United States with South Carolina highlighted
Country	United States
Before statehood	Province of South Carolina
Admitted to the Union	May 23, 1788 (8th)
Capital	Columbia
Largest city	Charleston
Largest county or equivalent	Greenville
Largest metroandurbanareas	Greenville(combined and metro) Columbia(urban)
Government
•Governor	Henry McMaster(R)
•Lieutenant Governor	Pamela Evette(R)
Legislature	General Assembly
•Upper house	Senate
•Lower house	House of Representatives
Judiciary	South Carolina Supreme Court
U.S. senators	Lindsey Graham(R) Tim Scott(R)
U.S. House delegation	6 Republicans 1 Democrat (list)
Area
• Total	32,020.49 sq mi (82,932.7 km2)
• Land	30,060.70 sq mi (77,856.9 km2)
• Water	1,959.79 sq mi (5,075.8 km2) 6.12%
• Rank	40th
Dimensions
• Length	260 mi (420 km)
• Width	200 mi (320 km)
Elevation	350 ft (110 m)
Highest elevation (Sassafras Mountain)	3,560 ft (1,085 m)
Lowest elevation (Atlantic Ocean)	0 ft (0 m)
Population (2020)
• Total	5,118,425
• Rank	23rd
• Density	170.27/sq mi (65.74/km2)
• Rank	19th
•Median household income	$50,570
• Income rank	41st
Demonyms	South Carolinian
Language
•Official language	English
Time zone	UTC−05:00(Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−04:00(EDT)
USPS abbreviation	SC
ISO 3166 code	US-SC
Traditional abbreviation	S.C.
Latitude	32°02′ N to 35°13′ N
Longitude	78°32′ W to 83°21′ W
Website	sc.gov

State symbols of South Carolina

List of state symbols
Flag of South Carolina
Seal of South Carolina
Living insignia
Amphibian	Salamander
Bird	Carolina Wren
Butterfly	Eastern Tiger Swallowtail
Dog breed	Boykin Spaniel
Fish	Striped bass
Flower	Yellow jessamine
Insect	Carolina mantis
Mammal	White-tailed deer
Reptile	Loggerhead sea turtle
Tree	Sabal palmetto
Inanimate insignia
Beverage	Milk
Dance	Carolina shag
Food	Fruit:Peach Snack:Boiled peanuts Vegetable:Collard greens
Fossil	Columbian mammoth (Mammuthus columbi)
Mineral	Amethyst
Rock	Blue Granite
Shell	Lettered olive
Other	Hogna carolinensis
State route marker
State quarter
Released in 2000
Lists of United States state symbols

South Carolina(/ˌkærəˈlaɪnə/KARR-ə-LY-nə) is astatein the coastalSoutheasternregion of theUnited States.It bordersNorth Carolinato the north, theAtlantic Oceanto the southeast, andGeorgiato the southwest across theSavannah River.Along with North Carolina, it makes up theCarolinasregion of theEast Coast.South Carolina is the40th-largestand23rd-most populous U.S. statewith a recorded population of 5,118,425 according to the2020 census.In 2019,its GDP was $213.45 billion. South Carolina is composed of46 counties.The capital isColumbiawith a population of 136,632 in 2020;while itsmost populous cityisCharlestonwith a 2020 population of 150,227.TheGreenville-Spartanburg-Anderson, SC Combined Statistical Areais the most populouscombined metropolitan areain the state, with an estimated 2023 population of 1,590,636.

South Carolina was named in honor of KingCharles I of England,who first formed the English colony, withCarolusbeing Latin for "Charles".In 1712 theProvince of South Carolinawas formed. One of the originalThirteen Colonies,South Carolina became aroyal colonyin 1719. During theAmerican Revolutionary War,South Carolina was the site of major activity among the American colonies, with more than 200 battles and skirmishes fought within the state.South Carolina became the eighth state to ratify theU.S. Constitutionon May 23, 1788. Aslave state,it was the first state to vote in favor of secession from the Union on December 20, 1860. After theAmerican Civil War,it was readmitted to the Union on July 9, 1868.

During the early-to-mid 20th century, the state started to see economic progress as manytextile millsandfactorieswere built across the state. Thecivil rights movementof the mid-20th century helped end segregation and legal discrimination policies within the state.Economic diversificationin South Carolina continued to pick up speed during and in the ensuing decades afterWorld War II.In the early 21st century,South Carolina's economyis based on industries such asaerospace,agribusiness,automotive manufacturing,and tourism.

Within South Carolina from east to west are three main geographic regions, theAtlantic coastal plain,thePiedmont,and theBlue Ridge Mountainsin the northwestern corner ofUpstate South Carolina.South Carolina has primarily ahumid subtropical climate,with hot, humid summers and mild winters. Areas in the Upstate have asubtropical highland climate.Along South Carolina's eastern coastal plain are manysalt marshesandestuaries.South Carolina's southeasternLowcountrycontains portions of theSea Islands,a chain ofbarrier islandsalong the Atlantic Ocean.

History

Main article:History of South Carolina

Precolonial period

Top left, the shores of Florida and the future Carolina explored in 1500 and showed in 1502 on theCantino planisphere

There is evidence of human activities in the area dating to about 50,000 years ago.At the time Europeans arrived, marking the endPre-Columbian eraaround 1600, there were many separate Native American tribes, the largest being theCherokeeand theCatawba,with a total population being up to 20,000.

Up the rivers of the eastern coastal plain lived about a dozen tribes ofSiouanbackground. Along theSavannah Riverwere theApalachee,Yuchi,and theYamasee.Further west were the Cherokee, and along theCatawba River,the Catawba. These tribes were village-dwellers, relying on agriculture as their primary food source.The Cherokee lived inwattle and daubhouses made with wood and clay, roofed with wood orthatchedgrass.

About a dozen or more separate small tribes summered on the coast harvesting oysters and fish, and cultivating corn, peas and beans. Travelling inland as much as 50 miles (80 km) mostly by canoe, they wintered on the coastal plain, hunting deer and gathering nuts and fruit. The names of these tribes survive in place names likeEdisto Island,Kiawah Island,and theAshepoo River.

Exploration

Map ofFrench Florida,which included modern-day South Carolina

The Spanish were the first Europeans in the area. From June 24 to July 14, 1521, they explored the land aroundWinyah Bay.On October 8, 1526, they foundedSan Miguel de Gualdape,near present-dayGeorgetown, South Carolina.It was the first European settlement in what is now thecontiguous United States.Established with five hundred settlers, it was abandoned eight months later by one hundred and fifty survivors. In 1540,Hernando de Sotoexplored the region and the main town ofCofitachequi,where he captured the queen of theMaskoki(Muscogee) and theChelaque(Cherokee) who had welcomed him.

In 1562 FrenchHuguenotsestablished a settlement at what is now theCharlesfort-Santa Elenaarchaeological site onParris Island.Many of these settlers preferred a natural life far from civilization and the atrocities of theWars of Religion.The garrison lacked supplies, however, and the soldiers (as in theFrance Antarctique) soon ran away. The French returned two years later but settled in present-day Florida rather than South Carolina.

Colonization

Main articles:Province of CarolinaandProvince of South Carolina

See also:Mississippian shatter zone

The Carolina Colony grants of 1663 and 1665

Sixty years later, in 1629, the King of EnglandCharles Iestablished theProvince of Carolina,an area covering what is now South andNorth Carolina,GeorgiaandTennessee.In 1663,Charles IIgranted the land to eightLords Proprietorsin return for their financial and political assistance inrestoringhim to the throne in 1660.Anthony Ashley Cooper,one of the Lord Proprietors, planned theGrand Model for the Province of Carolinaand wrote theFundamental Constitutions of Carolina,which laid the basis for the future colony.Hisutopiawas inspired byJohn Locke,an English philosopher and physician, widely regarded as one of the most influential of Enlightenment thinkers and commonly known as the "Father of Liberalism".

The Carolina slave trade, which included both trading and direct raids by colonists,was the largest among the British colonies in North America.Between 1670 and 1715, between 24,000 and 51,000 captive Native Americans were exported from South Carolina – more than the number of Africans imported to the colonies of the future United States during the same period.Additional enslaved Native Americans were exported from South Carolina to other U.S. colonies.The historianAlan Gallaysays, "the trade in Indian slaves was at the center of the English empire's development in the American South. The trade in Indian slaves was the most important factor affecting the South in the period 1670 to 1715".

In the 1670s, English planters from Barbados established themselves near what is now Charleston. Settlers from all over Europe built rice plantations in theSouth Carolina Lowcountry,east of theAtlantic Seaboard fall line.Plantation labor was done by African slaves who formed the majority of the population by 1720.Another cash crop was theindigo plant,a plant source of blue dye, developed byEliza Lucas.

Meanwhile,Upstate South Carolina,west of the Fall Line, was settled by small farmers and traders, who displaced Native American tribes westward. Colonists overthrew the proprietors' rule, seeking more direct representation. In 1712, the formerProvince of Carolinasplit into North and South Carolina. In 1719, South Carolina was officially made aroyal colony.

South Carolina prospered from the fertility of the lowcountry and the harbors, such as atCharleston.It allowed religious toleration, encouraging settlement, and trade in deerskin, lumber, and beef thrived. Rice cultivation was developed on a large scale on the back of slave labor.

By the second half of the 1700s, South Carolina was one of the richest of theThirteen Colonies.

The American Revolution

Main articles:South Carolina in the American RevolutionandSouthern theater of the American Revolutionary War

A twenty-dollar banknote issued by South Carolina in 1777

On March 26, 1776, the colony adopted theConstitution of South Carolina,electingJohn Rutledgeas the state's first president. In February 1778, South Carolina became the first state to ratify theArticles of Confederation,the initial governing document of the United States, and in May 1788, South Carolina ratified theUnited States Constitution,becoming the eighth state to enter the union.

During theAmerican Revolutionary War(1775–1783), about a third of combat action took place in South Carolina,more than any other state.Inhabitants of the state endured being invaded by British forces and an ongoing civil war between loyalists and partisans that devastated the backcountry.It is estimated 25,000 slaves (30% of those in South Carolina) fled, migrated or died during the war.

Antebellum

Main article:Antebellum South Carolina

Millford Plantationbuilt 1839–41, is an example ofGreek Revival architecture

America's first census in 1790 put the state's population at nearly 250,000. By the 1800 census, the population had increased 38 per cent to nearly 340,000 of which 146,000 were slaves. At that time South Carolina had the largest population of Jews in the sixteen states of the United States, mostly based in Savannah and Charleston,the latter being the country's fifth largest city.

In the Antebellum period (before the Civil War) the state's economy and population grew. Cotton became an important crop after the invention of thecotton gin.While nominally democratic, from 1790 until 1865, wealthy male landowners were in control of South Carolina. For example, a man was not eligible to sit in the State House of Representatives unless he possessed an estate of 500 acres of land and 10 Negroes, or at least 150 pounds sterling.

Columbia,the new state capital was founded in the center of the state, and the State Legislature first met there in 1790. The town grew after it was connected to Charleston by theSantee Canalin 1800, one of the first canals in the United States.

As dissatisfaction of the planters ruling class with the federal government grew, in the 1820sJohn C. Calhounbecame a leading proponent ofstates' rights,limited government,nullification of the U.S. Constitution,andfree trade.In 1832, theOrdinance of Nullificationdeclared federal tariff laws unconstitutional and not to be enforced in the state, leading to theNullification Crisis.The federalForce Billwas enacted to use whatever military force necessary to enforce federal law in the state, bringing South Carolina back into line.

An 1831 House Report from the Committee on Military Affairs noted that

Before the commencement of the war with Great Britain, and for a long time afterwards, the State of South Carolina was almost destitute of any of the means of military protection, excepting as such could be furnished by her own resources. In the harbor of Charleston alone were there any forts, and these were in so feeble a condition, that at a period, when a British squadron was engaged in sounding the depth of water off the bar, and its commander apparently meditating an attack upon the forts, the quantity of gunpowder in the harbor, belonging to the United States, was not more than sufficient to have enabled the garrison to fire a single round.

In theUnited States presidential election of 1860,voting was sharply divided, with the South voting for theSouthern Democratsand the North forAbraham Lincoln'sRepublican Party.Lincoln was anti-slavery, did not acknowledge the right tosecession,and would not yield federal property in Southern states. Southern secessionists believed Lincoln's election meant long-term doom for their slavery-based agrarian economy and social system.

Lincoln was elected president on November 6, 1860. The state House of Representatives three days later passed the "Resolution to Call the Election of Abraham Lincoln as U.S. President a Hostile Act",and within weeks South Carolina became the first state tosecede.

Civil War 1861–1865

Main articles:Ordinance of Secession,Confederate States of America,andSouth Carolina in the American Civil War

Charlestonin ruins, 1865

On April 12, 1861, Confederate batteries began shelling the UnionFort Sumterin Charleston Harbor, and theAmerican Civil Warbegan. In November of that year, the Union attackedPort Royal Soundand soon occupiedBeaufort Countyand the neighboringSea Islands.For the rest of the war, this area served as a Union base and staging point for other operations. Whites abandoned their plantations,leaving behind about ten thousand enslaved people. Several Northern charities partnered with the federal government to help these people run the cotton farms themselves under thePort Royal Experiment.Workers were paid by the pound harvested and thus became the first enslaved people freed by the Union forces to earn wages.

Although the state was not a major battleground, the war ruined the state's economy. More than 60,000 soldiers from South Carolina served in the war,with the state losing an estimated 18,000 troops.Though no regiments ofSouthern Unionistswere formed in South Carolina due to a smaller unionist presence, theUpstateregion of the state would be a haven for Confederate Army deserters and resisters, as they used the Upstate topography and traditional community relations to resist service in the Confederate ranks.At the end of the war in early 1865, the troops of GeneralWilliam Tecumseh Shermanmarched across the state devastating plantations and most of Columbia. South Carolina would be readmitted to the Union on July 9, 1868.

Reconstruction 1865–1877

Main article:Reconstruction era

Joseph Raineywas the first black person to serve in theU.S. House of Representatives.He representedSC's 1st congressional district.

InTexas vs. White(1869), the Supreme Court ruled the ordinances of secession (including that of South Carolina) were invalid, and thus those states had never left the Union. However, South Carolina did not regain representation in Congress until that date.

Until the1868 presidential election,South Carolina's legislature, not the voters, chose the state's electors for the presidential election. South Carolina was the last state to choose its electors in this manner. During Reconstruction, South Carolina maintained a majority-black government, which lasted until approximately 1876 when Democrats and former Confederates committed voter fraud to regain power.On October 19, 1871, PresidentUlysses S. Grantsuspendedhabeas corpusin nine South Carolina counties under the authority of theKu Klux Klan Act.Led by Grant's Attorney GeneralAmos T. Akerman,hundreds of Klansmen were arrested while 2,000 Klansmen fled the state.This was done to suppress Klan violence against African-American and white voters in the South.In the mid-to-late 1870s, white Democrats used paramilitary groups such as theRed Shirtsto intimidate and terrorize black voters. They regained political control of the state under conservative white "Redeemers"and pro-businessBourbon Democrats.In 1877, the federal government withdrew its troops as part of theCompromise of 1877that ended Reconstruction.

Populist and agrarian movements

The state became a hotbed of racial and economic tensions during the Populist and Agrarian movements of the 1890s. A Republican-Populist biracial coalition took power away from White Democrats temporarily. To prevent that from happening again, Democrats gained passage of a new constitution in 1895 which effectivelydisenfranchisedalmost all blacks and many poor whites by new requirements forpoll taxes,residency, andliteracy teststhat dramatically reduced the voter rolls. By 1896, only 5,500 black voters remained on the voter registration rolls, although they constituted a majority of the state's population.The 1900 census demonstrated the extent of disenfranchisement: the 782,509 African American citizens comprised more than 58% of the state's population, but they were essentially without any political representation in theJim Crowsociety.

The 1895 constitution overturned local representative government, reducing the role of the counties to agents of state government, effectively ruled by the General Assembly, through the legislative delegations for each county. As each county had one state senator, that person had considerable power. The counties lacked representative government until home rule was passed in 1975.

Governor"Pitchfork Ben" Tillman,a Populist, led the effort to disenfranchise the blacks and poor whites, although he controlled Democratic state politics from the 1890s to 1910 with a base among poor white farmers. During the constitutional convention in 1895, he supported another man's proposal that the state adopt aone-drop rule,as well as prohibit marriage between whites and anyone with any known African ancestry.

Some members of the convention realized prominent white families with some African ancestry could be affected by such legislation. In terms similar to a debate in Virginia in 1853 on a similar proposal (which was dropped), George Dionysius Tillman said in opposition:

If the law is made as it now stands respectable families inAiken,Barnwell,Colleton,andOrangeburgwill be denied the right to intermarry among people with whom they are now associated and identified. At least one hundred families would be affected to my knowledge. They have sent good soldiers to the Confederate Army, and are now landowners and taxpayers. Those men served creditably, and it would be unjust and disgraceful to embarrass them in this way. It is a scientific fact that there is not one full-blooded Caucasian on the floor of this convention. Every member has in him a certain mixture of... colored blood. The pure-blooded white has needed and received a certain infusion of darker blood to give him readiness and purpose. It would be a cruel injustice and the source of endless litigation, of scandal, horror, feud, and bloodshed to undertake to annul or forbid marriage for a remote, perhaps obsolete trace of Negro blood. The doors would be open to scandal, malice and greed; to statements on the witness stand that the father or grandfather or grandmother had said that A or B had Negro blood in their veins. Any man who is half a man would be ready to blow up half the world with dynamite to prevent or avenge attacks upon the honor of his mother in the legitimacy or purity of the blood of his father.

The state postponed such a one-drop law for years. Virginian legislators adopted a one-drop law in 1924, forgetting that their state had many people of mixed ancestry among those who identified as white.

20th century

Children workersc. 1912.Some children who worked in South Carolina textile mills went to school half a day and worked before and after school—and eight or nine hours on Saturday.

Early in the 20th century, South Carolina developed a thrivingtextile industry.The state also converted its main agricultural base from cotton, to more profitable crops. It would attract largemilitary basesduringWorld War I,through its majority Democratic congressional delegation, part of the one-partySolid Southfollowing disfranchisement of blacks.

In the late 19th century, South Carolina would implementJim Crow lawswhich enforcedracial segregationpolicies until the 1960s. During the early-to-mid part of the 20th century, millions of African Americans left South Carolina and other southern states for jobs, opportunities, and relative freedom in U.S. cities outside the former Confederate states. In total from 1910 to 1970, 6.5 million blacks left the South in theGreat Migration.By 1930, South Carolina had a white majority population for the first time since 1708.South Carolina was one of several states that initially rejected theNineteenth Amendment(1920) giving women the right to vote. The South Carolina legislature later ratified the amendment on July 1, 1969.

See also:South Carolina in the civil rights movement

The struggle of thecivil rights movementtook place in South Carolina, as they did in other Southern states and elsewhere within the country. South Carolina would experience a much less violent movement than other Deep South states.This tranquil transition from aJim Crowsociety occurred because the state's white and black leaders were willing to accept slow change, rather than being utterly unwilling to accept change at all.Other South Carolina political figures, like Sen.Strom Thurmond,on the other hand, were among the nation's most radical and effective opponents of social equality and integration.

During the mid-to-late 20th century, South Carolina started to see economic progress first in the textile industry and then in manufacturing. Tourism also started to form into a major industry within the state during the 20th century, especially in areas such asMyrtle BeachandCharleston.

21st century

North Ocean Boulevard inMyrtle Beach,2010

As the 21st century progresses, South Carolina has attracted new business by having a 5%corporate income taxrate, no stateproperty tax,no local income tax, no inventory tax, nosales taxon manufacturing equipment, industrial power or materials for finished products; no wholesale tax, and no unitary tax on worldwide profits.

South Carolina was one of the first states to stop paying for "early elective" deliveries ofbabies,under eitherMedicaidand private insurance.The term early elective is defined as alabor inductionorCesarean sectionbetween 37 and 39 weeks. The change was intended to result in healthierbabiesand fewer costs for the state of South Carolina.

On November 20, 2014, South Carolina became the 35th state to legalizesame-sex marriages,when a federal court ordered the change.

As of 2022, South Carolina had one of the lowest percentages among all states of women in state legislature, at 17.6% (only five states had a lower percentage; the national average is 30.7%; with the highest percentage being inNevadaat 61.9%).

Geography

Regions

The state can be divided into three natural geographic areas which then can be subdivided into five distinct cultural regions. The natural environment is divided from east to west by theAtlantic coastal plain,thePiedmont,and theBlue Ridge Mountains.Culturally, the coastal plain is split into theLowcountryand thePee Deeregion. While, the upperPiedmontregion is referred to as the Piedmont and the lower Piedmont region is referred to as the Midlands. The area surrounding the Blue Ridge Mountains is known as theUpstate.The Atlantic Coastal Plain makes up two-thirds of the state. Its eastern border is theSea Islands,a chain of tidal andbarrier islands.The border between the lowcountry and the upcountry is defined by theAtlantic Seaboard fall line,which marks the limit of navigable rivers.

Altogether, the state has a total area of 32,020.49 square miles (82,932.7 km²), of which 30,060.70 square miles (77,856.9 km²) is land and 1,959.79 square miles (5,075.8 km²) (6.12%) is water.

Atlantic Coastal Plain

Main article:South Carolina Lowcountry

The AtlanticCoastal plainconsists of sediments and sedimentary rocks that range in age from Cretaceous to Present. The terrain is relatively flat and the soil is composed predominantly of sand, silt, and clay. Areas with better drainage make excellent farmland, though some land is swampy. An unusual feature of the coastal plain is a large number of low-relief topographic depressions namedCarolina bays.The bays tend to be oval, lining up in a northwest to southeast orientation. The eastern portion of the coastal plain contains manysalt marshesandestuaries,as well as natural ports such asGeorgetownandCharleston.Thenaturalareas of the coastal plain are part of theMiddle Atlantic coastal forestsecoregion.

TheSandhillsor Carolina Sandhills is a 10–35 mi (16–56 km) wide region within the Atlantic Coastal Plain province, along theinlandmargin of this province. The Carolina Sandhills are interpreted as eolian (wind-blown) sand sheets and dunes that were mobilized episodically from approximately 75,000 to 6,000 years ago. Most of the published luminescence ages from the sand are coincident with the last glaciation, a time when the southeastern United States was characterized by colder air temperatures and stronger winds.

Piedmont

Much of Piedmont consists of Paleozoic metamorphic and igneous rocks, and the landscape has relatively low relief. Due to the changing economics of farming, much of the land is now reforested inloblolly pinefor the lumber industry. These forests are part of theSoutheastern mixed forestsecoregion.At the southeastern edge of Piedmont is thefall line,where rivers drop to the coastal plain. The fall line was an important early source of water power. Mills built to this resource encouraged the growth of several cities, including the capital,Columbia.The larger rivers are navigable up to the fall line, providing a trade route for mill towns.

The northwestern part of Piedmont is also known as the Foothills. TheCherokee Parkwayis a scenic driving route through this area. This is whereTable Rock State Parkis located.

Blue Ridge

Pinnacle Mountainviewed fromCaesars Head

The Blue Ridge consists primarily of Precambrian metamorphic rocks, and the landscape has relatively high relief. The Blue Ridge Region contains anescarpmentof theBlue Ridge Mountainsthat continues intoNorth CarolinaandGeorgiaas part of the southernAppalachian Mountains.Sassafras Mountain,South Carolina's highest point at 3,560 feet (1,090 m), is in this area.Also in this area isCaesars Head State Park.The environment here is that of theAppalachian-Blue Ridge forestsecoregion.TheChattooga River,on the border between South Carolina and Georgia, is a favoritewhitewater raftingdestination.

Lakes

Main article:List of lakes in South Carolina

Lake Hartwell includes parts of theSavannah,Tugaloo,andSenecarivers

South Carolina has several major lakes covering over 683 square miles (1,770 km²). All major lakes in South Carolina are human-made. The following are the lakes listed by size.

• Lake Marion110,000 acres (450 km²)
• Lake Strom Thurmond(also known asClarks Hill Lake) 71,100 acres (290 km²)
• Lake Moultrie60,000 acres (240 km²)
• Lake Hartwell56,000 acres (230 km²)
• Lake Murray50,000 acres (200 km²)
• Russell Lake26,650 acres (110 km²)
• Lake Keowee18,372 acres (70 km²)
• Lake Wylie13,400 acres (50 km²)
• Lake Wateree13,250 acres (50 km²)
• Lake Greenwood11,400 acres (50 km²)
• Lake Jocassee7,500 acres (30 km²)
• Lake Bowen1,534 acres (6.21 km²)

Earthquakes

Main article:List of earthquakes in South Carolina

South Carolina is the most seismically active state on theEast Coast.Between July 1, 2021, and July 1, 2022, there were 74 recorded earthquakes in South Carolina,six of which exceeded a 3 magnitude.In 2021 and 2022, most of which were concentrated inKershaw Countyand the coastal area ofCharleston.The Charleston area demonstrates the greatest frequency of earthquakes in South Carolina. South Carolina averages 10–15 earthquakes a year below magnitude3 (FEMA). TheCharleston earthquake of 1886was the largest quake ever to hit the eastern United States. The 7.0–7.3 magnitude earthquake killed 60 people and destroyed much of the city.Faults in this region are difficult to study at the surface due to thick sedimentation on top of them. Many of the ancient faults are within plates rather than along plate boundaries.

Climate

Main article:Climate of South Carolina

A map of the average annualprecipitationin South Carolina

South Carolina has ahumid subtropical climate(Köppen climate classificationCfa), although high-elevation areas in the Upstate area have fewer subtropical characteristics than areas on the Atlantic coastline. In the summer, South Carolina is hot and humid, with daytime temperatures averaging between 86–93 °F (30–34 °C) in most of the state and overnight lows averaging 70–75 °F (21–24 °C) on the coast and from 66–73 °F (19–23 °C) inland. Winter temperatures are much less uniform in South Carolina. Coastal areas of the state have very mild winters, with high temperatures approaching an average of 60 °F (16 °C) and overnight lows around 40 °F (5–8 °C).

A snow plow in South Carolina. The upstate and mountainous region of the state receives the most measurable snowfall.

Inland, the average January overnight low is around 32 °F (0 °C) in Columbia and temperatures well below freezing in the Upstate. While precipitation is abundant the entire year in almost the entire state, the coast tends to have a slightly wetter summer, while inland, the spring and autumn transitions tend to be the wettest periods and winter the driest season, with November being the driest month. The highest recorded temperature is 113 °F (45 °C) inJohnstonand Columbia on June 29, 2012, and the lowest recorded temperature is −19 °F (−28 °C) atCaesars Headon January 21, 1985.

Snowfall in South Carolina is minimal in the lower elevation areas south and east of Columbia. It is not uncommon for areas along the southernmost coast to not receive measurable snowfall for several years. In the Piedmont and Foothills, especially along and north of Interstate 85, measurable snowfall occurs one to three times in most years. Annual average total amounts range from 2 to 6 inches. The Blue Ridge Escarpment receives the most average total measurable snowfall; amounts range from 7 to 12 inches.

South Carolina averages around 50 days ofthunderstormactivity a year. This is less than some of the states further south, and it is slightly less vulnerable totornadoesthan the states which border on theGulf of Mexico.Some notable tornadoes have struck South Carolina, and the state averages around 14 tornadoes annually.Hailis common with many of the thunderstorms in the state, as there is often a marked contrast in temperature of warmer ground conditions compared to the cold air aloft.

Hurricanes and tropical cyclones

Category 4 Hurricane Hugo in 1989

The state is occasionally affected bytropical cyclones.This is an annual concern during hurricane season, which lasts from June1 to November 30. The peak time of vulnerability for the southeast Atlantic coast is from early August to early October, during theCape Verde hurricaneseason. Memorablehurricanesto hit South Carolina includeHazel(1954),Hugo(1989), andFlorence(2018).

Climate change

This section is an excerpt fromClimate change in South Carolina.[edit]

Köppen climate types in South Carolina, showing a large majority of the state being humid subtropical, with smaller, outlier pockets of an oceanic climate in the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Climate change in South Carolinaencompasses the effects ofclimate change,attributed to man-made increases in atmosphericcarbon dioxide,in the U.S. state of South Carolina.

Studies show that South Carolina is among a string of "Deep South"states that will experience the worst effects of climate change.According to theUnited States Environmental Protection Agency:

South Carolina's climate is changing. Most of the state has warmed by one-half to one degree Fahrenheit (300-600 m°C) in the last century, and the sea is rising about one to one-and-a-half inches (2.5-3.8 cm) every decade. Higher water levels are eroding beaches, submerging low lands, and exacerbatingcoastal flooding.Like other southeastern states, South Carolina has warmed less than most of the nation. But in the coming decades, the region's changing climate is likely to reduce crop yields, harm livestock, increase the number of unpleasantly hot days, and increase the risk of heat stroke and other heat-related illnesses.

As of January 2020, "South Carolina's failure to develop a comprehensive climate plan means the state has no overall effort to cutgreenhouse gas pollution,limitsprawlor educate the public on how toadapt to the changing climate."

South Carolina released its Climate, Energy, and Commerce Committee Final Report in 2008. The report recommends a voluntary economy-wide goal of reducing emissions to 5% below 1990 levels by 2020. Key policy recommendations in the report include developing renewable portfolio standards, increasing use of local agricultural products, and increasing advanced recycling and composting.

Federal lands in South Carolina

Main article:List of federal lands in South Carolina

Fort Sumter National Monument,site of the first battle of theAmerican Civil War,inCharleston

• Charles Pinckney National Historic SiteatMt. Pleasant
• Congaree National ParkinHopkins
• Cowpens National BattlefieldnearChesnee
• Fort Moultrie National MonumentatSullivan's Island
• Fort Sumter National MonumentinCharleston Harbor
• Kings Mountain National Military ParkatBlacksburg
• Ninety Six National Historic SiteinNinety Six
• Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail
• Fort JacksonnearColumbia
• Joint Base CharlestonnearCharleston
• Shaw Air Force BasenearSumter
• Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris IslandatParris Island

Flora and fauna

Further information:List of mammals of South Carolina

South Carolina is home to two dominant ecosystems, the bottomlands, which consist of floodplains and creeks, and the toplands. The floodplains contain large tracts of old and mature second growth cypress and tupelo forest. The uplands are home to longleaf pine, shortleaf pine, and mixed hardwood forests.The Longleaf Pine are an important part of South Carolina's coastal ecosystem. They improve soil, water, and air quality while providing a habitat for deer and songbirds.These forests are endangered by logging for agriculture and development.

Oysters are a critical part of South Carolina's coastal ecology. They serve a dual function, filtering the water and forming reefs that provide a habitat for small fish and crabs. Oysters are imperiled by overharvesting because young oysters need older oysters to latch on to as they age.South Carolina is home to many shorebirds including varioussandpipersandibises.The state serves as a stopover site for birds migrating farther south and a wintering ground for birds that do not fly as far south.

Major cities

See also:List of municipalities in South Carolina

Largest cities or towns in South Carolina (2022census estimate)
	Rank	Name	County	Pop.	Rank	Name	County	Pop.
Charleston Columbia	1	Charleston	Charleston	153,672	11	Florence	Florence	40,072	North Charleston Mount Pleasant
	2	Columbia	Richland	139,698	12	Spartanburg	Spartanburg	38,584
	3	North Charleston	Charleston	118,608	13	Myrtle Beach	Horry	38,417
	4	Mount Pleasant	Charleston	94,545	14	Hilton Head Island	Beaufort	38,069
	5	Rock Hill	York	75,349	15	Bluffton	Beaufort	34,493
	6	Greenville	Greenville	72,310	16	Aiken	Aiken	32,463
	7	Summerville	Dorchester	51,617	17	Fort Mill	York	30,940
	8	Goose Creek	Berkeley	47,618	18	Anderson	Anderson	29,771
	9	Sumter	Sumter	42,757	19	Conway	Horry	27,346
	10	Greer	Greenville	42,090	20	Mauldin	Greenville	26,918

Statistical areas

See also:South Carolina statistical areas

The following tables show the majormetropolitanandcombined statistical areasof South Carolina. Some statistical areas of South Carolina overlap with neighboring states of North Carolina and Georgia.

Rank	Metropolitan statistical area (MSA)	Population (2023)	Counties
1	Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC	2,805,115	Chester,Lancaster,York
2	Greenville-Anderson-Greer, SC	975,480	Anderson,Greenville,Laurens,Pickens
3	Columbia, SC	858,302	Calhoun,Fairfield,Kershaw,Le xing ton,Richland,Saluda
4	Charleston-North Charleston, SC	849,417	Berkeley,Charleston,Dorchester
5	Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC	629,429	Aiken,Edgefield
6	Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach, SC	397,478	Horry
7	Spartanburg, SC	383,327	Spartanburg
8	Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal, SC	232,523	Beaufort,Jasper
9	Florence, SC	199,630	Darlington,Florence
10	Sumter, SC	104,165	Sumter

Rank	Combined statistical area (CSA)	Population (2023)	Counties
1	Charlotte-Concord, NC-SC	3,387,115	Chester,Lancaster,York
2	Greenville-Spartanburg-Anderson, SC	1,590,636	Abbeville,Anderson,Cherokee,Greenville,Laurens,Oconee,Pickens,Spartanburg,Union
3	Columbia-Sumter-Orangeburg, SC	1,084,112	Calhoun,Fairfield,Kershaw,Le xing ton,Newberry,Orangeburg,Richland,Saluda
5	Myrtle Beach-Conway, SC	463,209	Georgetown,Horry

Demographics

Main article:Demographics of South Carolina

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1790	249,073		—
1800	345,591		38.8%
1810	415,115		20.1%
1820	502,741		21.1%
1830	581,185		15.6%
1840	594,398		2.3%
1850	668,507		12.5%
1860	703,708		5.3%
1870	705,606		0.3%
1880	995,577		41.1%
1890	1,151,149		15.6%
1900	1,340,316		16.4%
1910	1,515,400		13.1%
1920	1,683,724		11.1%
1930	1,738,765		3.3%
1940	1,899,804		9.3%
1950	2,117,027		11.4%
1960	2,382,594		12.5%
1970	2,590,516		8.7%
1980	3,121,820		20.5%
1990	3,486,703		11.7%
2000	4,012,012		15.1%
2010	4,625,364		15.3%
2020	5,118,425		10.7%
2023 (est.)	5,373,555		5.0%
Source: 1910–2020

Ethnic composition as of the2020 census

Race and ethnicity	Alone		Total
White (non-Hispanic)	62.1%	62.1	65.5%	65.5
African American (non-Hispanic)	24.8%	24.8	26.3%	26.3
Hispanic or Latino	—		6.9%	6.9
Asian	1.7%	1.7	2.3%	2.3
Native American	0.3%	0.3	1.8%	1.8
Pacific Islander	0.1%	0.1	0.1%	0.1
Other	0.4%	0.4	1.0%	1

Ethnic origins in South Carolina

Map of South Carolina counties by racial plurality, per the 2020 U.S. census

Non-Hispanic White

40–50%

50–60%

60–70%

70–80%

80–90%

Black or African American

40–50%

50–60%

60–70%

70–80%

South Carolina racial breakdown of population

Racial composition	1990	2000	2010	2020	2022
White	69.0%	67.2%	66.2%	63.4%	55.9%
Black	29.8%	29.5%	27.9%	25.0%	26.5%
Asian	0.6%	0.9%	1.3%	1.8%	2.0%
Native American	0.2%	0.3%	0.4%	0.5%	0.3%
Native Hawaiianand other Pacific Islander	–	–	0.1%	0.1%	0.1%
Two or more races	–	1.0%	1.7%	5.8%	-

Population density of South Carolina

The 2020 census determined the state had a population of 5,118,425, a 10.7% percentage increase since the 2010 census.

According toHUD's 2022Annual Homeless Assessment Report,there were an estimated 3,608homelesspeople in South Carolina.

At the 2020 census, the racial make up of the state was 63.4% White (62.1%non-Hispanic white), 25.0% Black or African American, 0.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.8% Asian, 0.1% Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander, 3.5% from some other race, and 5.8% from two or more races. 6.9% of the total population was of Hispanic or Latino origin of any race.

At the 2019censusestimate, South Carolina had an estimated population of 5,148,714, which is an increase of 64,587 from the prior year and an increase of 523,350, or 11.31%, since the year 2010.Immigrationfrom outside the United States resulted in a net increase of 36,401 people, andmigrationwithin the country produced a net increase of 115,084 people. According to theUniversity of South Carolina's Arnold School of Public Health, Consortium for Latino Immigration Studies, South Carolina's foreign-born population grew faster than any other state between 2000 and 2005.South Carolina has bannedsanctuary cities.

The top countries of origin for South Carolina's immigrants wereMexico,India,Germany,Hondurasand thePhilippines,as of 2018.

Enslaved Africans were brought to the state during theslave trade.There is also aGullahcommunity in South Carolina.

Legend

African American

European American

Other

Historical South Carolina racial breakdown of population

Religion

Religious self-identification, perPublic Religion Research Institute's 2022American Values Survey

Protestantism(64%)

Unaffiliated(20%)

Catholicism(11%)

New Age(3%)

Jehovah's Witness(1%)

Judaism(1%)

According to theAssociation of Religion Data Archives(ARDA), in 2010, the largest religion is Christianity, of which the largest denominations were theSouthern Baptist Conventionwith 913,763 adherents, theUnited Methodist Churchwith 274,111 adherents, and theRoman Catholic Churchwith 181,743 adherents. Fourth-largest is theAfrican Methodist Episcopal Churchwith 564 congregations and 121,000 members and fifth-largest is thePresbyterian Church (USA)with 320 congregations and almost 100,000 members.As of 2010, South Carolina was the American state with the highest per capita proportion of citizens who follow theBaháʼí Faith,with 17,559 adherents,making Baháʼí the second-largest religion in the state at the time.

According to thePublic Religion Research Institutein 2020, Christianity remained the largest religion at approximately 74% of the population.Among the Christian population,evangelical Protestantismremained the majority; the irreligious community was 18% of the total population. Per ARDA's 2020 religion census, Southern Baptists remained the majority with 816,405 adherents, and Roman Catholics had 407,840 adherents, followed by United Methodists at 242,467. As other Baptist denominations had from 10 to 40,000+ members individually,nondenominational/interdenominational Protestantsincreased to 454,063 adherents.

Outside of Christianity, ARDA's 2020 study reported 6,677Muslimsin the state, and 830Orthodox Jews;Reform Judaismconsisted of 3,430 adherents. Altogether,Hinduismhad 8,383 adherents.

In 2022, the Public Religion Research Institute estimated that Christians increased to 76% of the population (64% Protestant, 11% Catholic, and 1% Jehovah's Witness). The unaffiliated also increased, forming 20% of the state's population, althoughNew Agersconstituted 3% of the state. Judaism was 1% of the total population.

Economy

See also:Economy of South CarolinaandSouth Carolina locations by per capita income

A roller coaster in the South Carolina portion ofCarowinds

• Total employment (2021): 1,936,015
• Total employer establishments (2021): 116,896

In 2019, South Carolina's GDP was $249.9 billion, making the state the 26th largest by GDP in the United States.According to the U.S.Bureau of Economic Analysis,South Carolina'sgross state product(GSP) was $97 billion in 1997 and $153 billion in 2007. Its per-capita real gross domestic product (GDP) inchained 2000 dollarswas $26,772 in 1997 and $28,894 in 2007; which represented 85% of the $31,619 per-capita real GDP for the United States overall in 1997, and 76% of the $38,020 for the U.S. in 2007. The state debt in 2012 was calculated by one source to be $22.9bn, or $7,800 per taxpayer.

Industrial outputs include textile goods, chemical products, paper products, machinery, automobiles, automotive products and tourism. Major agricultural outputs of the state are tobacco, poultry, cotton, cattle, dairy products, soybeans, hay, rice, and swine.According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, as of March 2012, South Carolina had 1,852,700 nonfarm jobs of which 12% are in manufacturing, 11.5% are in leisure and hospitality, 19% are in trade, transportation, and utilities, and 11.8% are in education and health services. The service sector accounts for 83.7% of the South Carolina economy.

Many large corporations have moved their locations to South Carolina.Boeingopened an aircraft manufacturing facility atCharleston International Airportin 2011, which serves as one of two final assembly sites for the787 Dreamliner.South Carolina is a right-to-work stateand many businesses use staffing agencies to temporarily fill positions.Domtar,in Rock Hill, used to be the onlyFortune 500company headquartered in South Carolina, but it was later moved into theFortune 1000list.The three Fortune 1000 companies headquartered in the state are Domtar,Sonoco Products,and ScanSource.

South Carolina also benefits from foreign investment. There are 1,950 foreign-owned firms operating in South Carolina employing almost 135,000 people.Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) brought 1.06 billion dollars to the state economy in 2010.Since 1994,BMWhas had a production facility in Spartanburg County near Greer and since 1996 theZapp Groupoperates in Summerville near Charleston.

Transportation and infrastructure

Arthur Ravenel Jr. BridgefromCharleston Harbor

The state has the fourth largest state-maintained highway system in the country, consisting of 11Interstates,numbered highways,state highways,and secondary roads, totalling approximately 41,500 miles (66,800 km).

On secondary roads, South Carolina uses a numbering system to keep track of all non-interstate and primary highways that theSouth Carolina Department of Transportationmaintains. Secondary roads are numbered by the number of the county followed by a unique number for the particular road.

Major highways

Main articles:South Carolina State Highway System,List of Interstate Highways in South Carolina,List of U.S. Highways in South Carolina,andList of state highways in South Carolina

Primary Interstates

• I-20
• I-26
• Future I-73
• Future I-74
• I-77
• I-85
• I-95

Auxiliary (three-digit) Interstates

• I-126
• 
  I-185/ I-185 Toll
• I-385
• I-520
• I-526
• I-585

Rail

See also:List of South Carolina railroads

South Carolina passenger rail
Crescent toNew York City Silver Star toNew York City Spartanburg Palmetto,Silver Meteor toNew York City Greenville Dillon Clemson Florence Camden Kingstree Columbia North Charleston Denmark Yemassee Crescent toNew Orleans Silver Star toMiami PalmettotoSavannah Silver MeteortoMiami

CSX TransportationandNorfolk Southernare the only Class I railroad companies in South Carolina, as other freight companies in the state are short lines.

Amtrakoperates four passenger routes in South Carolina: theCrescent,thePalmetto,theSilver Meteor,and theSilver Star.TheCrescentroute serves the Upstate cities, theSilver Starserves the Midlands cities, and thePalmettoandSilver Meteorroutes serve the lowcountry cities.

Station	Connections
Camden	Silver Star
North Charleston	Palmetto Silver Meteor
Columbia	Silver Star
Clemson	Crescent
Denmark	Silver Star
Dillon	Palmetto
Florence	Palmetto Silver Meteor
Greenville	Crescent
Kingstree	Palmetto Silver Meteor
Spartanburg	Crescent
Yemassee	Palmetto Silver Meteor

Major and regional airports

Main article:List of airports in South Carolina

There are seven significant airports in South Carolina, all of which act as regional airport hubs. The busiest by passenger volume is Charleston International Airport.Just across the border in North Carolina isCharlotte/Douglas International Airport,the 30th busiest airport in the world, in terms of passengers.

• Columbia Metropolitan Airport– Columbia
• Charleston International Airport– North Charleston
• Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport– Greenville/Spartanburg
• Florence Regional Airport– Florence
• Myrtle Beach International Airport– Myrtle Beach
• Hilton Head Airport– Hilton Head Island/Beaufort
• Rock Hill/York County Airport– Rock Hill

Education

Main article:Education in South Carolina

South Carolina has 1,167 K–12 schools in 79 school districts with an enrollment of 751,660 as of 2022.In 2022, South Carolina spent $11,747 per public school student.

In 2023, the average SAT score in South Carolina was 1028, in line with the national average.

South Carolina does not currently implementCommon Corein schools, having repealed the standards in 2014.

In 2014, theSouth Carolina Supreme Courtruled the state had failed to provide a "minimally adequate" education to children in all parts of the state as required by the state's constitution.

South Carolina is the only state which owns and operates a statewide school bus system. As of December 2016, the state maintains a 5,582-bus fleet with the average vehicle in service being fifteen years old (the national average is six) having logged 236,000 miles.Half of the state's school buses are more than 15 years old and some are reportedly up to 30 years old. In 2017 in the budget proposal, Superintendent of Education Molly Spearman requested the state lease to purchase 1,000 buses to replace the most decrepit vehicles. An additional 175 buses could be purchased immediately through the State Treasurer's master lease program.On January 5, 2017, theU.S. Environmental Protection Agencyawarded South Carolina more than $1.1 million to replace 57 school buses with new cleaner models through itsDiesel Emissions Reduction Actprogram.

Higher education

Further information:List of colleges and universities in South CarolinaandUniversity of South Carolina System

South Carolina has diverse institutions from large state-funded research universities to small colleges that cultivate a liberal arts, religious, or military tradition. (List below sorted by year established.)

• TheCollege of Charleston,founded in 1770 and chartered in 1785, is the oldest institution of higher learning in South Carolina, the 13th oldest in the United States, and the firstmunicipal collegein the country. The college is in company with theColonial Collegesas one of the original and foundational institutions of higher education in the United States. Its founders include three signers of theUnited States Declaration of Independenceand three signers of theUnited States Constitution.The college's historic campus, listed on theU.S. Department of the Interior'sNational Register of Historic Places,forms an integral part of Charleston's colonial-era urban center. The Graduate School of the College of Charleston offers a number of degree programs and coordinates support for its nationally recognized faculty research efforts.
• TheUniversity of South Carolina,in Columbia, is aflagship,public,co-educational,research universitywith seven satellite campuses. It was founded in 1801 asSouth Carolina College,and its original campus,The Horseshoe,is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The university's main campus covers over 359 acres (1.5 km²) in the urban core less than one city block from theSouth Carolina State House.The University of South Carolina has around 35,000 students on the Columbia campus.

Furman Universitybell tower nearGreenville

• Furman Universityis a private, coeducational, non-sectarian, liberal arts university inGreenville.Founded in 1826, Furman enrolls approximately 2,900 undergraduate and 500 graduate students. Furman is the largest private institution in South Carolina. The university is primarily focused on undergraduate education (only two departments, education and chemistry, offer graduate degrees).
• Erskine Collegeis a private, coeducational liberal arts college inDue West, South Carolina.The college was founded in 1839 and is affiliated with theAssociate Reformed Presbyterian Church,which maintains a theological seminary on the campus.
• The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolinais a state-supported, comprehensive college in Charleston. Founded in 1842, it is best known for its undergraduate Corps of Cadets military program for men and women, which combines academics, physical challenges and military discipline. In addition to the cadet program, the Citadel Graduate College offers evening certificate, undergraduate and graduate programs to civilians. The Citadel has 2,200 undergraduate cadets in its residential military program and 1,200 civilian students in the evening programs.
• Wofford Collegeis a small liberal arts college inSpartanburg.Wofford was founded in 1854 with a bequest of $100,000 from the Rev. Benjamin Wofford (1780–1850), a Methodist minister and Spartanburg native who sought to create a college for "literary, classical, and scientific education in my native district of Spartanburg". It is one of the few four-year institutions in the southeastern United States founded before theAmerican Civil Warthat operates on its original campus.
• Newberry Collegeis a small liberal arts college inNewberry.Founded in 1856, Newberry is a co-educational, private liberal-arts college of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) on a historic 90-acre (36 ha) campus in Newberry, South Carolina. It has roughly 1,110 students and a 14:1 student-teacher ratio. According to U.S. News & World Report's America's Best Colleges, Newberry College ranks among the nation's top colleges in the southern region.
• Claflin University,founded in 1869 by theAmerican Missionary Association,is the oldesthistorically black collegein the state. After the Democratic-dominated legislature closed the university in 1877, before passing a law to restrict admission to whites, it designated Claflin as the only state college for blacks.
• Lander Universityis a public liberal arts university inGreenwood.Lander was founded in 1872 as Willamston Female College.The school moved to Greenwood in 1904 and was renamed Lander College in honor of its founder, Samuel Lander. In 1973 Lander became part of the state's higher education system and is now a co-educational institution. The university is focused on undergraduate education and enrolls approximately 3,000 undergraduates.
• Presbyterian College(PC) is a private liberal arts college founded in 1880 in Clinton. Presbyterian College enrolls around 1000 undergraduate students and around 200 graduate students in its pharmacy school. In 2007,Washington Monthlyranked PC as the No.1 Liberal Arts College in the nation.
• Winthrop University,founded in 1886 as an all-female teaching school inRock Hill,became a co-ed institution in 1974. It is now a public university with an enrollment of just over 6,100 students. It is one of the fastest growing universities in the state, with several new academic and recreational buildings being added to the main campus in the past five years, as well as several more planned for the near future. The Richard W. Riley College of Education is still the school's most well-known area of study.
• Clemson University,founded in 1889, is a public, coeducational,land-grantresearch university inClemson.It has more than 19,000 undergraduate students and 5,200 graduate students from all 50 states and from more than 70 countries. Clemson is also the home to theSouth Carolina Botanical Garden.
• North Greenville University,founded in 1891, is a comprehensive university inTigerville.It is affiliated with South Carolina Baptist Convention and the Southern Baptist Convention, and is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. It has an enrollment of around 2,500 undergraduates.
• South Carolina State University,founded in 1896, is ahistorically black universityin Orangeburg. SCSU has an enrollment of nearly 5,000, and offers undergraduate, graduate and post-graduate degrees. SCSU boasts the only Doctor of Education program in the state.
• Anderson University,founded in 1911, is a selective comprehensive university that offers bachelor's and master's degrees. It enrolls about 2,900 students.
• Webster University,founded in 1915 in St. Louis, MO, with five extended campuses in SC, offers undergraduate and graduate degrees.
• Bob Jones University,founded in 1927, is a private, non-denominational and conservative Christian liberal arts university with a 2019 total enrollment of 3,000. BJU offers more than 60 undergraduate majors and 70 graduate programs.
• Coastal Carolina University,founded in 1954, became an independent state-supported liberal arts university in 1993. The university enrolls approximately 10,500 students on its 307-acre (1.24 km²) campus in Conway, part of the Myrtle Beach metropolitan area. Baccalaureate programs are offered in 51 major fields of study, along with graduate programs in education, business administration (MBA), and coastal marine and wetland studies.
• Charleston Southern University,founded in 1969, is a liberal arts university, and is affiliated with the South Carolina Baptist Convention. Charleston Southern (CSU) is on 300 acres, formerly the site of a rice and indigo plantation, in the city ofNorth Charlestonone of South Carolina's largest accredited, independent universities, enrolling approximately 3,400 students.
• Francis Marion University,formerly Francis Marion College, is a state-supported liberal arts university nearFlorence,South Carolina. It was founded in 1970 and achieved university status in 1992.

Health care

For overall health care, South Carolina is ranked 37th out of the 50 states in 2022, according toThe Commonwealth Fund,a private health foundation working to improve the health care system.The state's teen birth rate was 53 births per 1,000 teens, compared to the national average of 41.9 births, according to theKaiser Family Foundation.The state'sinfant mortality ratewas 9.4 deaths per 1,000 births compared to the national average of 6.9 deaths.

There were 2.6 physicians per 1,000 people compared to the national average of 3.2 physicians.There was $5,114 spent on health expenses per capita in the state, compared to the national average of $5,283.There were 26 percent of children and 13 percent of elderly living in poverty in the state, compared to 23 percent and 13 percent, respectively, doing so in the U.S.There were 34 percent of children that wereoverweightorobese,compared to the national average of 32 percent.

Media

See also:List of newspapers in South CarolinaandCategory:Mass media in South Carolina

There are 36 TV stations (including PBS affiliates) serving South Carolina with terrestrial, and some online streaming access. Markets in which the stations are located include Columbia, Florence, Allendale, Myrtle Beach, Greenville, Charleston, Conway, Beaufort, Hardeeville, Spartanburg, Greenwood, Anderson and Sumter. There are multiple news companies in South Carolina, some major ones areThe Charleston Chronicle,Greenville News,The Post and Courier,The State,andThe Sun News.

Government and politics

Main article:South Carolina government and politics

See also:Political party strength in South Carolina

Treemapof the popular vote by county, 2016 presidential election

South Carolina'sstate governmentconsists of executive, legislative, and judicial branches. Thegovernor of South Carolinaheads the executive branch; theSouth Carolina General Assemblyheads the legislative branch; and theSouth Carolina Supreme Courtheads the judicial branch.

South Carolina is a largely conservative state. Since theDeclaration of Independence,South Carolina's politics have been controlled by three main parties: theDemocratic-Republican Partyin the early 1800s, theDemocratic Partythrough most of the 19th and 20th centuries, and theRepublican Partyin the 21st century. Since the mid-1990s, theSouth Carolina General Assemblyhas been controlled by the Republican party, and currently, eight of nine statewide offices are held by Republican officeholders and one by a Democratic officeholder.

At the federal level, South Carolina has voted Republican in every presidential election since the1976 election of Jimmy Carter.Both of South Carolina'ssenatorsare Republican. The most-recent Democratic senator to serve wasFritz Hollings,who left office in 2005. South Carolina has seven representatives in theUnited States House of Representatives,six of whom are Republican.

South Carolina State House

As of November 8, 2022, there were 3,740,743 registered voters.In a 2020 study, South Carolina was ranked by theElection Law Journalas the 7th hardest state for citizens to vote in.South Carolina retains thedeath penalty.Authorized methods of execution include byelectric chairor firing squad.

An April 2023Winthrop Universitypoll found that an overwhelming majority of South Carolians supported legalizingmedical marijuanaand believed that aseparation between church and statewas "critical". A large majority were also found to supportsame-sex marriage,legalizedrecreational marijuanaandsports gambling,along with anindependent commissionsystem forcongressional redistricting.

Culture

See also:South Carolina literature

South Carolina has many venues for visual and performing arts. TheGibbes Museum of Artin Charleston, theGreenville County Museum of Art,theColumbia Museum of Art,Spartanburg Art Museum, and theSouth Carolina State Museumin Columbia among others provide access to visual arts to the state. There are also numerous historic sites and museums scattered throughout the state paying homage to many events and periods in the state's history from Native American inhabitation to the present day.

South Carolina also has performing art venues including thePeace Centerin Greenville, theKoger Center for the Artsin Columbia, and theNewberry Opera House,among others to bring local, national, and international talent to the stages of South Carolina. Several large venues can house major events, includingColonial Life Arenain Columbia,Bon Secours Wellness Arenain Greenville, andNorth Charleston Coliseum.

One of the nation's major performing arts festivals,Spoleto Festival USA,is held annually in Charleston. There are also countless local festivals throughout the state highlighting many cultural traditions, historical events, and folklore.

According to the South Carolina Arts Commission, creative industries generate $9.2 billion annually and support over 78,000 jobs in the state.A 2009 statewide poll by the University of South Carolina Institute for Public Service and Policy Research found that 67% of residents had participated in the arts in some form during the past year and on average citizens had participated in the arts 14 times in the previous year.

Sports

Main article:Sports in South Carolina

Although no major league professional sports teams are based in South Carolina, theCarolina Panthershave training facilities in the state and played their inaugural season's home games at Clemson'sMemorial Stadiumin 1995. They now play atBank of America StadiuminCharlotte, North Carolina.The Panthers consider themselves "The Carolinas' Team" and refrained from naming themselves after Charlotte or either of the Carolinas. The state is also home to numerous minor league professional teams. College teams represent their particular South Carolina institutions, and are the primary options forfootball,basketball and baseball attendance in the state. South Carolina is also a top destination for golf andwater sports.

South Carolina is also home to one ofNASCAR's first tracks and its first paved speedway,Darlington Raceway,located northwest ofFlorence.

See also

• Index of South Carolina-related articles
• Outline of South Carolina
• Bibliography of South Carolina history

Further reading

• Morris, J. Brent.Yes, Lord, I Know the Road: A Documentary History of African Americans in South Carolina, 1526–2008(2017)

External links

• Official website
• South Carolina State Guide, from the Library of Congress
• Energy & Environmental Data for South Carolina
• USGS real-time, geographic, and other scientific resources of South Carolina
• South Carolina State Facts from USDA
• South Carolina Lakes Database
• South Carolina Department of Parks & Tourism
• South Carolina Visitor & Travel Information
• South CarolinaatCurlie
• Geographic data related toSouth CarolinaatOpenStreetMap