Orangeburg County, South Carolina

Orangeburg County, South Carolina
Location in the state of South Carolina
South Carolina's location in the U.S.
Founded	1785
Seat	Orangeburg
Area  - Total  - Land  - Water	1,128 sq mi (2,922 km²) 1,106 sq mi (2,865 km²) 22 sq mi (57 km²), 1.94%
Population  - (2010)  - Density	92,501 84/sq mi (32.3/km²)
Website	www.orangeburgcounty.org

Orangeburg County is a county located in the Piedmont region of the U.S. state of South Carolina. As of the 2010 census, the population was 92,501.^[1] Its county seat is Orangeburg.

It is home to Claflin University, the oldest HBCU in the state and a private college located in Orangeburg. It is also the location of South Carolina State University, the only public historically black college or university (HBCU) in the state. ^[2]

Geography

First Baptist Church, downtown Orangeburg, SC

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,128 square miles (2,922 km²), of which 1,106 square miles (2,865 km²) is land and 22 square miles (57 km²) (1.94%) is water.

History

The district was occupied for thousands of years by succeeding cultures of indigenous peoples. By the time of European encounter, Siouan-speaking tribes, such as the Pee Dee, Cheraw and Catawba, inhabited the area.

The Orangeburg Judicial District was chartered in 1769 from a mostly unorganized upland area between the Congaree and Savannah rivers. A county, initially of the same name but later called Orange, was organized within the district but deorganized in 1791.

The southwest portion bordering on the Savannah River, about half of Orangeburg District, was separated and organized as Barnwell District in 1800. In 1804 the northern third of the county was separated to form the new Lexington District, which gained another, smaller portion of Orangeburg District in 1832. During the nineteenth century, the districts and counties were developed chiefly as cotton plantations for short-staple cotton. This development followed the invention of the cotton gin in the late eighteenth century, which made the processing of short-staple cotton profitable. The county became a center of labor by black slaves on the plantations, who were transported from coastal areas and the Upper South to cultivate and process cotton. They greatly outnumbered the white planters and non-slaveholding whites. The area is still chiefly agricultural and majority African American in population.

In 1868, under the revised state constitution during the Reconstruction era, South Carolina districts were organized as counties. Resident voters were enabled to elect their state representatives rather than having them chosen by the state legislature, as was done previously. Election of representatives by the state legislature had kept the districts dominated by the elite owners of major plantations in the Low Country and elsewhere. The changes in rules enlarged participation in the franchise by more male residents, and emancipation of slaves after the war resulted in freedmen voting under newly ratified federal constitutional amendments. Using voter intimidation, white Democrats took control of the state legislature by the end of the century; they passed state electoral laws and a new constitution that essentially disfranchised most blacks, a situation that lasted until the federal legislation of the 1965 Voting Rights Act.

A small western portion of Orangeburg County was annexed to the newly formed Aiken County in 1871.

In 1908 the northern portion of the County along the Congaree River was separated and included in the newly formed Calhoun County, with its seat at Saint Matthews. In 1910 a small western portion of Berkeley County, around Holly Hill and Eutawville, was annexed to Orangeburg County, thus bringing the county to its present size.

Adjacent counties

• Calhoun County, South Carolina - north
• Clarendon County, South Carolina - northeast
• Dorchester County, South Carolina - southeast
• Berkeley County, South Carolina - southeast
• Bamberg County, South Carolina - south
• Colleton County, South Carolina - south
• Aiken County, South Carolina - west
• Barnwell County, South Carolina - west
• Lexington County, South Carolina - northwest

Demographics

Confederate memorial, Orangeburg, South Carolina

As of the census^[3] of 2000, there were 91,582 people, 34,118 households, and 23,882 families residing in the county. The population density was 83 people per square mile (32/km²). There were 39,304 housing units at an average density of 36 per square mile (14/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 60.86% Black or African American, 37.17% White, 0.46% Native American, 0.43% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.36% from other races, and 0.70% from two or more races. 0.96% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 34,118 households out of which 32.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.10% were married couples living together, 20.30% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.00% were non-families. 26.00% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.58 and the average family size was 3.11.

In the county, the population was spread out with 26.00% under the age of 18, 11.90% from 18 to 24, 26.10% from 25 to 44, 22.80% from 45 to 64, and 13.20% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 87.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 81.60 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $29,567, and the median income for a family was $36,165. Males had a median income of $29,331 versus $20,956 for females. The per capita income for the county was $15,057. About 17.00% of families and 21.40% of the population were below the poverty line, including 27.20% of those under age 18 and 22.30% of those age 65 or over.

Native Americans

The Pee Dee tribes (such as the Beaver Creek Indians and the Pee Dee Indian Nation of Beaver Creek) traditionally occupied land between the two forks of the Edisto River in Orangeburg County, and especially along Beaver Creek, as did their ancestors for thousands of years before European encounter. Their original language family was Siouan. English colonial accounts from the 18th century acknowledge the Pee Dee peoples in this area.

Many Pee Dee tribe members still live in this area. In 1998 the tribe established its government as a non-profit organization, known as the Beaver Creek Indians. They achieved state recognition as a tribe on January 27, 2006, but are still working toward federal recognition. This has been more difficult for some of the older, landless tribes who became more assimilated during and after the colonial era. Today the Beaver Creek people speak English as their first language. They are a multi-racial people, having absorbed both European and African people into their culture over the centuries. Common family names within the tribe are: Chavis, Hutto, Williams, Barr, Bolin, Jackson, Huffman and Gleaton.

Agriculture

Orangeburg County is one of the largest agricultural producing counties in South Carolina, with fertile, slightly rolling land. Major crops are cotton, soybeans, corn, turf grass and watermelons.

Grain elevator in Orangeburg, SC

Soybeans ready for harvest, with center pivot irrigation setup, Orangeburg County, South Carolina

Harvested cotton in modules ready for pickup, Orangeburg County, SC

Cities, Towns, & CDPs

• Bowman
• Branchville
• Brookdale
• Cope
• Cordova
• Elloree
• Eutawville
• Holly Hill
• Livingston
• Neeses
• North
• Norway
• Orangeburg
• Rowesville
• Santee
• Springfield
• Vance
• Wilkinson Heights
• Woodford

See also

• Lake Marion
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Orangeburg County, South Carolina

Notes

1. ^ United States Census Bureau. "2010 Census Data". United States Census Bureau. http://2010.census.gov/2010census/data/. Retrieved 20 January 2012. 
2. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx. Retrieved 2011-06-07. 
3. ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 

	Lexington County	Calhoun County	Clarendon County
	Barnwell County and Aiken County
		Orangeburg County, South Carolina
		Colleton County and Bamberg County	Dorchester County and Berkeley County

v t e Municipalities and communities of Orangeburg County, South Carolina, United States County seat: Orangeburg City Orangeburg Towns Bowman Branchville Cope Cordova Elloree Eutawville Holly Hill Livingston Neeses North Norway Rowesville Santee Springfield Vance Woodford CDPs Brookdale Wilkinson Heights Unincorporated communities Providence Sixty Six Wells

v t e  State of South Carolina Columbia (capital) Regions Atlantic Coastal Plain Blue Ridge Mountains Grand Strand High Hills of Santee Lake Murray Country The Lowcountry Metrolina The Midlands Olde English District Old 96 District Pee Dee Piedmont Sandhills Sea Islands The Upstate Larger cities Charleston Columbia Greenville Myrtle Beach North Charleston Rock Hill Spartanburg Smaller cities Aiken Anderson Beaufort Bennettsville Camden Cayce Easley Florence Forest Acres Gaffney Greenwood Greer Georgetown Goose Creek Hilton Head Island Isle of Palms Lexington Mauldin North Augusta North Myrtle Beach Orangeburg Simpsonville Summerville Sumter Union Walterboro West Columbia York Towns Abbeville Barnwell Batesburg-Leesville Cheraw Clemson Dillon Darlington Edgefield Fort Mill Fountain Inn Hardeeville Irmo Liberty Moncks Corner Mount Pleasant McCormick Marion Newberry Pendleton Pickens Seneca Sullivan's Island Travelers Rest Walhalla Westminster Williamston CDPs Berea Carolina Forest Dentsville Gantt Ladson Parker Red Hill Saint Andrews Seven Oaks Socastee Taylors Wade Hampton Counties Abbeville Aiken Allendale Anderson Bamberg Barnwell Beaufort Berkeley Calhoun Charleston Cherokee Chester Chesterfield Clarendon Colleton Darlington Dillon Dorchester Edgefield Fairfield Florence Georgetown Greenville Greenwood Hampton Horry Jasper Kershaw Lancaster Laurens Lee Lexington Marion Marlboro McCormick Newberry Oconee Orangeburg Pickens Richland Saluda Spartanburg Sumter Union Williamsburg York Topics History Famous people Governors Legislature State House Congressional districts Census areas State parks Rivers Wildlife refuges Historic places Amusement parks Colleges and universities Sports venues Shopping malls Television stations Radio stations Highways Airports Visitor attractions

Coordinates: 33°26′N 80°48′W / 33.44°N 80.80°W / 33.44; -80.80