Population 24,691 (2003). Median household income $35,498 (national $41,994). Violent crimes 608 (2003), murders/homicides 4. Violent crime rate 24.6 per 1,000.
Attractions: Myrtle Beach State Park, NASCAR SpeedPark, Myrtle Waves Water Park, Ripley's Aquarium, Waccatee Zoological Farm, Civil War Museum, Franklin G. Burroughs-Simeon B. Chapin Art Museum, Children's Museum of South Carolina.
Myrtle Beach is a resort city on the Atlantic Ocean in Horry County in northeastern South Carolina. A year-round vacation spot, it offers swimming, boating, sport fishing and has outstanding golf and tennis facilities. It has a large contingent of retirees among its residents and is the site of many high-rise condominiums. The city has become a center for country music and has a number of theaters and complexes featuring this entertainment. Tourists are also drawn to its outlet shopping, amusement parks, convention center, and Myrtle Beach State Park.
South Carolina, the Palmetto State, was one of the original 13 U.S. states. Located on the Atlantic coast, it is bounded by North Carolina on the north and Georgia on the southwest. One of the smaller states, it ranks 40th in land area. The capital of South Carolina is Columbia, located in the geographic center of the state. The state's name is derived from Charles I of England, who granted "Carolina" in 1629 to Sir Robert Heath. The first permanent European settlement was at Charles TownÑrenamed Charleston in 1783Ñin early 1670. South Carolina assumed a position of political and social leadership during the colonial, revolutionary, and antebellum periods. The post-Civil War era and the early 20th century witnessed a severe social and economic decline in the state, but the rise of the New South in the last few decades has renewed the state's vitality.
South Carolina can be divided into three physiographic regions. The Coastal Plain, the largest and geologically youngest region, extends from the Sea Islands inland to the Sand Hills. The topography is flat near the coast but more rolling in the interior, where elevations reach 92 m (302 ft). Sandy barrier islands, many of which are being eroded, and salt marshes, covered by salt-marsh grass and black needle rush, constitute the common coastal environment. Old beach ridges are covered with maritime forests of palmetto (the state tree), live oak, loblolly pine, and wax myrtle. In the outer Coastal Plain, especially along rivers, numerous swamps support bald cypress, swamp tupelo, water oak, and willow trees. A physiographic feature unique to the plain is the many Carolina Bays, whose origin is still unknown. These elliptical bogs or lakes have a northwest-southeast axis and are bordered, predominately on the eastern quadrant, by a sand rim. Characteristic vegetation includes sweet and red bay (for which the feature is named), cypress, loblolly pine, and sweet gum. The Coastal Plain culminates in the Sand Hills, which extend from Aiken northeastward through Columbia to Cheraw. The sandy soils of these hills support scrub oak, blackjack oak, and longleaf pine.
The Piedmont rises from the fall line, which marks the boundary with the Coastal Plain, to an elevation of about 427 m (1,401 ft). Streams have cut deeply into the surface and left a rolling-to-hilly topography. Severe-to-moderate erosion, which followed extensive agricultural clearing, removed much of the topsoil and left the heavy red-clay subsoil now characteristic of the region. Native vegetation is basically hardwood: black, white, and red oak; pignut hickory; and dogwood. Shortleaf pine also grows in the Piedmont. Along streams cottonwood, yellow poplar, willow, sycamore, and sweet gum are common. The loblolly pine, which is not native to the Piedmont, has been widely planted for pulpwood.
The Blue Ridge Mountains occupy a small portion of the northwest corner of the state. Elevations vary from 427 m (1,401 ft) to 1,085 m (3,560 ft) at Sassafras Mountain, the highest point in South Carolina. The thin, well-drained soils of the steep slopes are clayey to loamy.
Cutting across the physiographic provinces, which rise in elevation northwestward from the coast, are the southeastward-flowing river systems, including the Savannah, Black, Edisto, Pee Dee, and Santee. The most extensive drainage basin is that of the Santee and its tributaries. The state's largest lakes are Clark Hill and Hartwell reservoirs and Lakes Marion, Moultrie, and Murray.
Average temperatures in January vary from 11¡ C (51¡ F) in Charleston to 7¡ C (44¡ F) in Greenville-Spartanburg. July averages are 26¡ C (79¡ F) in Greenville-Spartanburg and 28¡ C (82¡ F) in Charleston. The mean annual precipitation throughout the state totals 1,295 mm (51 in). Adequate rainfall complements a growing season of 290 days on the southern coast and more than 200 days in the northwest. Hurricanes occasionally threaten the coast.
The abundance of white-tailed deer permits a long hunting season. Fox, mink, muskrat, opossum, otter, rabbit, raccoon, skunk, and squirrel are protected species in South Carolina. Duck, geese, quail, and wild turkey attract hunters, and a wide variety of freshwater and saltwater fish is found in South Carolina's waters.
Forests cover approximately 60% of South Carolina. Metallic minerals, including gold, were once mined there, but major resources today are limestone, sand, and gravel in the Coastal Plain, kaolin or china clay mined principally in Aiken County, granite in the Piedmont, and various clays for brick and tile mined in many areas. Other minerals include vermiculite, kyanite, and sericite. Petroleum deposits may lie off the South Carolina coast. Many rivers provide hydroelectric power.
About 31% of South Carolina's population are nonwhite Ñone of the highest percentages in the nation. Most of the state's nonwhites are black. About 45% of the population live in the areas of Charleston, Greenville, Spartanburg, and Columbia. Major growth continues in those areas and along the northeastern coast.
South Carolina's growth rate through the 20th century has lagged behind that of the United States as a whole. This resulted from net out-migration, which characterized the state until the 1970s. Between 1960 and 1970, the out-migration was 153,000. About 44,000 whites moved into South Carolina, but 197,000 blacks left. From 1970 to 1980, however, the state's population increased by more than 20%, almost twice the national average of 11.4%. From 1980 to 1990, South Carolina continued to grow at a rate slightly above the national average. The largest religious group is the Southern Baptists. Methodists and Presbyterians form the other major denominations in the state.
Antebellum education was provided by private academies. Despite the 1868 constitution's commitment to free education for all children, public education did not begin in South Carolina until ratification of the 1895 constitution. It provided for the allocation of school funds and establishment of a state board of education.
In per-pupil expenditures South Carolina ranks among the lower 20% of states in the nation; however, South Carolina's per-capita income also is lower than that in many other states. Despite such factors, significant improvements have been made in public education. These include special programs for exceptional children, kindergartens for all children, student achievement measurements at various stages, and adult education programs. South Carolina's institutions of higher education include Furman University and Bob Jones University, both in Greenville, and several state institutions (see South Carolina, state universities and colleges of). The state's technical education program, begun in 1969, provides job training for high school graduates to meet the needs of new industries.
Major museums in South Carolina include Gibbes Museum of Art in Charleston, the Columbia Museum of Art and Gibbes Planetarium, and the religious art collection at Bob Jones University in Greenville. The Charleston Museum (established 1773) is the oldest public museum in the United States. County and regional museums complement these. Many antebellum homes, plantations, and gardens are open to the public.
National and state historical parks include Fort Sumter, where the Civil War began, and Kings Mountain National Military Park. A number of state parks have been established in South Carolina. Popular resorts are located along the Atlantic coast, especially on the section known as the Grand Strand (near Myrtle Beach), on the offshore Sea Islands, and in the mountains.
A leading state newspaper is the Charleston Post and Courier (founded 1803). The South Carolina Educational Radio Network has won national broadcasting awards, and the state's educational television system is highly regarded.
South Carolina's economy traditionally has been based on agriculture, principally rice and cotton. Recently, however, manufacturing has been increasing in importance. Before the Civil War, industry in South Carolina was limited to a few cotton spindles, but in the late 1880s textile mills began locating in the Piedmont. By the early 20th century the state had become a leading cotton manufacturer, and in 1940 about 75% of the state's industrial workers were employed in the textile industry. Imaginative tax legislation, the work of the State Development Board, and the passage of a right-to-work law in 1954 created an amenable environment for industry.
South Carolina's principal industry remains textiles. Most textile mills are located in the northwestern part of the state. The industry has been hurt in recent years by foreign competition, however, creating a situation that has brought about some manufacturing diversification in the state. Other leading industries include chemicals, nonelectrical machinery, paper and paper products, and food and food products.
South Carolina's major agricultural commodities are cattle, broiler chickens, tobacco, soybeans, dairy products, and corn. Cotton, traditionally a leading crop, is still valuable, as are wheat and peaches. Major commercial fishing species are various saltwater fish and shellfish. About two-thirds of the state is covered by forests, most of which are classified as commercial timberland.
South Carolina has a small mining industry, producing only nonfuel minerals. It is a leading producer of vermiculite and mica (scrap). Other commercial minerals are gold, kaolin (and other types of clays), cement, stone, and sand.
South Carolina's energy sources include nuclear power plants; coal, oil, and gas-burning plants; and hydroelectric plants. Large hydroelectric installations include the Santee-Cooper project and the Lake Murray dam. A large nuclear reprocessing and storage plant is located on the Savannah River. Because of the concentration of nuclear facilities, nuclear energy and radioactive waste materials were at the center of some controversy in the state in the early 1980s. In 1993 the Nuclear Regulatory Commission identified three nuclear units that required additional analysis to determine their safety.
Tourism is the second-largest industry in the state. Most of the vacation spending is at Charleston and the resorts of Myrtle Beach and Hilton Head Island. Other major attractions are the Cowpens National Battlefield and Fort Sumter and Kings Mountain military site.
Interstate highways in South Carolina include I-26, which crosses the state in a northwest-southeast direction, and I-95, running north and south. Railroad facilities include freight service and limited Amtrak passenger service. The major port is at Charleston, and the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway is a major inland thoroughfare. Important airports are at Charleston, Columbia, and Greenville-Spartanburg.
South Carolina state government, based on the 1895 constitution, has three branches. Legislative authority rests with the general assembly, composed of the house of representatives and the senate. The 124 representatives serve 2-year terms, and the 46 senators serve 4-year terms. The executive branch includes the governor, the lieutenant governor, and seven constitutional officers; each serves a 4-year term, but the governor is limited to two consecutive terms. Judicial authority is vested in the supreme court, composed of the chief justice and four associate justices. The justices, elected by the legislature, serve staggered 10-year terms. The legislative branch wields the greatest power, controlling appropriations, finances, and appointments to the state courts and to boards, commissions, and agencies. The governor has limited power, including a line-item veto that can be overturned by a two-thirds vote of those present in each legislative house. The state is represented in the U.S. Congress by six representatives and two senators. The county is the unit of local government, supplemented by special districts such as school and fire districts.
For many decades following Reconstruction, South Carolina was staunchly Democratic. In return, the Democrats did not interfere with the state's racial status quo. During the Truman presidency, however, challenges to Democratic dominance began to arise. In 1964, Sen. Strom Thurmond, who had captured South Carolina's electoral votes as the candidate of the States' Rights Democrats in 1948, switched to the Republican party. Rejecting the liberalism of the national Democratic party, the state has voted Republican in every national election since 1964 except that of 1976. A Republican (James B. Edwards) was elected governor in 1974, and Republicans have maintained some strength in later state elections.
About 25 or 30 distinct native tribes lived in South Carolina at the time of first European contact. The major groups were the Cherokee, the Catawba, and the Yamasee. By 1800 virtually all had been driven from the state.
Francisco Gordillo was the first European to visit South Carolina in 1521. The Spanish attempted the first European settlement near present-day Georgetown in 1526, but it failed after 9 months. In 1663, King Charles II of England granted the territory that now comprises both North and South Carolina to eight lords proprietors, one of whom was Anthony Ashley Cooper, later 1st earl of Shaftesbury. The first permanent settlement, at Charles Town (Charleston) on the Ashley River, was established by the English in 1670. (It was moved in 1680 to the peninsula between the Cooper and Ashley rivers.) At first the new colony of Carolina was economically dependent on furs and skins from the Indian trade and on forest products such as lumber, resin, and turpentine. By the end of the 17th century, experiments with rice cultivation proved successful, and it became the leading crop of colonial CarolinaÑcomplemented after 1744 by indigo. The wealth derived from these crops supported the colony's cultural and intellectual efflorescence. Settlement spread from Charles Town south toward Beaufort (founded 1710), north toward Georgetown (1735), and inland along the rivers.
By the 1750s, Germans and Scottish-Irish from Pennsylvania and Virginia were settling the Piedmont on small, subsistence farms in contrast to the coastal plantations. The pre-Revolutionary period (1725-75) was a prosperous one based on pelts and the rapidly expanding rice and indigo crops. The Southern Indian trade and agricultural exporting centered on Charleston, which became an increasingly rich and important port. The colony became more and more independent as the British did little to exercise control.
South Carolina was early in showing an independent spirit. In 1693 the colony won the right to initiate legislation in the colonial commons house. In 1704 an act that would have required members of the colonial assembly to adhere to the rites of the Church of England was defeated. The church was, however, made official in 1706 and remained so until 1778. In 1719 the populace rebelled against the British proprietors and their reactionary policies, expelling them and electing James Moore as governor. As a result the British crown assumed (1729) jurisdiction, and North and South Carolina were constituted as separate colonies. A survey of the boundary between the two, begun in 1735, was not completed until 1815.
The American Revolution, after the British repulse at Charleston in 1776, temporarily bypassed South Carolina. Then the British captured Charleston on May 12, 1780. The numerous battles and skirmishes fought in the state after 1780 included important American victories at Kings Mountain and Cowpens (see Kings Mountain, Battle of Cowpens, Battle of).
South Carolina was the eighth state to ratify the federal Constitution, on May 23, 1788. To mollify Piedmont settlers, who demanded increased representation, the General Assembly agreed in 1786 to move the capital. Columbia was established as the new seat of government. In the first federal census of 1790, South Carolina's population of 249,073 ranked 7th. Nonwhites accounted for 43.7% of the total and were concentrated in the low country around Charleston.
Of major economic importance was the adoption at the end of the 18th century of short-staple, green-seed cotton. It was grown increasingly in the interior, and the cotton gin, greater European demand, and improved transportation (the canal system and river improvements began in 1795) made it a viable economic staple. Its success turned many Piedmont farmers into slave-holding planters and unified the state economically, socially, and politically.
During the 1820s and '30s cotton prices collapsed, and the state's economy and population growth stagnated. Blaming these problems on the national tariff policies, South CarolinaÑled by Vice-President John C. CalhounÑasserted its right to nullify federal legislation. In 1832 a special state convention nullified the Tariff Act of that year. President Andrew Jackson responded to this action with a Force Act. The nullification crisis was resolved by compromise, but state rights sentiment continued to grow in South Carolina.
Dissatisfaction culminated in the convention that, on Dec. 20, 1860, voted to remove South Carolina from the Union, the first Southern state to secede. The Civil War began on Apr. 12, 1861, with the firing on Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor. Beaufort and Port Royal fell to Union forces on Nov. 7, 1861, but not until Sherman's invasion of the state at the beginning of 1865 was the impact of war felt. Severity of property loss, however, paled before the mortality figures for South Carolina: about 25% of the 63,000 who served were killed.
Reconstruction was hard, and corrupt officials created heavy state debts. The election of Wade Hampton (1818-1902) as governor in 1876 and removal of federal troops by President Rutherford Hayes ended congressional Reconstruction.
Poor cotton prices and severe soil erosion after 1880 stymied economic improvement, and agricultural distress led to political success for the farmers' movement. Its leader, Benjamin Ryan Tillman, was elected to the governor's post (1890-94) and the U.S. Senate (1895-1918). A state constitutional convention in 1895 largely disenfranchised blacks. Strong populist leanings characterized politics for decades. By 1910 rice production had virtually disappeared, although cotton remained the state's leading crop into the 1950s. During the late 19th century the tenant system developed, and in 1930 it characterized 65% of the state's farms. During the early 20th century urban concentrations developed around Piedmont textile centers such as Greenville and Spartanburg, and the out-migration of blacks reduced their percentage of the population.
World War I temporarily revived agricultural fortunes, but an economic depression, which lasted for two decades, and infestation by the boll weevil, which destroyed half the cotton crop, began in 1921. World War II was a watershed, greatly increasing emphasis on industrialization. By the early 1950s the state was actively seeking industry to complement the textile mills that had virtually monopolized the nonagricultural sector of its economy. This, complemented by a diversifying agricultural base, underpinned an expanding economy.
Despite the 1954 Supreme Court decision (see Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas), South Carolina initially resisted racial integration, but in the 1960s school integration was achieved. Hurricane Hugo, brought economic stress in 1989. In 1993 a state government reorganization increased gubernatorial powers and reduced reliance on independent boards and commissions. The Citadel, an all-male state military college, became coeducational in 1996.
