- South Carolina Fast Facts -

South Carolina is known as "The Palmetto State" and was one of the original thirteen colonies. It is the 11th smallest of all the states and ranks (in 2020) 23rd in population. It is located in the southeastern portion of the United States. It is bordered on the north and northeast by North Carolina, by the Atlantic Ocean on the southeast, and Georgia to the south and west. Today South Carolina has 46 counties which cover 32,020.6 square miles. The largest city is Charlston and the Capital city is Columbia.

South Carolina became a royal colony in 1719. On May 23, 1788 it was the eighth state to ratify the U.S. Constitution. On December 20, 1860, as a slave state, it was the first state to vote in favor of secession from the Union. It was readmitted to the Union on July 9, 1868. An informtive artcle can be found by clicking on the Statewide link to the left.

Many people know of South Carolina's rich history and the beauty of the Blue Ridge mountains but did you know that the laser was invented by South Carolina native Charles Townes. Yes, an invention that could measure the distance from the earth to the moon with an accuracy of less than a single inch. Joseph Hayne Rainey (1832-1887) was born in Georgetown. In 1870 he became the first black person to serve in the U.S. House of Representives. George Washington Murray (1853-1926), politician, teacher and farmer, was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame for his inventions in agricutltural machinery. Charleston is the home of the oldest musuem in the United States! It was founded in 1773 by the Charleston Library Society.

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