Cayce, South Carolina

What was to become Cayce was home to Native Americans for at least 12,000 years.[9] This includes what are now known as the Manning Archeological Site, the SAM Site, and the Taylor Site.[10]

Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto reached the area in 1540, encountering a large Native village at Congaree Creek, where Cayce now stands.[9] Near the end of the 17th century, the explorer John Lawson visited and documented his trip.[9] In 1718, during the colonial period, the English built the first permanent fort, the first structure built in the Midlands. A second fort was built on the river in 1748. These were referred to as Congaree Fort #1 and Congaree Fort #2[9] and became part of the Congarees Site in 1974.[10][11]

One of the kilns from the Guignard Brick Works, established in 1803

The Guignard Brick Works were established on the west bank of the Congaree in 1803 and remained active for nearly two centuries.[9]

The town includes the area that was once Granby, at one time the county seat and a flourishing community before it was abandoned by the end of the first quarter of the nineteenth century.[12]

The town was incorporated in 1914 and named for local businessman William J. Cayce.

In December 2007, the city council voted to annex a 3,100-acre (13 km²) floodplain in Richland County. Prior to this annexation, Cayce was entirely situated within Lexington County.[13] The city planned to develop the annexed area, but after significant evaluations the city abandoned the project after determining that development was not suitable in the flood-prone area, leaving Cayce with a sizeable piece of sparely-populated land.[14]

The city of Columbia as seen from Cayce, over the Congaree River

Still Hopes, built in 1910

Cayce is in eastern Lexington County and western Richland County, with the traditional center of town on the west side of the Congaree River at 33°58'29" north, 81°3'6" west.[15] The Congaree divides the city from the state capital, Columbia, to the northeast.[8] Cayce is also bordered by the city of West Columbia to the north, the town of Springdale to the northwest,[16] and the town of Pine Ridge to the southwest.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 17.6 square miles (45.5 km²), of which 16.8 square miles (43.5 km²) are land and 0.77 square miles (2.0 km²), or 4.38%, are water.[1]

Exhibit of the Cayce Historical Museum

Cayce has several hiking trails throughout the city. All of its public attractions, with the exception of the Cayce Historical Museum, are free of charge.[17]

• The Cayce Riverwalk, sometimes referred to as the Cayce/West Columbia River walk, is a paved, 12-mile (19 km)[lower-alpha 1] hiking and biking trail along the Congaree River. The Riverwalk has four segments with several access points and provides historical markers along the pathway. The park sometimes floods when the Congaree River exceeds flood stage.[17][18]
• The 12,000-year-old park is built upon land that the city states has not changed much in the past 12,000 years.[19]
• The Timmerman Trail is a 3.5-mile (5.6 km) hiking and biking trail through the woods. The trail is maintained by SCANA and is located near the company's headquarters. The trail is named after the pro-segregationist former governor of South Carolina, George Bell Timmerman Jr.[17]
• The Congaree Creek Heritage Preserve has a 2.7-mile (4.3 km) hiking trail through the woods along Congaree Creek.[20]
• Cayce Historical Museum, located at the city's municipal complex, includes Native American, colonial, Revolutionary War and Civil War artifacts.[17]
• The Guignard Brick Works were established by the Guignard family in 1801. The complex, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, includes four brick beehive kilns, a historic brick office, and remnants of other industrial features of the brick works.

Knox Abbot Road in Cayce

A corn field in the rural Richland County portion of the city

Cayce is the home of SCANA, the parent company of South Carolina Electric & Gas Company, Carolina Gas Transmission, Cayce Capital, PSNC Energy, and other subsidiaries operating in the southeastern United States.

The Cayce-West Columbia branch of the Lexington County library serves the cities of Cayce and West Columbia.

As of the census[5] of 2000, there were 12,150 people in the city, organized into 5,133 households and 3,079 families. The population density was 1,114.6 people per square mile (430.4/km²). There were 5,517 housing units at an average density of 506.1 per square mile (195.4/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 74.55% White, 22.50% African American, 1.08% Asian, 0.26% Native American, 0.15% Pacific Islander, 0.67% from other races, and 0.80% from two or more races. 1.28% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 5,133 households, out of which 24.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.8% were married couples living together, 14.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.0% were non-families. 29.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.36 and the average family size was 2.89.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 20.7% under the age of 18, 14.1% from 18 to 24, 28.6% from 25 to 44, 21.9% from 45 to 64, and 14.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 86.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 81.8 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $35,850, and the median income for a family was $43,560. Males had a median income of $30,317 versus $24,408 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,745. 17.0% of the population and 9.9% of families were below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 20.0% of those under the age of 18 and 8.2% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Cayce, South Carolina.

• Official website