Richland County, South Carolina

Richland County is located in the U.S. state of South Carolina. As of the 2010 census, the population was 384,504,[1] making it the second-most populous county in South Carolina, behind only Greenville County. The 2019 estimated population was 415,759.[2] The county seat and largest city is Columbia,[3] the state capital. The county was founded in 1785. Richland County is part of the Columbia, SC Metropolitan Statistical Area. In 2010, the center of population of South Carolina was located in Richland County, in the city of Columbia.[4]

Richland County
U.S. county
The Richland County Justice Center is located across from Columbia City Hall.
Location within the U.S. state of South Carolina
South Carolina's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 34°02′N 80°55′W
Country United States
State South Carolina
Founded1785
SeatColumbia
Largest cityColumbia
Area
 • Total772 sq mi (2,000 km2)
 • Land757 sq mi (1,960 km2)
 • Water15 sq mi (40 km2)  1.9%%
Population
 (2010)
 • Total384,504
 • Estimate 
(2019)
415,759
 • Density500/sq mi (190/km2)
Time zoneUTC−5 (Eastern)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional districts2nd, 6th
Websitewww.richlandcountysc.gov

History
Harvesting red gum trees in Richland County, 1904
South Carolina Statehouse - Richland County holds the state's capitol, Columbia.
A swamp in rural Richland County, SC

Richland County was probably named for its "rich land." The county was formed in 1785 as part of the large Camden District. A small part of Richland later went to adjacent Kershaw County in 1791. The county seat and largest city is Columbia, which is also the state capital. In 1786 the state legislature decided to move the capital from Charleston to a more central location. A site was chosen in Richland County, which is in the geographic center of the state, and a new town was laid out. Richland County's boundaries were formally incorporated on December 18, 1799. Cotton from the surrounding plantations was shipped through Columbia and later manufactured into textiles there. General William T. Sherman captured Columbia during the Civil War and his troops burned the town and parts of the county on February 17, 1865. The U. S. Army returned on friendlier terms in 1917, when Fort Jackson was established, which is now the largest and most active Initial Entry Training Center in the U.S. Army. The South Carolina State House is located in downtown Columbia.

Communities
Municipalities[5][6]
Type Name Pop. (2019 est.) Notes
City Columbia 131,674 State capital and County seat

Partly in Lexington County[lower-alpha 1]

Federal enclave[lower-alpha 2] Fort Jackson[7] 14,785 Military base
City Cayce 14,009 Mostly in Lexington County
Town Irmo 12,483 Mostly in Lexington County
City Forest Acres 10,298
Town Blythwood 2,034 Partly in Fairfield County
Town Arcadia Lakes 861
Town Eastover 810
Census Designated Places[8]
Name Pop. (2010)
St. Andrews 20,493
Dentsville 14,062
Woodfield 9,303
Hopkins 2,882
Gadsden 1,632

Unincorporated communities and neighborhoods

Regions
  • Dutch Fork
  • Fort Jackson
  • Intown/downtown
  • Lower Richland
  • Northeast Richland
  • Upper Richland

Geography
The Congaree River makes the border between Richland and Lexington counties.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 772 square miles (2,000 km2), of which 757 square miles (1,960 km2) is land and 15 square miles (39 km2) (1.9%) is water.[9] Richland County is situated in the center of South Carolina.

Rivers and lakes

Adjacent counties

National protected area

Demographics
Historical population
CensusPop.%±
17903,930—
18006,09755.1%
18109,02748.1%
182012,32136.5%
183014,77219.9%
184016,39711.0%
185020,24323.5%
186018,307−9.6%
187023,02525.8%
188028,57324.1%
189036,82128.9%
190045,58923.8%
191055,14321.0%
192078,12241.7%
193087,66712.2%
1940104,84319.6%
1950142,56536.0%
1960200,10240.4%
1970233,86816.9%
1980269,73515.3%
1990285,7205.9%
2000320,67712.2%
2010384,50419.9%
2019 (est.)415,759[10]8.1%
U.S. Decennial Census[11]
1790-1960[12] 1900-1990[13]
1990-2000[14] 2010-2015[1]

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 384,504 people, 145,194 households, and 89,357 families residing in the county.[15] The population density was 507.9 inhabitants per square mile (196.1/km2). There were 161,725 housing units at an average density of 213.6 per square mile (82.5/km2).[16] The racial makeup of the county was 47.3% white, 45.9% black or African American, 2.2% Asian, 0.3% American Indian, 0.1% Pacific islander, 1.9% from other races, and 2.2% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 4.8% of the population.[15] In terms of ancestry, 9.6% were German, 8.6% were English, 7.6% were Irish, and 7.1% were American.[17]

Of the 145,194 households, 32.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.6% were married couples living together, 17.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 38.5% were non-families, and 30.2% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 3.05. The median age was 32.6 years.[15]

The median income for a household in the county was $47,922 and the median income for a family was $61,622. Males had a median income of $42,453 versus $34,012 for females. The per capita income for the county was $25,805. About 10.0% of families and 14.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.6% of those under age 18 and 9.7% of those age 65 or over.[18]

Government

Richland County is governed by a County Council,[19] who hold concurrent four-year terms. Richland County is governed under the Council-Administrator form of government, which is very similar to the Council-Manager form of government. The major difference between the Council Manager and Council Administrator forms of government is the title of the chief executive, being Manager in one and Administrator in the other.

County Council
District Council Person
District 1 Bill Malinowski
District 2 Joyce Dickerson
District 3 Yvonne McBride
District 4 Paul Livingston (Chair)
District 5 Allison Terracio
District 6 Joe Walker III
District 7 Gwendolyn Kennedy
District 8 Jim Manning
District 9 Calvin "Chip" Jackson
District 10 Dalhi Myers
District 11 Chakisse Newton

The South Carolina Department of Corrections, headquartered in Columbia and in Richland County,[20] operates several correctional facilities in Columbia and in Richland County. They include the Broad River Correctional Institution,[21] the Goodman Correctional Institution,[22] the Camille Griffin Graham Correctional Institution,[23] the Stevenson Correctional Institution,[24] and the Campbell Pre-Release Center.[25] Graham houses the state's female death row.[26] The State of South Carolina execution chamber is located at Broad River. From 1990 to 1997 Broad River housed the state's male death row.[27]

In March 2008, the Richland County Sheriff's Department acquired an armored personnel carrier equipped with a .50 caliber machine gun.[28] Reason magazine criticized the acquisition as "overkill".[29]

Politics

Richland County is a Democratic stronghold.

Presidential elections results
Presidential elections results[30]
Year Republican Democratic Third parties
2020 30.1% 58,313 68.4% 132,570 1.5% 2,939
2016 31.1% 52,469 64.0% 108,000 4.9% 8,253
2012 33.4% 53,105 65.3% 103,989 1.3% 2,060
2008 35.1% 57,941 64.0% 105,656 0.9% 1,440
2004 42.0% 56,212 57.0% 76,283 1.0% 1,306
2000 43.1% 50,164 54.2% 63,179 2.7% 3,138
1996 41.1% 39,092 54.8% 52,222 4.1% 3,916
1992 41.2% 43,744 50.5% 53,648 8.3% 8,858
1988 52.7% 43,841 43.8% 36,420 3.4% 2,862
1984 57.4% 46,773 39.6% 32,212 3.0% 2,444
1980 49.9% 36,337 45.5% 33,158 4.6% 3,374
1976 46.8% 32,727 52.7% 36,855 0.5% 380
1972 64.1% 39,746 34.6% 21,462 1.3% 787
1968 51.0% 26,215 35.4% 18,198 13.7% 7,032
1964 60.4% 27,306 39.7% 17,939
1960 63.9% 20,736 36.1% 11,694
1956 30.0% 6,714 27.5% 6,154 42.5% 9,516
1952 64.2% 15,925 35.8% 8,890
1948 7.3% 670 26.3% 2,419 66.4% 6,104
1944 2.0% 140 93.1% 6,590 4.9% 347
1940 3.4% 167 96.6% 4,781
1936 2.2% 152 97.8% 6,728
1932 2.6% 119 97.1% 4,371 0.2% 10
1928 12.3% 444 87.7% 3,158
1924 3.5% 88 93.6% 2,369 2.9% 74
1920 10.8% 295 89.2% 2,434
1916 11.2% 292 87.6% 2,283 1.2% 32
1912 1.3% 23 88.2% 1,557 10.5% 186
1908 11.7% 236 87.1% 1,750 1.0% 21
1904 9.1% 122 90.9% 1,220
1900 12.2% 62 87.8% 445
1896 32.9% 468 65.0% 925 2.0% 29
1892 15.6% 146 84.3% 788 0.0% 0

Transportation

Bus system
Main article: The Comet (transit)

Public transportation in Richland County is provided by the COMET, or officially the Central Midlands Regional Transit Authority (CMRTA). The bus system is the main public transit system for the greater Columbia area. In Richland County, the bus system runs in the areas of Columbia, Forest Acres, Fort Jackson, Irmo, St. Andrews, Northeast Richland, Lower Richland, and Eastover. Additionally, COMET offers Dial-a-ride transit (DART), which provides personalized service passengers with disabilities.[31]

Railway

Columbia has one Amtrak station (CLB) that serves over 30,000 passengers per year on the Silver Star rail line.[32] Additionally, Richland County has an operating facility for CSX Transportation, a company that transports over one million carloads of freight on South Carolina's rail network.[33]

Airports

The Jim Hamilton–L.B. Owens Airport operates over 56,000 aircraft annually but is a smaller airport used mostly for small and private planes. The main airport for the region is the Columbia Metropolitan Airport, which is located in neighboring Lexington County. In 2018, the Columbia Metro Airport served 1,197,603 passengers with 12,324 flights.

Interstates
  • I-26 Interstate 26 travels from northwest to southeast and connects the Columbia area to the other two major population centers of South Carolina: the Greenville-Spartanburg area in the northwestern part of the state and North Charleston – Charleston area in the southeastern part of the state.
  • I-20 Interstate 20 travels from west to east and connects Columbia to Atlanta and Augusta in the west and Florence in the east. It serves the nearby towns and suburbs of Pelion, Lexington, West Columbia, Sandhill, Pontiac, and Elgin. Interstate 20 is also used by travelers heading to Myrtle Beach, although the interstate's eastern terminus is in Florence.
  • I-77 Interstate 77 begins in Lexington county and ends in Cleveland, Ohio and is frequently used by travelers on the east coast heading to or from Florida.
  • I-126 Interstate 126 branches off from I-26 and leads into downtown Columbia and provides access to Riverbanks Zoo.

Top Employers
Top ten employers (2019)[34]
Rank Employer Employees
1 Prisma Health 16,000
2 Blue Cross Blue Shield 10,000
3 University of South Carolina 7,000
4 South Carolina Department of Corrections 5,000
5 Richland County School District One 5,000
6 South Carolina Department of Transportation 5,000
7 South Carolina Department of Mental Health 5,000
8 South Carolina Department of Social Services 5,000
9 Richland County School District Two 4,000
10 South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control 4,000

Attractions
A male lion at Riverbanks zoo
SC State Fair
See also: Live PD

Richland County was one of several counties across the country used as a filming location for the A&E reality documentary series Live PD, which worked in collaboration with the Richland County Sheriff's Department. The show first premiered in 2016 and aired for four years until its cancellation in 2020.[35]

See also

Notes
  1. A very small percentage of the city is in Lexington County.
  2. Though within the city limits of Columbia, Fort Jackson operates autonomously with a private population and closed borders.

References
  1. "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved November 25, 2013.
  2. "Census Bureau Quick Facts". U.S. Census Bureau. 2019. Retrieved 29 June 2020.
  3. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved 2011-06-07.
  4. "Centers of Population by State: 2010". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved April 24, 2014.
  5. "Richland County, SC Internet Mapping". RichlandMaps.com. n.d. Retrieved 18 June 2020.
  6. "U.S. Census Bureau Quick Facts". U.S. Census. July 2019. Retrieved 18 June 2020.
  7. "Fort Jackson, South Carolina Demographics Data". Town Charts. 2010. Retrieved 18 June 2020.
  8. "U.S. Census Bureau Quick Facts". U.S. Census. July 2019. Retrieved 18 June 2020.
  9. "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Retrieved March 19, 2015.
  10. "Population and Housing Unit Estimates". Retrieved July 30, 2019.
  11. "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 19, 2015.
  12. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved March 19, 2015.
  13. Forstall, Richard L., ed. (March 27, 1995). "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 19, 2015.
  14. "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. April 2, 2001. Retrieved March 19, 2015.
  15. "DP-1 Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 Demographic Profile Data". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on 2020-02-13. Retrieved 2016-03-11.
  16. "Population, Housing Units, Area, and Density: 2010 - County". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on 2020-02-13. Retrieved 2016-03-11.
  17. "DP02 SELECTED SOCIAL CHARACTERISTICS IN THE UNITED STATES - 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on 2020-02-13. Retrieved 2016-03-11.
  18. "DP03 SELECTED ECONOMIC CHARACTERISTICS - 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on 2020-02-13. Retrieved 2016-03-11.
  19. "Richland County > Government > County Council > County Council Members". www.richlandonline.com. Retrieved 2018-03-13.
  20. "Institutions." South Carolina Department of Corrections. Retrieved on August 17, 2010.
  21. "Broad River Correctional Institution." South Carolina Department of Corrections. Retrieved on August 17, 2010.
  22. "Goodman Correctional Institution." South Carolina Department of Corrections. Retrieved on August 17, 2010.
  23. "Graham (Camille Griffin) Correctional Institution." South Carolina Department of Corrections. Retrieved on August 17, 2010. "4450 Broad River Road Columbia, SC 29210-4096"
  24. "Stevenson Correctional Institution." South Carolina Department of Corrections. Retrieved on August 17, 2010.
  25. "Campbell Pre-Release Center." South Carolina Department of Corrections. Retrieved on August 17, 2010.
  26. "Graham (Camille Griffin) Correctional Institution." South Carolina Department of Corrections. Retrieved on August 17, 2010. "The institution also functions as a major special management unit with the ability to house female death row inmates and county safekeepers."
  27. "Death Row/Capital Punishment." South Carolina Department of Corrections. Retrieved on August 17, 2010.
  28. S.C. Sheriff's Department Armored Vehicle with Belt-Fed Machine Gun Archived 2008-09-04 at the Wayback Machine
  29. Sheriff Lott's New Toy by Radley Balko September 1, 2008
  30. Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved 2018-03-13.
  31. "The Comet Routes" (PDF). The Central Midlands Transit Authority. n.d. Retrieved 28 June 2020.
  32. "Columbia, SC (CLB)". Great American Stations. Retrieved 28 June 2020.
  33. "CSX in South Carolina". CSX. Retrieved 28 June 2020.
  34. "Comrehensive Financial Report (2019)" (PDF). Richland County. 2019.
  35. Schneider, Michael (11 June 2020). "'Live PD': Inside A&E's Swift Decision to Cancel the Show, and Whether it Will Ever Return". Variety. Retrieved 28 June 2020.

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