Lexington, South Carolina

Lexington, South Carolina
—  Town  —
Motto: "Building Partnerships"
Location of Lexington, South Carolina
Coordinates: 33°58′52″N 81°13′51″W
Country	United States
State	South Carolina
County	Lexington
Government
• Mayor	Randy Halfacre
Area
• Town	5.8 sq mi (15.0 km2)
• Land	5.7 sq mi (14.7 km2)
• Water	0.1 sq mi (0.2 km2)
Elevation	394 ft (120 m)
Population (2010)
• Town	17,870 (Lexington Limits)
• Metro	82,769 (Sub-County)
Time zone	Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
• Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP codes	29071-29073 - 29072
Area code(s)	803
FIPS code	45-41335
GNIS feature ID	1246349
Website	www.lexsc.com

Lexington is a town in and the county seat of Lexington County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 17,870 at the 2010 census. The U.S. Census Bureau estimated 2011 population is 18,179.

Geography

Lexington is located at 33°58′52″N 81°13′51″W (33.980975, -81.230839).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 5.8 square miles (15 km²), of which, 5.7 square miles (15 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.26 km²) of it (1.73%) is water.

Lexington is only 12 mi (19 km) away from South Carolina's state capital and largest city, Columbia.

Climate

The lowest recorded temperature in Lexington was −2 °F (−19 °C) in February of 1899. The warmest recorded temperature was 109 °F (43 °C) in June of 2012. July averages the most yearly precipitation. Lexington averages 48 in (1.2 m) of rain per year; Lexington averages 2 in (5.1 cm) of snow per year.

History

The historic town of Lexington, South Carolina, is a direct continuation of the old provincial township of Saxe Gotha. This township was one of eleven established in 1735 by the colonial government of King George II to encourage settlement of backcountry South Carolina and serve as a protective buffer between powerful Indian tribes to the west and the older settled plantations of the low country. The name "Saxe Gotha" was given in honor of the marriage of the King's son, Frederick Louis, Prince of Wales, to Princess Augusta of Saxe-Gotha.

A view of Lexington's Main Street.

The territory of colonial Saxe Gotha covered most of present day Lexington County and was traversed by two important early Indian trails, the Cherokee Path which followed roughly modern U.S. Highway #378 and the Occaneechi Path, today U.S. Highway #1. These ancient trading paths and the highways that later developed from them have had an enormous impact on the historical development of the area. Most of the early settlers came from various cantons, principalities and city-states of Germany and Switzerland. Others came down from Pennsylvania, and Virginia. Despite the disruptive Cherokee Indian War of 1760 and the "Regulator" unrest that followed, the township flourished as a largely self-sufficient area of small scale farming operations. Major crops in the eighteenth century included corn, wheat, tobacco, hemp, flax, beeswax and livestock.

During the American Revolution, several skirmishes occurred in the area, among them being the Battle of Tarrar Springs, which was fought just one mile east of Lexington on November 16, 1781.

In 1785, Lexington County was established, with the township of Saxe Gotha renamed to "Lexington" in commemoration of the Battles of Lexington and Concord in Massachusetts. The county's first courthouse was built at Granby, located just south of present day Cayce. From 1800 to 1868, the county was organized as a district with the same name.

With the clearing of upriver lands for the spreading cotton culture, Granby became plagued with floods. The district seat was moved in 1820 when the present town of Lexington was laid out on a high, healthy sand ridge near Twelve Mile Creek. The town was known as Lexington Courthouse throughout the nineteenth century since in the first few years of its existence there was only the courthouse with few residences.

By 1861, when it was incorporated as a town, Lexington boasted a diverse population of lawyers, physicians, tradespeople, artisans and farmers. There were then two churches, several schools, a carriage factory, a saw and gristmill, a tannery, livestock yard, tin and blacksmiths, and a weekly newspaper. The major crops of the surrounding countryside were mainly cotton, corn sweet potatoes and lumber. Lexington was not a marketing center for these staples, but did serve as a retail market for manufactured goods purchased wholesale by merchants in nearby Columbia.

In 1865 the town was virtually destroyed by occupying Union Army forces guarding General Sherman's western flank. The courthouse, district jail and St. Stephen's Lutheran Church were put to the torch as were most businesses and homes.

The small farms with their varied crops and the lumber industry stabilized somewhat the economy of the area after Reconstruction years. The completion of the Columbia to Augusta Railroad just after the Civil War and the construction of the Lexington Textile Mill in 1890 contributed greatly to the growth of the town itself. Disastrous fires in 1894 and 1916 on Main Street resulted in the construction of brick buildings, many of which are standing today.

The Town of Lexington has continued to be the political center of Lexington County, one of the fastest growing areas of the nation. With new major highways passing nearby, the town continues to experience phenomenal growth.

Economy

Top employers

According to the Town's 2011 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the top employers in the city are:

#	Employer	# of Employees
1	Lexington County	813
2	Lexington School District One	487
3	Walmart	353
4	Target	149
5	Lowe's	140
6	Town of Lexington	133
7	Kohl's	118
8	Food Lion	88
9	Honda Cars of Columbia	85
10	Kmart	75

Sights

Lake Murray Dam

Slightly north of Lexington rests one of South Carolina's major lakes, Lake Murray. The lake is held by a 1.7 mile long dam in which people are free to drive, bike, run, or walk across. The Saluda Dam, or Lake Murray Dam, provides electricity for the surrounding area and is a beacon for the Midlands of South Carolina. There is also a public swimming area that is open during the summer months on the Lexington side of the dam.

Demographics

Historical populations
Census	Pop.		%±
1880	262		—
1890	342		30.5%
1900	806		135.7%
1910	709		−12.0%
1920	894		26.1%
1930	1,152		28.9%
1940	1,033		−10.3%
1950	1,081		4.6%
1960	1,127		4.3%
1970	969		−14.0%
1980	2,131		119.9%
1990	3,289		54.3%
2000	9,793		197.8%
2010	17,870		82.5%
Est. 2011	18,179		1.7%
U.S. Decennial Census 2011 estimate

As of the census of 2010, there were 17,870 people, 8,101 households, and 2,558 families residing in the town. The population density was 1,724.4 people per square mile (665.7/km²). There were 4,025 housing units at an average density of 708.7 per square mile (273.6/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 83.88% White, 12.48% Black or African American, 0.18% Native American, 2.05% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.67% from other races, and 0.70% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.91% of the population.

There were 3,644 households out of which 40.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.9% were married couples living together, 12.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.8% were non-families. 24.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.51 and the average family size was 3.03.

In the town the population was spread out with 27.1% under the age of 18, 7.5% from 18 to 24, 39.6% from 25 to 44, 18.3% from 45 to 64, and 7.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 97.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.3 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $53,865, and the median income for a family was $65,694. Males had a median income of $44,883 versus $29,020 for females. The per capita income for the town was $23,416. About 5.2% of families and 7.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.3% of those under age 18 and 14.5% of those age 65 or over.

Schools

Listed below are public schools that have an address labeled in Lexington, South Carolina.

Elementary Schools:

• Carolina Springs Elementary
• Lake Murray Elementary
• Lexington Elementary
• Midway Elementary
• Meadow Glen Elementary
• New Providence Elementary
• Oak Grove Elementary
• Pleasant Hill Elementary
• Red Bank Elementary
• Saxe Gotha Elementary
• Rocky Creek Elementary

Middle Schools:

• Carolina Springs Middle School
• Lexington Middle School
• Meadow Glen Middle School
• Pleasant Hill Middle School

High Schools:

• Lexington High School
• Lexington Technology Center
• River Bluff High School
• White Knoll High School

Notable residents

• Lacie Lybrand, Miss South Carolina USA 2006
• Danielle Corley, Miss South Carolina USA 1995
• Nikki Haley, current governor of South Carolina and the first Indian American Republican elected to a state legislature
• Bob Peeler, Former Lieutenant Governor (1995–2003), Clemson University Board of Trustees

External links

• Official website
• Lexington County Chronicle and the Dispatch-News : Newspaper
• Radius Church Community Outreach
• Saxe Gotha Presbyterian Church
• First Baptist of Lexington
• Lexington Baptist Church
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