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List of counties in South Carolina

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See also: List of United States counties and county-equivalents
Counties of South Carolina
LocationState of South Carolina
Number46
Populations10,233 (McCormick) – 451,225 (Greenville)
Areas392 square miles (1,020 km2) (Calhoun) – 1,255 square miles (3,250 km2) (Horry)
Government
Subdivisions

The U.S. state of South Carolina is made up of 46 counties, the maximum allowable by state law.[1] They range in size from 359 square miles (578 square kilometers) in the case of Calhoun County to 1,133 square miles (2,935 square kilometers) in the case of Horry County. The least populous county is McCormick County, with only 9,958 residents, while the most populous county is Greenville County, with a population of 451,225, despite the state's most populous city, Columbia, being located in Richland County.

History

In the colonial period, the land around the coast was divided into parishes corresponding to the parishes of the Church of England. There were also several counties that had judicial and electoral functions. As people settled the backcountry, judicial districts and additional counties were formed. This structure continued and grew after the Revolutionary War. In 1800, all counties were renamed as districts. In 1868, the districts were converted back to counties.[2] The South Carolina Department of Archives and History has maps that show the boundaries of counties, districts, and parishes starting in 1682.[3]

Alphabetical list

County
 FIPS code[4] County seat[5] Established[5] Origin Etymology Population Area Map
Abbeville County 001 Abbeville 1785 Ninety-Six District Abbeville, France 25,417 511 sq mi
(1,323 km2)		 State map highlighting Abbeville County
Aiken County 003 Aiken 1871 Barnwell, Edgefield, Lexington, and Orangeburg William Aiken, founder of the South Carolina Canal and Railroad Company 160,099 1,080 sq mi
(2,797 km2)		 State map highlighting Aiken County
Allendale County 005 Allendale 1919 Barnwell and Hampton P.H. Allen, first postmaster of the new county 10,419 413 sq mi
(1,070 km2)		 State map highlighting Allendale County
Anderson County 007 Anderson 1826 Pendleton District Robert Anderson, American Revolutionary War general and Southern surveyor 187,126 757 sq mi
(1,961 km2)		 State map highlighting Anderson County
Bamberg County 009 Bamberg 1897 Barnwell Francis Marion Bamberg, Confederate general in the American Civil War 15,987 395 sq mi
(1,023 km2)		 State map highlighting Bamberg County
Barnwell County 011 Barnwell 1798 Orangeburg John Barnwell, South Carolina State Senator and prisoner of war during the American Revolution 22,261 557 sq mi
(1,443 km2)		 State map highlighting Barnwell County
Beaufort County 013 Beaufort 1769 1769 Judicial District Duke Henry Somerset of Beaufort, colonial proprietary landowner 162,233 576 sq mi
(1,492 km2)		 State map highlighting Beaufort County
Berkeley County 015 Moncks Corner 1882 Charleston William Berkeley, colonial proprietary governor and landowner 177,843 1,228 sq mi
(3,181 km2)		 State map highlighting Berkeley County
Calhoun County 017 St. Matthews 1908 Lexington and Orangeburg John C. Calhoun, U.S. Senator from South Carolina and states' rights advocate 15,185 392 sq mi
(1,015 km2)		 State map highlighting Calhoun County
Charleston County 019 Charleston 1769 1769 Judicial District King Charles II of England 350,209 916.09 sq mi
(2,373 km2)		 State map highlighting Charleston County
Cherokee County 021 Gaffney 1897 Spartanburg, Union, and York Cherokee Native Americans 55,342 397 sq mi
(1,028 km2)		 State map highlighting Cherokee County
Chester County 023 Chester 1785 Camden District Chester, Pennsylvania 33,140 586 sq mi
(1,518 km2)		 State map highlighting Chester County
Chesterfield County 025 Chesterfield 1798 Cheraws District Earl Philip Dormer Stanhope of Chesterfield, an Enlightenment-era scholar, government official, and member of the British House of Lords 46,734 806 sq mi
(2,088 km2)		 State map highlighting Chesterfield County
Clarendon County 027 Manning 1855 Sumter Earl Edward Hyde of Clarendon, colonial proprietary landowner 34,971 696 sq mi
(1,803 km2)		 State map highlighting Clarendon County
Colleton County 029 Walterboro 1800 Charleston John Colleton, colonial proprietary landowner 38,892 1,133 sq mi
(2,934 km2)		 State map highlighting Colleton County
Darlington County 031 Darlington 1785 Cheraws District Darlington, England 68,681 567 sq mi
(1,469 km2)		 State map highlighting Darlington County
Dillon County 033 Dillon 1910 Marion J.W. Dillon, founder of the Wilson Short Cut Railroad 32,062 407 sq mi
(1,054 km2)		 State map highlighting Dillon County
Dorchester County 035 St. George 1868 Berkeley and Colleton Dorchester, Massachusetts 136,555 577 sq mi
(1,494 km2)		 State map highlighting Dorchester County
Edgefield County 037 Edgefield 1785 Ninety-Six District Disputed; either its location on the edge of the state or Edgefield, Norfolk, England 26,985 507 sq mi
(1,313 km2)		 State map highlighting Edgefield County
Fairfield County 039 Winnsboro 1785 Camden District The county's fair fields, as described by colonial governor Charles Cornwallis 23,956 710 sq mi
(1,839 km2)		 State map highlighting Fairfield County
Florence County 041 Florence 1888 Clarendon, Darlington, Marion, and Williamsburg Florence Harllee, daughter of Wilmington and Manchester Railroad founder W.W. Harllee 136,885 804 sq mi
(2,082 km2)		 State map highlighting Florence County
Georgetown County 043 Georgetown 1769 1769 Judicial District King George II of Great Britain 60,158 813.55 sq mi
(2,107 km2)		 State map highlighting Georgetown County
Greenville County 045 Greenville 1786 Washington District Nathanael Greene, Revolutionary War general 451,225 795 sq mi
(2,059 km2)		 State map highlighting Greenville County
Greenwood County 047 Greenwood 1897 Abbeville and Edgefield Greenwood Plantation, the home of John McGee, the county's largest landowner 69,661 463 sq mi
(1,199 km2)		 State map highlighting Greenwood County
Hampton County 049 Hampton 1787 Beaufort Wade Hampton, Congressman from South Carolina and once the nation's wealthiest citizen 21,090 563 sq mi
(1,458 km2)		 State map highlighting Hampton County
Horry County 051 Conway 1801 Georgetown Peter Horry, Revolutionary War general 269,291 1,134 sq mi
(2,937 km2)		 State map highlighting Horry County
Jasper County 053 Ridgeland 1912 Beaufort and Hampton William Jasper, Revolutionary War sergeant 24,777 700 sq mi
(1,813 km2)		 State map highlighting Jasper County
Kershaw County 055 Camden 1798 Claremont, Fairfield, Lancaster, and Richland Joseph Kershaw, one of the county's pioneering settlers 61,697 740 sq mi
(1,917 km2)		 State map highlighting Kershaw County
Lancaster County 057 Lancaster 1798 Camden District Lancaster County, Pennsylvania 76,652 555 sq mi
(1,437 km2)		 State map highlighting Lancaster County
Laurens County 059 Laurens 1785 Ninety-Six District Henry Laurens, president of the Second Continental Congress and prisoner of war during the American Revolution 66,537 724 sq mi
(1,875 km2)		 State map highlighting Laurens County
Lee County 061 Bishopville 1902 Darlington, Kershaw, and Sumter Robert E. Lee, Confederate general during the Civil War 19,220 411 sq mi
(1,064 km2)		 State map highlighting Lee County
Lexington County 063 Lexington 1804 Orangeburg Battle of Lexington, opening skirmish of the Revolutionary War 262,391 758 sq mi
(1,963 km2)		 State map highlighting Lexington County
Marion County 067 Marion 1800 Georgetown Francis Marion, Revolutionary War general 33,062 494 sq mi
(1,279 km2)		 State map highlighting Marion County
Marlboro County 069 Bennettsville 1798 Cheraws District Duke John Churchill of Marlborough, English general, diplomat, and confidant of monarchs 28,933 485 sq mi
(1,256 km2)		 State map highlighting Marlboro County
McCormick County 065 McCormick 1914 Abbeville, Edgefield, and Greenwood Cyrus McCormick, inventor of the mechanical reaper and founder of International Harvester 10,233 394 sq mi
(1,020 km2)		 State map highlighting McCormick County
Newberry County 071 Newberry 1785 Ninety-Six District Disputed; possibly Newbury, Berkshire, England, or from early settlers' notion that the landscape was as "pretty as a new berry" 37,508 647 sq mi
(1,676 km2)		 State map highlighting Newberry County
Oconee County 073 Walhalla 1868 Pickens Oconee Native Americans 74,273 674 sq mi
(1,746 km2)		 State map highlighting Oconee County
Orangeburg County 075 Orangeburg 1769 1769 Judicial District Prince William V of Orange 92,501 1,128 sq mi
(2,922 km2)		 State map highlighting Orangeburg County
Pickens County 077 Pickens 1826 Pendleton District Andrew Pickens, Governor of South Carolina 119,224 512 sq mi
(1,326 km2)		 State map highlighting Pickens County
Richland County 079 Columbia 1799 Camden District The county's rich soil 384,504 772 sq mi
(1,999 km2)		 State map highlighting Richland County
Saluda County 081 Saluda 1896 Edgefield Saluda River 19,875 462 sq mi
(1,197 km2)		 State map highlighting Saluda County
Spartanburg County 083 Spartanburg 1785 Ninety-Six District "Spartan Regiment" of the state militia, which was the key force for victory in the Revolutionary War Battle of Cowpens 284,307 819 sq mi
(2,121 km2)		 State map highlighting Spartanburg County
Sumter County 085 Sumter 1798 Claremont, Clarendon, and Salem Thomas Sumter, Revolutionary War general and U.S. Senator from South Carolina 107,456 682 sq mi
(1,766 km2)		 State map highlighting Sumter County
Union County 087 Union 1798 Ninety-Six District Union Church, the first Christian place of worship in the area 28,961 516 sq mi
(1,336 km2)		 State map highlighting Union County
Williamsburg County 089 Kingstree 1802 Georgetown District King William III of England 34,423 937 sq mi
(2,427 km2)		 State map highlighting Williamsburg County
York County 091 York 1798 Camden District York County, Pennsylvania 226,073 696 sq mi
(1,803 km2)		 State map highlighting York County

Defunct parishes, counties and districts

See also: List of former United States counties

Parishes

Until the late 19th century, the Lowcountry of South Carolina was divided into Parishes which themselves subdivided several "districts"; these civil parishes were based on and generally coincident (even well after disestablishment) with Anglican ecclesiastical parishes.[6]

  • St. Helena's Parish (Beaufort District)
  • St. Luke's Parish (Beaufort District) created on 23 May 1767, located on Hilton Head Island and the adjacent mainland
  • St. Peter's Parish (Beaufort District)
  • Prince William Parish (Beaufort District)
  • St. Andrew's Parish (Charleston District)
  • St. Bartholomew's Parish (Charleston District)
  • St. John's Colleton Parish (Charleston District)
  • St. George's Dorchester Parish (Charleston District)
  • St. Philip's & St. Michael's Parish (Charleston District)
  • Christchurch Parish (Charleston District)
  • St. James' Goose Creek Parish (Charleston District)
  • St. Thomas' & St. Denis' Parish (Charleston District)
  • St. John's Berkeley Parish (Charleston District)
  • St. Stephen's Parish (Charleston District)
  • St. James' Santee Parish (Charleston District)
  • St. Paul's Parish (Charleston District)
  • All Saints' Parish (Georgetown District)
  • Prince George, Winyah, Parish (Georgetown District)
  • Prince Frederick Parish (Georgetown District)
  • St. David's Parish (Cheraw District)
  • St. Mark's Parish (Cheraw District)
  • St. Matthew's Parish (Orangeburgh District)

Counties

Districts

Proposed counties

  • Birch County proposed in 2013 (portions of Lexington and Richland counties)

Notes

  1. ^ Section 3, Article VIII of the South Carolina Constitution
  2. ^ Edgar, Walter, ed. The South Carolina Encyclopedia, University of South Carolina Press, 2006, pp. 230-234, ISBN 1-57003-598-9
  3. ^ South Carolina Department of Archives and History maps.
  4. ^ "EPA County FIPS Code Listing". EPA. Retrieved 9 April 2007.
  5. ^ a b National Association of Counties. "NACo - Find a county". Retrieved 26 April 2007.
  6. ^ http://publications.newberry.org/ahcbp/documents/SC_Individual_County_Chronologies.htm. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)

References

  • Landrum, John Belton O'Neall (1897) Colonial and revolutionary history of upper South Carolina: embracing for the most part the primitive and colonial history of the territory comprising the original county of Spartanburg with a general review of the entire military operations in the upper portion of South Carolina and portions of North Carolina Shannon and Company, Greenville, South Carolina, OCLC 3492548

http://www.sciway.net/facts/

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