SOUTH CAROLINA FACTOIDS

South Carolina is one of the original American Colonies with a rich history and culture shaped by European, African and Caribbean influences. South Carolina was the eighth state to ratify the U.S. Constitution on May 23, 1788.  It offers everything from sunny beaches and recreational lakes to historic towns and scenic mountains. The many beautiful waterfalls of South Carolina's Blue Ridge Mountain Upcountry include the tallest falls in the Southeastern United States. There are 400+ golf courses in SC!

Population:  South Carolina now has a population of more than 5.1 million. Greenwood County is 70,000+, and Laurens County is 69,000+. Abbeville County has 25,000+ and Newberry County 38,000+. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, December 2019.

South Carolina can be divided into three geographic areas. From east to west:  the Atlantic coastal plain, the Piedmont and the Blue Ridge Mountains.  The Lowcountry refers to the coastal plain region, and the other two regions as the Midlands and the Upstate respectively.  The Atlantic coastal plane makes up two-thirds of the state.  

Name: Named in honor of England's King Charles I

State Bird: South Carolina Wren

Capital:  Columbia

Largest City:  Charleston

Land Area:  32,000 Square Miles

Largest Barrier Island:  Hilton Head

Weather:

• Average Temperature: 60
• Average High Temperature: 73
• Average Low Temperature: 48
• Annual Rainfall: 46"

Fall Foliage Peak Period: In South Carolina's Upcountry, plan on the 2nd-4th weeks in October as a general rule. Peak foliage for the remainder of the state occurs late October through early November.

Interstates: The two major Interstates are I-26 and I-385. For the Greenwood area, look for highways/routes 10, 25, 34, 72, 178, 221, 702, 254, & 264.

Cost of living: SC is below the national average in terms of cost of housing, groceries, utilities, transportation, health care & misc. goods.

Taxes: SC has one of the lowest per capita tax rates in the country according U.S. Bureau of the Census. A few tax details:

• SC does not tax Social Security benefits.
• SC allows a $50,000 Homestead Exemption for residents 65+, or totally/permanently disabled or blind.
• Ad Valorem (Property) Tax: Legal (primary) residences and up to 5 acres are taxed at 4% of assessed value. Second homes, investment etc=6%.
• No intangibles tax.
• Personal property tax is collected annually on cars, trucks, motorcycles, boats and airplanes (6% of assessed value).
• SC gives a two-wage earner credit.
• SC does not impose an estate or gift tax.
• SC sales tax is 5%; county voters may approve additional local sales taxes.
• For more information, get a free "Moving to South Carolina" brochure at www.sctax.org

Education: Average expediture per pupil: $9,147. Pupil/teacher ratio: 16.0.

A Few Famous South Carolinians:

• Whispering Bill Anderson - songwriter
• James Godfather Brown - singer
• John C. Calhoun - statesman
• Joe Frazier - prize fighter
• Dizzy Gillespie -jazz trumpeter
• Andrew Jackson - U.S. president
• Jesse Louis Jackson - civil rights leader
• Eartha Kitt - singer
• Vanna White - TV personality

Economic Recognition & Stats:

• Aerospace employment in South Carolina has increased 600% in the past five years.
• South Carolina is currently ranked #2 in high-tech employment growth.
• South Carolina is the nation's #1 producer and exporter of tires.
• South Carolina ranks first in America in automobile exports to non-NAFTA countries.
• Forbes ranked South Carolina's regulatory environment 16th best in the nation for business.
• South Carolina has received either a Silver or Gold Shovel Award for the past several years in recognition of economic development projects. 
• South Carolina consistently ranks high on Site Selection magazine's "Top State Business Climates"   
• Business Facilities has consistently rated South Carolina as one of the strongest states in the Southeast for manufacturing.   
• The state has been ranked forty-fourth (fiftieth is best) in their cost of doing business index, produced by the National Association of Manufacturers with the Association of Washington Business and the Washington Research Council.
• South Carolina's credit rating remains one of the highest in the nation according to the country's three major credit rating agencies, Standard & Poor's (AA+), Moody's (AAA) and Fitch (AAA). Only nine states have credit ratings as high as South Carolina's. Source: South Carolina Office of the State Treasurer.
• South Carolina came in as one of the 10 best states in which to do business in Chief Executive's annual poll of CEOs-2009.
• South Carolina is a right-to-work state and has one of the lowest unionization rates in the U.S.  
• CNBC: Ranks South Carolina's workforce sixth best in the nation; ranks the state fourth for access to transportation in all its modes; and ranks the state fifth best in the nation for cost of doing business.1 for Direct Foreign Investment Per Capita - Organization for International Investment
• The Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council, a nonprofit advocacy group, ranked South Carolina as one of the top 10 most entrepreneur-friendly state in the nation.

Misc.

• More astronauts have come from South Carolina than any other state.
• Today, there are more than 100,000 looms in SC weaving more than 4 billion yards of fabric yearly--enough to circle the earth 80 times.
• SC's leadng cash crop is TREES, most of which are harvested on lands once planted in corn and cotton.
• SC is second only to CA, (not GA!) in peaches.

Check out:

www.discoversouthcarolina.com
www.sccommerce.com
www.SCjustright.com