Richland County, South Carolina facts for kids

Quick facts for kids 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.
Country	United States
State	South Carolina
Founded	March 12, 1785
Seat	Columbia
Largest city	Columbia
Area
• Total	772 sq mi (2,000 km2)
• Land	757 sq mi (1,960 km2)
• Water	15 sq mi (40 km2)  1.9%%
Population  (2020)
• Total	416,147
• Density	539.1/sq mi (208.13/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional districts	2nd, 6th

Richland County is located in the U.S. state of South Carolina. As of the 2010 census, the population was 384,504, making it the second-most populous county in South Carolina, behind only Greenville County. The population increased to 416,417 at the 2020 census. The county seat and largest city is Columbia, the state capital. The county was established on March 12, 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.

History

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 Kershaw County (1791). The county seat 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 Dec. 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 more friendly 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.

Geography

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. Richland County is situated in the center of South Carolina.

Rivers and lakes

• Broad River
• Congaree River
• Lake Murray
• Little River
• Saluda River
• Wateree River

Adjacent counties

• Fairfield County - north
• Kershaw County - northeast
• Sumter County - east
• Calhoun County - south
• Lexington County - west
• Newberry County - northwest

National protected area

• Congaree National Park

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 416,147 people, 153,484 households, and 90,802 families residing in the county.

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 384,504 people, 145,194 households, and 89,357 families residing in the county. 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). The racial makeup of the county was 45.3% white, 48.9% 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. In terms of ancestry, 9.6% were German, 8.6% were English, 7.6% were Irish, and 7.1% were American.

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.

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.

Transportation

Bus system

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.

Railway

Columbia has one Amtrak station (CLB) that serves over 30,000 passengers per year on the Silver Star rail line. 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.

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.

Attractions

• Congaree National Park
• Lake Murray
• Riverbanks Zoo
• Sesquicentennial State Park
• South Carolina State Museum
• Martin Luther King Park
• Richland County Public Library

Communities

Cities

• Cayce (Mostly in Lexington County)
• Columbia (county seat) (Partly in Lexington County)
• Forest Acres

Towns

• Arcadia Lakes
• Blythewood (Partly in Fairfield County)
• Eastover
• Irmo (Mostly in Lexington County)

Census-designated places

• Dentsville
• Gadsden
• Hopkins
• Lake Murray of Richland
• St. Andrews
• Woodfield

Unincorporated communities

Regions

• Dutch Fork
• Fort Jackson
• Intown
• Lower Richland
• Northeast Richland
• Upper Richland

Images for kids

• 

  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

• 

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

See also

In Spanish: Condado de Richland (Carolina del Sur) para niños