Clarendon County, South Carolina

Clarendon County, South Carolina
Location in the state of South Carolina
South Carolina's location in the U.S.
Founded	1855
Seat	Manning
Area  - Total  - Land  - Water	696 sq mi (1,803 km²) 607 sq mi (1,572 km²) 88 sq mi (228 km²), 12.72%
Population  - (2000)  - Density	32,502 54/sq mi (21/km²)
Website	www.clarendoncounty.sc.gov

There is also Clarendon County, New South Wales.

Clarendon County is a county located in the U.S. state of South Carolina. In 2000, its population was 32,502; in 2005, the U.S. Census Bureau estimated that the population had reached 33,363.^[1] Its county seat is Manning.^[2]

Geography and climate

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 696 square miles (1,802.6 km²), of which 607 square miles (1,572.1 km²) is land and 88 square miles (227.9 km²) (12.72%) is water.

Clarendon County is characterized by a Humid subtropical climate with hot, humid summers and cool, dry winters. The county also holds the state's records for both maximum 24 hour snowfall and largest hailstone.

Major Highways

Interstate 95 US 15 US 52 SC 261 US 521 US 301 US 378

Adjacent Counties

• Sumter County, South Carolina - north
• Florence County, South Carolina - northeast
• Williamsburg County, South Carolina - east
• Berkeley County, South Carolina - southeast
• Orangeburg County, South Carolina - southwest
• Calhoun County, South Carolina - west

National protected area

• Santee National Wildlife Refuge

Demographics

As of the census^[3] of 2000, there were 32,502 people, 11,812 households, and 8,599 families residing in the county. The population density was 54 people per square mile (21/km²). There were 15,303 housing units at an average density of 25 per square mile (10/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 44.93% White, 53.14% Black or African American, 0.24% Native American, 0.26% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.88% from other races, and 0.52% from two or more races. 1.72% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 11,812 households out of which 31.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.50% were married couples living together, 19.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.20% were non-families. 24.60% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.62 and the average family size was 3.12.

In the county, the population was spread out with 25.70% under the age of 18, 10.50% from 18 to 24, 25.10% from 25 to 44, 24.70% from 45 to 64, and 14.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 96.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.20 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $27,131, and the median income for a family was $33,951. Males had a median income of $28,459 versus $20,011 for females. The per capita income for the county was $13,998. About 18.70% of families and 23.10% of the population were below the poverty line, including 28.10% of those under age 18 and 24.60% of those age 65 or over.

History

In Clarendon County Summerton, South Carolina is the source of the landmark desegregation case Briggs v. Elliott (Court citation:347 US 483). Briggs was the first filed of the four cases combined into Brown v. Board of Education, the famous case in which the U.S. Supreme Court, in 1954, officially overturned racial segregation in U.S. public schools. The trial of George J. Stinney Jr. was conducted here in 1944. He was the youngest victim of electric chair in the United States.

Cities, towns and villages

• Alcolu (not incorporated)^[4][5]
• Manning
• Paxville
• Silver (not incorporated)^[6][7]
• Summerton
• Turbeville

Newspapers

• The Item -- Covers Clarendon, Lee and Sumter counties and prints The Clarendon Sun weekly.
• The Manning Times
• The Clarendon Citizen

Notable people from Clarendon County

• Marian McKnight -- Miss America 1957
• Rob Thomas -- Lead singer, Matchbox 20
• Althea Gibson -- first African-American woman to win a grand slam tennis title, 1956 Australian champion

See also

• Lake Marion
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Clarendon County, South Carolina

References

1. ^ US Census Bureau Data
2. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx. Retrieved 2011-06-07. 
3. ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
4. ^ "Profile for Alcolu, South Carolina, SC" ePodunk
5. ^ "Alcolu, South Carolina" Geonames database, United Staes Geological Survey
6. ^ "Profile for Silver, South Carolina, SC" ePodunk
7. ^ "Silver, South Carolina" Geonames database, United Staes Geological Survey

External links

• Clarendon County Website

Coordinates: 33°40′N 80°13′W / 33.66°N 80.22°W / 33.66; -80.22