Aiken County, South Carolina

Infobox U.S. County
county = Aiken County
state = South Carolina




map size = 200
founded = 1871
seat = Aiken | area_total_sq_mi =1080
area_water_sq_mi =8
area percentage = 0.72%
census yr = 2000
pop = 142552
density_km2 =51
web = www.aikencounty.net
|

Aiken County is a county located in the U.S. state of South Carolina. In 2000, its population was 142,552; in 2005, the U.S. Census Bureau estimated that its population had reached 150,181. [ [http://www.census.gov/popest/counties/tables/CO-EST2005-01-45.xls US Census Bureau Data] ] Its county seat is Aiken.GR|6

History

Both Aiken County and its county seat of Aiken are named after William Aiken Sr.(1806-1831) who was the first president of the South Carolina Railroad Company. In 1871, Aiken County was formed from pieces of Barnwell, Edgefield, Lexington, and Orangeburg counties.cite web|url=http://www.statelibrary.sc.gov/aiken-county.html|title="History"|accessdate=2008-03-29|date=19 March, 2007|author=Mary Morgan]

After the Civil War, the county became a hotspot as a winter home for affluent Northerners. The county still remains popular with horse trainers and riders.In the 1950s, Aiken County along with the nearby counties of Allendale and Barnwell were chosen as the location for a hydrogen bomb plant, now known as the Savannah River Site.

Law/Government

Mr. Ronnie Young is the chairman of the Aiken County Council. The other members and their districts are as follows:
*Kathy Rawls- District 1
*Scott Singer- District 2
*LaWana McKenzie- District 3
*Chuck Smith- District 4
*Eddie Butler- District 5
*Charles Barton- District 6
*Gary Bunker- District 7
*Willar H. Hightower Jr.- District 8cite web|url=http://aikencounty.net/SGovernment.cfm|title="Aiken County Government"|accessdate=2008-03-29]

Geography

The county seat of Aiken County is Aiken, SC. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,080 square miles (2,798 km²), of which, 1,073 square miles (2,778 km²) of it is land and 8 square miles (20 km²) of it (0.72%) is water.

Adjacent Counties

*Saluda County, South Carolina - north
*Lexington County, South Carolina - northeast
*Orangeburg County, South Carolina - east
*Barnwell County, South Carolina - south
*Burke County, Georgia - southwest
*Edgefield County, South Carolina - west
*Richmond County, Georgia - west

Major Highways

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Demographics

As of the censusGR|2 of 2000, there were 142,552 people, 55,587 households, and 39,411 families residing in the county. The population density was 133 people per square mile (51/km²). There were 61,987 housing units at an average density of 58 per square mile (22/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 71.37% White, 25.56% Black or African American, 0.40% Native American, 0.63% Asian, 0.03% Pacific IRace (United States Census)|other races, and 1.18% from two or more races. 2.12% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 55,587 households out of which 33.10% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.30% were married couples living together, 13.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.10% were non-families. 25.20% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.20% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.53 and the average family size was 3.03.

In the county, the population was spread out with 26.20% under the age of 18, 8.80% from 18 to 24, 28.90% from 25 to 44, 23.30% from 45 to 64, and 12.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 92.90 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.20 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $37,889, and the median income for a family was $45,769. Males had a median income of $36,743 versus $23,810 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,772. About 10.60% of families and 13.80% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.90% of those under age 18 and 12.50% of those age 65 or over. [ [http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/ACSSAFFFacts?_event=&geo_id=05000US45003&_geoContext=01000US%7C04000US45%7C05000US45003&_street=&_county=Aiken+County&_cityTown=Aiken+County&_state=&_zip=&_lang=en&_sse=on&ActiveGeoDiv=&_useEV=&pctxt=fph&pgsl=050&_submenuId=factsheet_1&ds_name=null&_ci_nbr=null&qr_name=null&reg=null%3Anull&_keyword=&_industry= US Census Bureau Demographics Data] ]

Cities, towns, unincorporated areas, and CDPs

*Aiken
*Bath
*Beech Island
*Belvedere
*Burnettown
*Clearwater
*Gloverville
*Graniteville
*Jackson
*Langley
*Monetta
*New Ellenton
*North Augusta
*Perry
*Salley
*Vaucluse
*Wagener
*Warrenville
*Windsor

Historic places

*Aiken Tennis Club
* Hamburg
*Whitehall

ee also

*Savannah River
*University of South Carolina Aiken

References

External links

* [http://www.aikencountyhistoricalsociety.org Aiken County Historical Society]
* [http://opensource.usca.edu University of South Carolina Aiken Open Source Project ]
* [http://www.aikencountysc.gov Aiken County Government Homepage ]