Located in the southeastern region of the United States, overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, and bordering Georgia, North Carolina, and the Savannah River you will find the fascinating state of South Carolina. The Palmetto state is often thought to be the state with shrimp, green tomatoes, and Palmetto trees in abundance. However, there is much more than meets the eye with this beautiful state.
South Carolina’s deep-seated history dates back to the mid-1600s, providing plenty of opportunities to accumulate a multitude of interesting facts as well as business and economic highlights about South Carolina.
The tourism hub of Charleston is an extremely popular place with American’s and foreigners alike, and the rest of the state is not short of wonderful places too, making for some incredible facts about The Palmetto state that you might not have known about.
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21 Of The Most Interesting Facts of South Carolina
1. It turns out that Georgia is not the largest producer of peaches in the Southeast, despite being nicknamed the “Peach State“, South Carolina holds that title! California is still the top producer in the country, however, South Carolina comes in second with a total of 54,600 tons of peaches produced in 2018!
2. Columbia is the capital city of South Carolina, even though it is not the largest city. The city with the largest population in South Carolina is Charleston, boasting a population of over 137,000, whereas the capital city comes in at a close second with a little over 131,000 residents.
3. South Carolina’s Atlantic coastlines stretch over 187 miles!
4. You can find South Carolina’s motto on the state seal, it is a Latin phrase, “Dum spiro, spero”, which translates to “While I breathe, I hope” – a positive message that is still best used to represent the people of this historic state.
5. The Palmetto State is home to the hottest pepper in the world, grown in Fort Mill, South Carolina, this famous pepper can peak to over 2 million on the Scoville Scale!
6. The abbreviation for South Carolina is fairly straightforward when compared with other state abbreviations, using the first letters from both words, “SC”.
7. The state’s highest point, Sassafras Mountain, is around 3,560 feet at its summit, and South Carolina’s lowest point, known as “Lowcountry” (coastal plains) is pretty much at sea level.
8. There are a total of 46 different counties that make up the state of South Carolina.
9. People who live in the state are referred to as “South Carolinians”. Here are some of the most famous South Carolinians:
- Kevin Garnett (Basketball Player).
- Mary-Louise Parker (Actress).
- The Big Show (WWE Wrestler).
- James Brown (Singer).
- Jayson Williams (Basketball Player).
- Althea Gibson (Tennis Player).
10. South Carolina’s Morgan Island is commonly known as Monkey Island, and for good reason too! Being totally uninhabited by people and home to over 3,500 monkeys!
11. South Carolina has over 300 golf courses! With Myrtle Beach being known as the golf capital of the world! The first-ever game of golf played in the country took place in Charleston.
Economic Facts About South Carolina
There is a lot to consider when looking into the economic facts about South Carolina, the state is known by many to have one of the best environments for growth and development for businesses, entrepreneurs, and investors alike. So, here we have sourced some of the most interesting economic highlights about South Carolina that we could find.
If you would like to learn how to register a business in South Carolina so you can start your entrepreneurial journey, we have created a checklist walking you through the process.
Economic Facts About South Carolina
- South Carolina’s GDP is over $247 billion.
- South Carolina has a progressive income tax rate ranging between 3% – 7%.
- The sales tax rate in South Carolina is 6%.
- South Carolina ranks #16 for economic strength (US News & World Report 2019).
- According to the US News & World Report, over 38% of South Carolinians are College educated.
- South Carolina ranks #20 for FISCAL stability (US News & World Report 2019).
- South Carolina came in 8th place in the US for economic growth (US News & World Report 2019).
- The minimum wage in South Carolina is $7.25 per hour.
- According to WalletHub, South Carolina’s economic health rank is ranked 23rd out of all 50 states.
- There are over 431,000 small businesses in South Carolina.
- Small businesses account for over 99% of all South Carolina businesses.
- There are over 817,000 small business employees within the state.
- Over 43% of state employees work for small businesses.
- Small businesses have accounted for over 44,000 net new jobs.
- South Carolina is responsible for 5,661 small business exporters.
- The average house price in South Carolina is $203,707, however, this number is seasonally adjusted and updated – take a look at Zillow’s website.
- South Carolina has a flat corporate income tax rate of 5%.
All of these economic facts about South Carolina highlight the various reasons people move to the state for business and work opportunities, and it’s hard to argue why over 60,000 people move to the state each year!
Final Interesting Facts About South Carolina
Here are the rest of them!
12. South Carolina is actually home to its own Watermelon, that’s right, the Bradford Watermelon is a totally unique Melon exclusive to the state! Growing these Watermelons and selling them within South Carolina has been a century-old tradition.
13. The state also lays claim to its very own revolving restaurant, located on the top level of the 18 stories, in the Capstone Building in Columbia, SC you can find the state’s only revolving restaurant offering a 360-degree view of the incredibly beautiful landscape.
14. Summerville, SC is the birthplace of sweet tea! The popular cold, refreshing beverage hails from South Carolina, and you can even visit the “Sweet Tea Trail” to see the origins for yourself.
15. Not only does the state produce an incredibly large amount of Peaches, but Apples are also incredibly popular too, with a festival being held each year named “the South Carolina Apple Festival” taking place at the beginning of harvest.
16. The smallest town that can be found in South Carolina is situated in the northwest, called Smyrna. According to the SC census summary, the town itself is only around 0.7 square miles, and the population is around 55 people!
17. Over the years, the city of Charleston has adopted the nickname “The Holy City” since there being over 400 places of worship across the city.
18. South Carolina has rather amusing names for some of its towns, our favorites are:
- Due West.
- Wide Awake.
19. Something that you probably didn’t know about that is hard to believe is that tattooing was totally illegal in the state until 2004!
20. According to the Guinness World Records, South Carolina is home to the largest living cat! An adult male liger, which is half lion, half tiger. The giant cat is named Hercules and resides in Myrtle Beach Safari Wildlife Reserve.
21. The maximum speed limit in South Carolina is 70 mph, however, there are many other speed limits depending on which road you are on, and which area you are driving in.
Thanks for taking a look at our interesting, weird, and wonderful facts about South Carolina! If you have some facts and interesting information regarding South Carolina’s past and present that we have not covered, make sure to add a comment below.