Orangeburg, South Carolina
Encyclopedia : O : OR : ORA : Orangeburg, South Carolina
Orangeburg, also known as "The Garden City," is a city in Orangeburg County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 12,765 at the 2000 census. The population has steadily declined since the 1950s. It is the county seat of Orangeburg County[Geographic references#6GR6]. The city is located southeast of Columbia, on the north fork of the Edisto River.
A civil rights protest was staged at a whites-only bowling alley in Orangeburg on February 8, 1968. In what would become known as the Orangeburg Massacre, officers of the SC Highway Patrol became involved in an altercation with the protestors. The officers fired into the crowd, killing 3 and wounding 27.
In May of 2000, the city created the [Orangeburg County Community of Character] initiative, which is a collaborative effort by the Downtown Orangeburg Revitalization Association (DORA), The Times and Democrat newspaper, the Orangeburg County Chamber of Commerce, and the Orangeburg County Development Commission.
In 2005, the National Civic League awarded Orangeburg County with the coveted All-America City Award (which can be awarded to either a city or a county), which recognizes and encourages civic excellence and honors communities in which citizens, government, businesses, and non-profit organizations demonstrate successful resolution of critical community issues.
History
Orangeburg, named for William IV, Prince of Orange, the son-in-law of King George, II, of England, was first settled in 1704 by an Indian trader, George Sterling.To encourage settlement, the General Assembly of the Province of South Carolina in 1730 made the area into a township in the shape of a parallelogram 15 x 5 miles. In 1735, a colony of 200 Swiss, German and Dutch immigrants formed a community near the banks of the North Edisto River. The site was attractive because of the fertile soil and the abundance of wildlife. The river provided an outlet to the port of Charleston for the agriculture and lumber products. The town soon became a well-established and successful colony, composed chiefly of small farmers.
The church played an important role in the early life of Orangeburg. The first church was of Lutheran denomination but was later the Episcopal Church. The church building was erected prior to 1763 in the center of the village and was destroyed at the time of the Revolutionary War. A subsequent church building was used as a smallpox hospital by General William Tecumseh Sherman during the Civil War.
The center of the original village was near what is now Broughton and Henley Streets, according to a marker there.
This information is quoted from the [City of Orangeburg Website].
Geography
Orangeburg is located at (33.496843, -80.862206)[Geographic references#1GR1].According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 21.5 km² (8.3 mi²). 21.5 km² (8.3 mi²) of it is land and 0.12% is water.
Infrastructure
Municipal government
The City operates under the Council form of government. The governing body is composed of a Mayor and six Council Members. The Mayor is determined through a nonpartisan, at-large election for a four-year term of office while Council Members are chosen through nonpartisan, single-member district elections. Council Members are elected to staggered four-year terms of office.City Council is a legislative body, establishing policies with recommendations from the City Administrator. The City Administrator acts as the chief administrator of the Council's policies implemented through the administrative control of City Departments given to him by ordinance.
Mayor: Paul A. Miller
Council Members
•Bernard Haire
•Charles W. Jernigan
•Sandra P. Knotts
•Trelvis A. Miller
•Joyce W. Rheney
•Charles B. Barnwell, Jr.
This information is quoted from the [City of Orangeburg Website].
Education
Colleges & Universities
- [Claflin University], founded in 1869, is the oldest historically Black institution in the state of South Carolina. U.S. News and World Report, in its 2006 Guidebook to American Colleges and Universities, ranked Claflin in the "Top Ten" and rated the university number one in the "Best Value" category among comprehensive colleges in the South for students pursuing bachelor's degrees. Claflin is an independent, four year, co-educational, residential, career-oriented liberal arts university affiliated with the United Methodist Church. Over 1,800 students are enrolled from 24 states and 19 foreign countries.
- [South Carolina State University] is 4-year public historically Black institution in Orangeburg, SC. Founded in 1896, the university is consistently among the national leaders in producing African-American students with baccalaureate degrees in biology, education, business, engineering technology, computer science/mathematics, and English language/literature. South Carolina State University offers a number of unique programs in South Carolina and the nation, including the only undergraduate nuclear engineering program in the state and the only masters of science degree in transportation in the state. Also, in 1998 the school was named by the U.S. Congress and the USDOT as one of 33 University Transportation Centers in the nation, the only one in South Carolina.
- [Southern Methodist College] was established by the Southern Methodist Church as a Bible college to provide a distinctively Christian post-secondary education committed to the ideals, the doctrinal convictions, and the ethical practices of the sponsoring denomination. The Southern Methodist Church, formed in Columbia, South Carolina, on January 14, 1939, as the continuing body of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, later established Southern Methodist College as an institution of the Church on January 26, 1956 in Greenville, moving to Aiken in 1958 and again to Orangeburg in 1961.
- [Orangeburg-Calhoun Technical College] is a member of the American Association of Community Colleges and is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) to award Associate in Arts, Associate in Science and Associate in Applied Science degrees. It is a comprehensive two-year technical college that provides training of persons for jobs in new and expanding industries, upgrading programs for workers already employed and university transfer opportunities.
Private Schools
- [Orangeburg Prepatory Schools]
- Wesley Christian School
- Orangeburg Christian Academy
Public Schools
- [Orangeburg Consolidated School District Three]
- [Orangeburg Consolidated School District Four]
- [Orangeburg Consolidated School District Five]
People & Culture
Demographics
As of the census[Geographic references#2GR2] of 2000, there were 12,765 people, 4,512 households, and 2,526 families residing in the city. The population density was 594.5/km² (1,539.0/mi²). There were 5,168 housing units at an average density of 240.7/km² (623.1/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 29.78% White, 67.51% African American, 0.13% Native American, 1.14% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.79% from other races, and 0.61% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.29% of the population.
There were 4,512 households out of which 23.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 33.5% were married couples living together, 18.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 44.0% were non-families. 35.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.23 and the average family size was 2.88.
In the city the population was spread out with 17.7% under the age of 18, 28.6% from 18 to 24, 21.0% from 25 to 44, 17.5% from 45 to 64, and 15.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 28 years. For every 100 females there were 76.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 71.0 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $30,306, and the median income for a family was $37,008. Males had a median income of $30,310 versus $21,935 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,263. About 17.9% of families and 24.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 34.7% of those under age 18 and 14.8% of those age 65 or over.
Cuisine
- 1058 Grill
- Joe Fox's
- House of Pizza
- Southland Restaurant
- Antley's
- Dukes Barbeque on Whitman Street
- Dukes BBQ on Chestnut Street
Events & Attractions
[The Edisto Memorial Gardens] displays past and current award winning roses from the All-American Rose Selections. Some 4,000 plants representing at least 75 labeled varieties of roses are always on display in the Gardens. The site was first developed in the 1920's with some azaleas on 5 acres of land. A playground was added in 1922, and a greenhouse and nursery facility in 1947. To extend the season of beauty, the first rose garden was planted in 1951. Currently, there are more than 50 beds of roses ranging from miniatures from grandiflora to climbers on over 150 acres of land.
The I. P. Stanback Museum & Planetarium, named for the first African-American chairman of the University's Board of Trustees, Isreal Pinkney Stanback, had its origin in the basement of the then South Carolina State College's library in the early 1970's. The Museum and Planetarium is located on the campus of South Carolina State University and signifies their commitment to community service. The Museum's exhibition area is one of the largest in the state. Its forty-foot planetarium dome, located across the foyer adjacent to the galleries, has an auditorium capacity of eighty-two seats and a Minolta IIB Planetarium Projector. The building is easily accessible to the handicapped and is a uniquely adaptable facility, capable of hosting many different types of presentations.
[The Orangeburg Festival of Roses] began as a vision held by a group of citizens seeking a way to enhance the development of Orangeburg and improve the quality of life for its residents. As a result of that vision, the first festival was held in 1972. The Greater Orangeburg Chamber of Commerce was the sole sponsor of that first festival. At present the City of Orangeburg and the Orangeburg County Chamber of Commerce are co-sponsors of the event. The festival includes such events as a river race, a basscatcher tournament, the Princess of Roses pageant, and various sports tournaments.
During the winter in Orangeburg, more festivities get under way when raccoon hunters from throughout the Southeast gather for the Grand American Coon Hunt. Also on the "Top Twenty" list, the hunt, which takes place each year in early January, in the largest field trial for coon dogs in the United States and is a qualifying event for the World Coon Hunt. Thousands of people come to the fairgrounds to see the dogs, exhibits and the sights and sounds of this one of a kind event.
Media
The Times and Democrat serves the as the daily newspaper for the Orangeburg area.Noted Personalities
- Stephen Euin Cobb: (Science fiction author and host of The Future And You) Born in Orangeburg S.C. on February 3, 1955.
- Shelton Benjamin: Professional Wrestler with the World Wrestling Entertainment RAW Brand. Born in Orangeburg on July 9,1976.
- Woodrow Dantzler: Clemson University quarterback and AFL player. First player in NCAA history to pass for more than 2000 yards and rush for more than 1000 yards in a single season.
- Herm Winningham: retired Major League Baseball player and World Series Champion (1990)
- Tim Jennings: University of Georgia cornerback. Drafted by the Indianapolis Colts in the 2nd round of the 2006 NFL Draft.
- Alex Barron: Florida State Tackle. Drafted by the St. Louis Rams 19th overall in the 2005 NFL Draft.
- Shawnee Smith: Actress. Played Amanda in Saw I, II, and III. Born in Orangeburg, SC on July 3, 1970.
- Angell Conwell: Actress. Born in Orangeburg, SC on August 2, 1983.
External links
- [The City of Orangeburg, SC]
- [City of Orangeburg Department of Public Safety]
- [County of Orangeburg, SC]
- [Orangeburg County Chamber of Commerce]
- [Orangeburg County Development Commission]
- [Orangeburg County Community of Character]
- [Downtown Orangeburg Revitalization Association]
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