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Richland County
	Richland County, South Carolina
	; Location in the state of South Carolina
	; South Carolina's location in the U.S.
Seat	Columbia
Largest city	Columbia
Area; - Total; - Land; - Water	; 772 sq mi (1,999 km²); 756 sq mi (1,958 km²); 15 sq mi (39 km²), 1.98%
PopulationEst.; - (2000); -(2008); - Density	; 364,001;
Founded	1785

Richland County is a county located in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The 2000 U.S. census recorded its population to be 320,677. In 2007, the U.S. Census Bureau estimated that its population had reached 364,001. It is the second most populous county in South Carolina, behind only Greenville County. The county seat is Columbia,^[1] the state capital. It is also the center of population of South Carolina.^[2]

Richland County is part of the Columbia, South Carolina, Metropolitan Statistical Area.

[edit] 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. 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.

[edit] Governance

Richland County is governed by an eleven-member County Council, who hold concurrent four year terms. Richland county is governed under the Council-Administrator form of government, which is very similar to the Council Manager form of government. The major difference between the Council Manager and Council Administrator forms of government is the title of the chief executive, being manager in one in administrator in the other.

Board of Commissioners
District	Commissioner
District 1	Bill Malinowski
District 2	Joyce Dickerson
District 3	Damon Jeter
District 4	Paul Livingston
District 5	Kit Smith
District 6	L. Gregory Pearce, Jr.
District 7	Joseph McEachern
District 8	Mike Montgomery
District 9	Val Hutchinson
District 10	Bernice G. Scott
District 11	Norman Jackson

In March 2008, the Richland County sheriff department acquired an armored personnel carrier equipped with a .50 caliber machine gun.^[3] This acquisition was criticized by Reason magazine as "overkill".^[4]

[edit] Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 772 square miles (1,999 km²), of which, 756 square miles (1,959 km²) of it is land and 15 square miles (40 km²) of it (1.98%) is water. Richland County is situated in the center of South Carolina.

[edit] Municipalities

Richland County contains five (5) municipalities including the City of Columbia and the City of Forest Acres, the towns of Irmo, Blythewood, and Eastover.

There are three common school districts, Richland District One, Richland District Two, and Richland-Lexington District Five serving the county.

[edit] Adjacent counties

Fairfield County, South Carolina - north
Kershaw County, South Carolina - northeast
Sumter County, South Carolina - east
Calhoun County, South Carolina - south
Lexington County, South Carolina - west
Newberry County, South Carolina - Northwest

[edit] National protected area

Congaree National Park

[edit] Demographics

Historical populations
Census	Pop.	%±
1900	45,589	—
1910	55,143	21.0%
1920	78,122	41.7%
1930	87,667	12.2%
1940	104,843	19.6%
1950	142,565	36.0%
1960	200,102	40.4%
1970	233,868	16.9%
1980	269,735	15.3%
1990	285,720	5.9%
2000	320,677	12.2%
Est. 2008	364,001	13.5%

As of the census^[5] of 2000, there were 320,677 people, 120,101 households, and 76,384 families residing in the county. The population density was 424 people per square mile (164/km²). There were 129,793 housing units at an average density of 172 per square mile (66/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 50.29% White, 45.16% Black or African American, 0.24% Native American, 1.72% Asian, 0.08% Pacific Islander, 1.16% from other races, and 1.35% from two or more races. 2.72% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 120,101 households out of which 31.50% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.70% were married couples living together, 16.30% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.40% were non-families. 29.10% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 3.05.

In the county, the population was spread out with 24.20% under the age of 18, 13.80% from 18 to 24, 31.60% from 25 to 44, 20.60% from 45 to 64, and 9.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 93.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.80 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $39,961, and the median income for a family was $49,466. Males had a median income of $34,346 versus $25,909 for females. The per capita income for the county was $20,794. About 10.10% of families and 13.70% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.50% of those under age 18 and 12.00% of those age 65 or over.