Allendale County, South Carolina

Allendale County
County
Allendale County Courthouse
Seal
Location within the U.S. state of South Carolina
South Carolina's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 32°59′N81°22′W / 32.98°N 81.36°W / 32.98; -81.36
Country	United States
State	South Carolina
Founded	1919
Named for	Paul H. Allen [1]
Seat	Allendale
Largest community	Allendale
Area
• Total	412.42 sq mi (1,068.2 km2)
• Land	408.10 sq mi (1,057.0 km2)
• Water	4.32 sq mi (11.2 km2)  1.05%
Population  (2020)
• Total	8,039
• Estimate  (2023)	7,369
• Density	19.70/sq mi (7.61/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district	6th
Website	www.allendalecounty.com

Allendale County is a county located in the U.S. state of South Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 8,039, ^[2] making it the least populous county in South Carolina. Its county seat is Allendale. ^[3]

History

Allendale County was formed in 1919 from southwestern portions of Barnwell County, along the Savannah River, and part of Hampton County, just to its south. It is the location of the Topper Site, an archeological excavation providing possible evidence of a pre-Clovis culture dating back 50,000 years. The site is near a source of chert on private land in Martin owned by Clariant Corporation, a Swiss chemical company with a plant there. The site, named after John Topper, a local resident who discovered it, has been under excavation by archeologists from the University of South Carolina for about one month a year since 1999, after an initial exploratory dig in the mid-1980s.

Geography

Interactive map of Allendale County

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 412.42 square miles (1,068.2 km²), of which 408.10 square miles (1,057.0 km²) is land and 4.32 square miles (11.2 km²) (1.05%) is water. ^[4] The Savannah River forms the county's western border with Georgia.

Allendale is 62 miles from Augusta, Georgia; 73 miles from Savannah, Georgia; 87 miles from Columbia; and 90 miles from Charleston. Before interstate highways were built, Allendale had several motels, primarily serving travelers going between Northeastern states and Florida. Traffic that formerly traveled U.S. 301 through Allendale now uses Interstate-95.

Major water bodies

• Coosawhatchie River
• Salkehatchie River
• Savannah River

Adjacent counties

• Bamberg County – northeast
• Colleton County – east
• Hampton County – southeast
• Screven County, Georgia – southwest
• Burke County, Georgia – west
• Barnwell County – northwest

Major highways

• US 278
• US 301
• US 321
• SC 3
• SC 47
• SC 125
• SC 300
• SC 641

Major infrastructure

• Savannah River Site (part)

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1920	16,098		—
1930	13,294		−17.4%
1940	13,040		−1.9%
1950	11,773		−9.7%
1960	11,362		−3.5%
1970	9,692		−14.7%
1980	10,700		10.4%
1990	11,722		9.6%
2000	11,211		−4.4%
2010	10,419		−7.1%
2020	8,039		−22.8%
2023 (est.)	7,369	[2]	−8.3%
U.S. Decennial Census [5] 1790–1960 [6] 1900–1990 [7] 1990–2000 [8] 2010 [9] 2020 [2]

2020 census

Allendale County racial composition ^[10]

Race	Num.	Perc.
White (non-Hispanic)	1,985	24.69%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic)	5,646	70.23%
Native American	45	0.56%
Asian	17	0.21%
Pacific Islander	1	0.01%
Other/Mixed	151	1.88%
Hispanic or Latino	194	2.41%

As of the 2020 census, there were 8,039 people, 3,365 households, and 2,011 families residing in the county.

2010 census

At the 2010 census, there were 10,419 people, 3,706 households, and 2,333 families living in the county. ^[11] The population density was 25.5 inhabitants per square mile (9.8/km²). There were 4,486 housing units at an average density of 11.0 per square mile (4.2/km²). ^[12] The racial makeup of the county was 73.6% black or African American, 23.7% white, 0.4% Asian, 0.2% American Indian, 1.3% from other races, and 0.8% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 2.3% of the population. ^[11] In terms of ancestry, and 5.6% were American. ^[13]

Of the 3,706 households, 32.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 31.5% were married couples living together, 26.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 37.0% were non-families, and 33.7% of households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 3.14. The median age was 38.8 years. ^[11]

The median household income was $20,081 and the median family income was $25,146. Males had a median income of $30,440 versus $28,889 for females. The per capita income for the county was $14,190. About 35.7% of families and 42.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 53.8% of those under age 18 and 27.4% of those age 65 or over. ^[14]

2000 census

At the 2000 census, there were 11,211 people, 3,915 households and 2,615 families living in the county. The population density was 28 people per square mile (11 people/km²). There were 4,568 housing units at an average density of 11 per square mile (4.2/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 71.0 percent Black or African American, 27.37 percent White, 0.12 percent Asian, 0.09 percent Native American, 0.06 percent Pacific Islander, 0.85 percent from other races, and 0.51 percent from two or more races. 1.61 percent of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. ^[15] Of the 3,915 households 30.3 percent had children under the age of 18 living with them, 35.8 percent were married couples living together, 25.8 percent had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.2 percent were non-families. 30.0 percent of all households were one person and 12.3 percent had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.56 and the average family size was 3.21.

The age distribution was 26.6 percent under the age of 18, 9.8 percent from 18 to 24, 28.2 percent from 25 to 44, 22.8 percent from 45 to 64, and 12.7 percent who were 65 or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 108.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 107.5 males.

The median household income was $20,898 and the median family income was $27,348. Males had a median income of $25,930 versus $20,318 for females. The per capita income for the county was $11,293. About 28.4 percent of families and 34.5 percent of the population were below the poverty line, including 48.1 percent of those under age 18 and 26.00 percent of those age 65 or over. ^[16]

Government and politics

Allendale County has been consistently Democratic in Presidential voting since 1976 and was among the few counties to be carried by Walter Mondale in 1984. ^[17] In the 2008 U.S. presidential election Barack Obama received 75.3 percent of the county's vote. ^[18] In the 2012 U.S. presidential election Barack Obama received 79.2 percent of the county's vote. In the 2020 U.S. presidential election, Joe Biden received 75.7% of the vote. ^[19]

United States presidential election results for Allendale County, South Carolina ^[20]

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2020	835	23.24%	2,718	75.65%	40	1.11%
2016	789	21.97%	2,735	76.14%	68	1.89%
2012	838	20.13%	3,297	79.20%	28	0.67%
2008	947	23.53%	3,029	75.27%	48	1.19%
2004	985	27.43%	2,565	71.43%	41	1.14%
2000	967	28.95%	2,338	70.00%	35	1.05%
1996	941	28.75%	2,222	67.89%	110	3.36%
1992	1,049	30.36%	2,159	62.49%	247	7.15%
1988	1,295	41.59%	1,796	57.68%	23	0.74%
1984	1,570	41.66%	2,170	57.57%	29	0.77%
1980	1,182	29.62%	2,778	69.62%	30	0.75%
1976	1,064	28.69%	2,634	71.02%	11	0.30%
1972	1,741	55.34%	1,386	44.06%	19	0.60%
1968	997	29.72%	1,538	45.84%	820	24.44%
1964	1,740	69.27%	772	30.73%	0	0.00%
1960	888	60.37%	583	39.63%	0	0.00%
1956	262	19.89%	380	28.85%	675	51.25%
1952	751	63.06%	440	36.94%	0	0.00%
1948	14	1.26%	55	4.95%	1,041	93.78%
1944	8	1.11%	678	94.43%	32	4.46%
1940	30	3.21%	905	96.79%	0	0.00%
1936	3	0.24%	1,236	99.76%	0	0.00%
1932	10	0.89%	1,108	99.11%	0	0.00%
1928	24	2.86%	816	97.14%	0	0.00%
1924	14	3.02%	450	96.98%	0	0.00%
1920	11	2.44%	440	97.56%	0	0.00%

Economy

Allendale is primarily an agricultural rural county. Its primary products are cotton, soybeans, watermelon and cantaloupe. Timbering is also important, primarily for paper pulp.

Education

Robert McNair, Democratic Governor of South Carolina from 1965 to 1971, moved to Allendale County as an adult because his wife was from there. Because of McNair's influence, USC-Salkahatchie (a two-year campus) was located in the town of Allendale. The county is also the site of WEBA, Channel 14, a broadcast outlet of the South Carolina Educational Television Network. Ranking 45th in population among the state's 46 counties, it is the smallest county to have either a state-supported college or an ETV station. Allendale County School District includes one high school: Allendale-Fairfax High School. The former C. V. Bing High School served African-American students during the time of segregation. Denmark Tech, part of the state Technical College System, serves the county from its location in Bamberg County, 25 miles from Allendale.

Communities

Towns

• Allendale (county seat and largest community)
• Fairfax
• Sycamore
• Ulmer

Unincorporated communities

• Appleton
• Martin

See also

• List of counties in South Carolina
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Allendale County, South Carolina

References

1. Federal Writers' Project (1941). Palmetto Place Names. Sloane Printing Co. p. 11.
2. "QuickFacts: Allendale County, South Carolina". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 22, 2024.
3. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
4. "2020 County Gazetteer Files – South Carolina". United States Census Bureau. August 23, 2022. Retrieved September 10, 2023.
5. "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 15, 2015.
6. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved March 15, 2015.
7. Forstall, Richard L., ed. (March 27, 1995). "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 15, 2015.
8. "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. April 2, 2001. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 9, 2022. Retrieved March 15, 2015.
9. "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on June 6, 2011. Retrieved November 22, 2013.
10. "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved December 14, 2021.
11. "DP-1 Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 Demographic Profile Data". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved March 9, 2016.
12. "Population, Housing Units, Area, and Density: 2010 - County". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved March 9, 2016.
13. "DP02 SELECTED SOCIAL CHARACTERISTICS IN THE UNITED STATES – 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved March 9, 2016.
14. "DP03 SELECTED ECONOMIC CHARACTERISTICS – 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved March 9, 2016.
15. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved May 14, 2011.
16. US Census Bureau Demographics Data
17. Leip, Dave. "1984 Presidential General Election Results - South Carolina". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved October 15, 2023.
18. "Election Results 2008". archive.nytimes.com. December 9, 2008. Retrieved October 15, 2023.
19. "Presidential Results". edition.cnn.com. May 5, 2021. Retrieved October 15, 2023.
20. Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved March 13, 2018.

External links

• Geographic data related to Allendale County, South Carolina at OpenStreetMap
• Official website
• Allendale Country history and images