Columbia is the capital city of the U.S. state of South Carolina. With a population of 136,632 at the 2020 census, it is the second-most populous city in South Carolina. The city serves as the county seat of Richland County, and a portion of the city extends into neighboring Lexington County. It is the center of the Columbia, SC Metropolitan Statistical Area, which had an estimated population of 858,302 in 2023, and is the 70th-most populous metropolitan statistical area in the United States. The name Columbia is a poetic term used for the United States, derived from the name of Christopher Columbus, who explored for the Spanish Crown. Columbia is often abbreviated as Cola, leading to its nickname as "Soda City".
Richland County is a county located in the U.S. state of South Carolina. As of the 2020 census, its population was 416,147, making it the second-most populous county in South Carolina, behind only Greenville County. The county seat and largest community is Columbia, the state capital. The county was established on March 12, 1785. Richland County is part of the Columbia, SC Metropolitan Statistical Area. In 2020, the center of population of South Carolina was located in Richland County, in the city of Columbia. The county is also the location of the geographic center of South Carolina, southeast of Columbia.
Lexington County is a county located in the U.S. state of South Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 293,991. Its county seat and largest community is Lexington. The county was chartered in 1785 and was named in commemoration of Lexington, Massachusetts, the site of the Battle of Lexington in the American Revolutionary War. Lexington County is the sixth-most populous county in South Carolina by population and is part of the Columbia, SC Metropolitan Statistical Area. It is located in the Midlands region of South Carolina.
Cayce is a city in the U.S. state of South Carolina, along the Congaree River. The population was 12,528 at the 2010 census and rose to 13,789 in the 2020 United States Census, and it is the third-most populated municipality in Lexington County. The city is primarily in Lexington County, with additional, predominantly rural land to the east in Richland County. Cayce is part of the Columbia Metropolitan Statistical Area and is within South Carolina's Midlands region.
Lexington is the most populous town in and the county seat of Lexington County, South Carolina, United States. It is a suburb of the state capital, Columbia. The population was 23,568 at the 2020 Census, and it is the second-most populous municipality in the greater Columbia area. The 2022 estimated population is 24,626. According to the Central Midlands Council of Governments, the greater Lexington area had an estimated population of 111,549 in 2020 and is considered the fastest-growing area in the Midlands.
West Columbia, formerly Brookland, is a city and commuter town in the suburban eastern sections of Lexington County, South Carolina, United States. According to the 2010 census, the population was 14,988, and the 2019 population estimate was 17,998. West Columbia is bordered to the east by Columbia, the state capital, across the Congaree River. It is near Columbia's city center or downtown district as well as the South Carolina State House and the Congaree Vista, known locally as "the Vista". The city is bordered to the south by its sister suburb, Cayce. A small portion of the city borders the town of Lexington to the east. West Columbia is part of the greater Columbia, SC metropolitan statistical area.
Batesburg-Leesville is a town located in Lexington and Saluda counties, South Carolina, United States. The town's population was 5,362 as of the 2010 census and an estimated 5,415 in 2019.
The Congaree River is a short but wide river in South Carolina in the United States; It flows for approximately 53 miles (85 km). The river serves an important role as the final outlet channel for the entire Lower Saluda and Lower Broad watersheds, before merging with the Wateree River just north of Lake Marion to form the Santee River.
The Midlands region of South Carolina is the middle area of the state. The region's main center is Columbia, the state's capital. The Midlands is so named because it is halfway point between the Upstate and the Lowcountry. The main area code is 803.
Kip McKey Bouknight is an American professional baseball pitcher who most recently played with the Somerset Patriots of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball.
Airport High School in West Columbia, South Carolina, United States, is a public high school offering education for grades 9 – 12, serving the communities of West Columbia, Cayce, South Congaree, Pine Ridge, and parts of Gaston. A part of Lexington County School District 2, it derives its name from its location next to (CAE) Columbia Metropolitan Airport. Sports teams are known as the Eagles. The main athletic rival is the Brookland-Cayce High School Bearcats.
Interstate 77 (I-77) is a north–south Interstate Highway, extending 91.2 miles (146.8 km) in the state of South Carolina, from the southern terminus at an interchange with I-26 near Columbia, north to the North Carolina state line near Rock Hill and Charlotte, North Carolina.
As defined by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget, and used by the U.S. Census Bureau for statistical purposes only, the Columbia, SC Metropolitan Statistical Area, is an area consisting of six counties in central South Carolina, anchored by the city of Columbia. The current population has an estimation of 837,092. It is the second-largest metropolitan statistical area in the state of South Carolina, since the Anderson metropolitan statistical area was combined with Greenville's following the 2010 census.
The South Carolina High School League (SCHSL) is the organization that rules and regulates school athletics in the state of South Carolina. Based out of Columbia, the SCHSL serves over 330,000 students at 220 high schools and 200 junior high schools.
South Carolina Highway 2 (SC 2) is a state highway in the U.S. state of South Carolina that travels 3.9 miles (6.3 km) between two portions of U.S. Route 21/U.S. Route 176/U.S. Route 321 (US 21/US 176/US 321) in Lexington County. The southern 2.4 miles (3.9 km) of the highway are known as Frink Street while the northern 1.5 miles (2.4 km) of the highway are known as State Street.
South Carolina Highway 35 (SC 35) is a 5.630-mile-long (9.061 km) state highway in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The highway connects the southern part of Cayce and West Columbia.
South Carolina Highway 302 (SC 302) is an 66.200-mile-long (106.539 km) state highway in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The highway travels through mostly rural areas of Aiken and Lexington counties and connects the Aiken with the Columbia metropolitan areas, via Wagener and Pelion.
Granby was the first European settlement in the area of present-day Columbia in the U.S. state of South Carolina. Settlement began around 1718 with the establishment of a trading post by the British on the Congaree River. Many small farms were settled by German, Swiss, and Scots-Irish immigrants. Granby was the largest town and county seat of Lexington County until the early 19th century, when the town began to gradually decline as Columbia, the state capital, grew. The once thriving colonial town was mostly unoccupied after the first quarter of the 19th century. Today, the area is part of present-day Cayce.
Olympia is an urban unincorporated area and census-designated place (CDP) in Richland County, South Carolina, United States. It was first listed as a CDP prior to the 2020 census with a population of 1,087.
The Lexington County Public Library is the public library system of Lexington County, South Carolina. It has 10 branches, including its 48,000 sq ft (4,500 m2) Main Library, built in 1998. The library has branches in Batesburg-Leesville, West Columbia, Chapin, Gaston, Gilbert, Irmo, Lexington, Pelion, South Congaree, and Swansea. The library also has mobile library services, including a browsing mobile library bus with scheduled routes throughout Lexington County, home delivery services and Materials by Mail.
