South Carolina is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. It borders North Carolina to the north and northeast, the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, and Georgia to the southwest and south across the Savannah River. Along with North Carolina, it makes up the Carolinas region of the East Coast. South Carolina is the 40th-largest and 24th-most populous U.S. state with a recorded population of 5,118,425 according to the 2020 census. In 2019, its GDP was $213.45 billion. South Carolina is composed of 46 counties. The capital is Columbia with a population of 136,632 in 2020; while its most populous city is Charleston with a 2020 population of 150,227. The Greenville-Spartanburg-Anderson, SC Combined Statistical Area is the most populous combined metropolitan area in the state, with an estimated 2023 population of 1,590,636.
Beaufort is a city in and the county seat of Beaufort County, South Carolina, United States. Chartered in 1711, it is the second-oldest city in South Carolina, behind Charleston. Beaufort is known as the "Queen of the Carolina Sea Islands". The city's population was 13,607 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Hilton Head Island–Bluffton metropolitan area.
Bluffton is a town in southern Beaufort County, South Carolina, United States. The population as of the 2020 census was 27,716, an increase of over 120% since the 2010 census, making it the 17th-most populous municipality and one of the fastest growing municipalities in South Carolina. It is primarily located around U.S. Route 278, between Hilton Head Island and Interstate 95. The Lowcountry town's original one square mile area, now known as Old Town, is situated on a bluff along the May River. Bluffton is a primary town within the Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal, SC Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Hampton is a town in Hampton County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 2,808 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Hampton County. The town and the county are named after Wade Hampton III, a Confederate general in the Civil War.
Varnville is a town in Hampton County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 2,162 as of the 2010 census. Varnville forms a twin town with Hampton, the county seat; the two towns often share civic and cultural events.
Hardeeville is a city in Jasper and Beaufort counties in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The population was 7,473 as of the 2020 census, an increase of over 150% since 2010. Hardeeville is included within the Hilton Head Island–Bluffton metropolitan area.
The University of South Carolina Beaufort is a public college with three campuses in the Lowcountry region of South Carolina. It is part of the University of South Carolina System, enrolls about 2,000 students, and offers over 50 areas of study. The main campus is in Bluffton. The institution's campus in Beaufort houses the school's honor programs and the Department of Visual Arts & Design. The campus location on Hilton Head Island is home to the institution's program for hospitality management.
Daufuskie Island, located between Hilton Head Island and Savannah, is the southernmost inhabited sea island in South Carolina. It is 5 miles (8 km) long by almost 2.5 miles (4.0 km) wide – approximate surface area of 8 square miles (21 km2). With over 3 miles (5 km) of beachfront, Daufuskie is surrounded by the waters of Calibogue Sound, the Intracoastal Waterway and the Atlantic Ocean. It was listed as a census-designated place in the 2020 census with a population of 557.
The Lowcountry is a geographic and cultural region along South Carolina's coast, including the Sea Islands. The region includes significant salt marshes and other coastal waterways, making it an important source of biodiversity in South Carolina.
Battery Creek High School (BCHS) is a public high school within the Beaufort County School District, located in Beaufort, South Carolina, United States. The school serves students in suburban areas of Beaufort, St. Helena, and Lady's Island. It enrolled 757 students in the 2011–2012 school year.
Beaufort High School is a public high school within the Beaufort County School District, located in Beaufort, South Carolina, United States, on Lady's Island. The school serves students in downtown areas of Beaufort and Port Royal in addition to students living on Lady's Island and St. Helena Island.
Midlands Technical College is a public technical college with multiple locations in the Richland, Lexington, and Fairfield counties of South Carolina. With a student body of approximately 22,500, the college is the second largest technical college in South Carolina. It offers approximately 150 associate degree programs, diplomas, and certificate programs of study and is the largest source of transfer students to the University of South Carolina-Columbia.
The Lowcountry Graduate Center (LGC) is a public higher education consortium located in North Charleston, South Carolina and established in 2001 to expand opportunities in graduate-level education to the Charleston, SC region.
The history of Beaufort, South Carolina, is one of the most comprehensive and diverse of any community of its size in the United States.
Denmark Technical College is a public community college in Denmark, South Carolina. The college primarily serves Bamberg, Barnwell and Allendale counties in South Carolina.
Whale Branch Early College High School is a public high school within the Beaufort County School District, located in Seabrook, South Carolina, United States. The school district is the northernmost district of Beaufort County, and includes the unincorporated communities of Dale, Lobeco, Seabrook, and Sheldon.
Point South is an unincorporated community located in Jasper County, South Carolina, United States near the borders of Beaufort and Hampton counties and close to the geographic center of the Lowcountry. It is centered on the junction of Interstate 95 and U.S. Route 17. It was developed partially by the Sea Pines Company in the 1960s and 1970s to help attract visitors to the Hilton Head region.
The Avery Research Center for African American History and Culture is a division of the College of Charleston library system. The center is located on the site of the former Avery Normal Institute in the Harleston village district at 125 Bull Street in Charleston, South Carolina. This historic secondary school trained Black students for professional careers and leadership roles, and served as a hub for Charleston’s African-American community from 1865 to 1954.
Bridges Preparatory School is a public charter school within the South Carolina Public Charter School District, located in Beaufort, South Carolina, United States. The school serves students from most parts of Beaufort County. It enrolled 700 students in the 2017–18 school year.
Rachel Crane Rich Mather established the Mather School for daughters of freed slaves in 1867 in South Carolina. The school eventually became the Technical College of the Lowcountry.
