Dorchester County, South Carolina | ||
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![]() Location in the U.S. state of South Carolina |
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![]() South Carolina's location in the U.S. |
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Founded | 1897 | |
Named for | Dorchester, Massachusetts | |
Seat | St. George | |
Largest City | North Charleston | |
Area | ||
• Total | 576 sq mi (1,492 km2) | |
• Land | 573 sq mi (1,484 km2) | |
• Water | 2.6 sq mi (7 km2), 0.4% | |
Population | ||
• (2010) | 136,555 | |
• Density | 238/sq mi (92/km²) | |
Congressional districts | 1st, 6th | |
Time zone | Eastern: UTC-5/-4 | |
Website | www |
Dorchester County is a county located in the U.S. state of South Carolina. As of the 2010 census, the population was 136,555. Its county seat is St. George.
Dorchester County is included in the Charleston-North Charleston, SC Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Dorchester County is named for its first settlement area, which was established by Congregationalists in 1696. These settlers applied the name "Dorchester" after their last residence in Dorchester, Massachusetts.
Dorchester was not established as a separate county until 1897. However, when it was separately established, it came from parts of the neighboring Colleton and Berkeley counties.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 576 square miles (1,490 km2), of which 573 square miles (1,480 km2) is land and 2.6 square miles (6.7 km2) (0.4%) is water.
As of the census of 2000, there were 96,413 people, 34,709 households, and 26,309 families residing in the county. The population density was 168 people per square mile (65/km²). There were 37,237 housing units at an average density of 65 per square mile (25/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 71.05% White, 25.08% Black or African American, 0.73% Native American, 1.13% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 0.59% from other races, and 1.36% from two or more races. 1.79% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.