Berkeley County, South Carolina | |
---|---|
Location in the U.S. state of South Carolina |
|
South Carolina's location in the U.S. |
|
Founded | 1882 |
Seat | Moncks Corner |
Largest city | Goose Creek |
Area | |
• Total | 1,229 sq mi (3,183 km2) |
• Land | 1,099 sq mi (2,846 km2) |
• Water | 130 sq mi (337 km2), 11% |
Population (est.) | |
• (2013) | 194,020 |
• Density | 162/sq mi (63/km²) |
Congressional districts | 1st, 6th |
Time zone | Eastern: UTC-5/-4 |
Website | www |
Berkeley County is a county in the U.S. state of South Carolina. As of the 2010 census, its population was 177,843. Its county seat is Moncks Corner. After two previous incarnations of Berkeley County, the current county was created in 1882.
Berkeley County is included in the Charleston-North Charleston, SC Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Berkeley County was established in 1682. It was named after John and William Berkeley, co-owners of the Province of Carolina. It became part of the Charleston District in 1769. It did not exist as a District during most of the 19th century and generally was part of the Low Country culture. In 1882, following white Democrats regaining control of the state legislature after the Reconstruction era, they established this as a county in 1882, with its seat at Mount Pleasant. The county seat was moved in 1895 to Moncks Corner.
The Old Berkeley County Courthouse was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1971.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,229 square miles (3,180 km2), of which 1,099 square miles (2,850 km2) is land and 130 square miles (340 km2) (11%) is water.
As of the census of 2000, there were 142,651 people, 49,922 households, and 37,691 families residing in the county. The population density was 130 people per square mile (50/km²). There were 54,717 housing units at an average density of 50 per square mile (19/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 68.00% White, 26.63% Black or African American, 0.52% Native American, 1.87% Asian, 0.08% Pacific Islander, 1.20% from other races, and 1.70% from two or more races. 2.76% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 16.4% were of American, 10.0% German, 8.4% Irish and 7.7% English ancestry according to Census 2000.