Orangeburg, South Carolina
| Orangeburg, South Carolina | |
|---|---|
| City | |
Russell Street in Downtown Orangeburg
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| Motto: "The Garden City" | |
 Location in Orangeburg County, South Carolina |
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| Coordinates: 33°29′49″N 80°51′44″W / 33.49694°N 80.86222°WCoordinates: 33°29′49″N 80°51′44″W / 33.49694°N 80.86222°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | South Carolina |
| County | Orangeburg |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Michael C. Butler |
| • City Council |
Members
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| Area | |
| • Total | 8.3 sq mi (21.5 km2) |
| • Land | 8.3 sq mi (21.47 km2) |
| • Water | 0.0 sq mi (0.02 km2) |
| Elevation | 243 ft (74.676 m) |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Total | 13,964 |
| • Density | 1,685/sq mi (650.4/km2) |
| Time zone | EST (UTC-5) |
| • Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| ZIP codes | 29115-29118 |
| Area code(s) | 803 |
| FIPS code | 45-53080 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1249990 |
| Website | www.orangeburg.sc.us |
Orangeburg, also known as "The Garden City," is the principal city in and the county seat of Orangeburg County, South Carolina, United States. The population of the city was 13,964 according to the 2010 United States census. The city is located 37 miles southeast of Columbia, on the north fork of the Edisto River in the Piedmont area.
The city is enlivened by yearly additions of college students at two major universities. Claflin University in 2014 was ranked as the best liberal arts college in the state and the top HBCU in the country by Washington Monthly.South Carolina State University is noted for having the only undergraduate nuclear engineering program in the state, and the only masters of science degree in transportation in the state. In 1998 the university was designated by the U.S. Congress and the USDOT as one of 33 University Transportation Centers in the nation and the only one in the state.
European settlement in this area started in 1704 when George Sterling set up a post here for fur trade with Indians. To encourage settlement, the General Assembly of the Province of South Carolina in 1730 organized the area as a township, naming it Orangeburg for Prince William IV of Orange, the son-in-law of King George II of Great Britain. In 1735, a colony of 200 Swiss, German and Dutch immigrants formed a community near the banks of the North Edisto River. The site was attractive because of the fertile soil and the abundance of wildlife. The river provided the all-important transportation waterway to the port of Charleston on the Atlantic coast for the area's agriculture and lumber products, and for shipping goods upriver. The town soon became a well-established and successful colony, composed chiefly of small yeomen farmers.
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