South Carolina Factoids
South Carolina is one of the original American Colonies with a rich history and culture shaped by European, African and Caribbean influences. It offers everything from sunny beaches and recreational lakes to historic towns and scenic mountains. The many beautiful waterfalls of South Carolina's Blue Ridge Mountain Upcountry include the tallest falls in the Southeastern United States. There are 400+ golf courses in SC!
Population: South Carolina was the nation’s tenth fastest-growing state, with a population growth rate of 1.7 percent from July 1, 2007, to July 1, 2008, according to the latest population estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau. Much of the increase was due to domestic migration, meaning more people moved into the state than moved out. South Carolina now has a population of more than 4.4 million. Both Greenwood County and Laurens County populations are just under 70,000 each. Abbeville County has 25,000+. Newberry County is 36,000+. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, December 2008.
Name: Named in honor of England’s King Charles I
State Bird: South Carolina Wren
Weather
· Average Temperature: 60
· Average High Temperature: 73
· Average Low Temperature: 48
· Annual Rainfall: 46"
Fall Foliage Peak Period: In South Carolina's Upcountry, plan on the 2nd-4th weeks in October as a general rule. Peak foliage for the remainder of the state occurs late October through early November.
Interstates: The two major Interstates are I-26 and I-385. For the Greenwood area, look for highways/routes 10, 25, 34, 72, 178, 221, 702, 254, & 264.
Cost of living: SC is below the national average in terms of cost of housing, groceries, utilities, transportation, health care & misc. goods.
Taxes: SC has one of the lowest per capita tax rates in the country according U.S. Bureau of the Census. A few tax details:
· SC does not tax Social Security benefits.
· SC allows a $50,000 Homestead Exemption for residents 65+, or totally/permanently disabled or blind.
· Ad Valorem (Property) Tax: Legal (primary) residences and up to 5 acres are taxed at 4% of assessed value. Second homes, investment etc=6%.
· No intangibles tax.
· Personal property tax is collected annually on cars, trucks, motorcycles, boats and airplanes (6% of assessed value).
· SC gives a two-wage earner credit.
· SC does not impose an estate or gift tax.
· SC sales tax is 5%; county voters may approve additional local sales taxes.
· For more information, get a free “Moving to South Carolina” brochure at www.sctax.org
Education: Average expediture per pupil: $8585. Pupil/teacher ratio: 15.0.
A Few Famous South Carolinians:
Whispering Bill Anderson - songwriter
James Godfather Brown - singer
John C. Calhoun - statesman
Joe Frazier - prize fighter
Dizzy Gillespie -jazz trumpeter
Andrew Jackson - U.S. president
Jesse Louis Jackson - civil rights leader
Eartha Kitt - singer
Vanna White - TV personality
· Recovery Act Spending: South Carolina has been awarded $3.8 billion, has received $702 million and 8147 jobs created. Recovery.gov (Dec. 09)
· South Carolina was a 2009 Silver Shovel Award winner in recognition of economic development projects undertaken during 2008.
· South Carolina consistently ranks high on Site Selection magazine’s "Top State Business Climates" and took the sixth spot for 2009.
· Business Facilities has consistently rated South Carolina as one of the strongest states in the Southeast for manufacturing, and in 2009 named South Carolina as the fourth strongest state in the U.S. for automotive manufacturing growth.
· South Carolina sixth in the nation for alternative energy use. Source: The Information Technology & Innovation Foundation and the Kauffman Foundation, November 2008.
· The state has been ranked forty-fourth (fiftieth is best) in their cost of doing business index, produced by the National Association of Manufacturers with the Association of Washington Business and the Washington Research Council.
· Forbes: Ranks South Carolina third best in 2008 for its pro-business regulatory environment.
· South Carolina’s credit rating remains one of the highest in the nation according to the country’s three major credit rating agencies, Standard & Poor’s (AA+), Moody’s (AAA) and Fitch (AAA). Only nine states have credit ratings as high as South Carolina’s. Source: South Carolina Office of the State Treasurer.· South Carolina came in as one of the 10 best states in which to do business in Chief Executive’s annual poll of CEOs-2009.
· South Carolina is a right-to-work state and has one of the lowest unionization rates in the U.S., ranking third lowest at 3.9 percent. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, January 28, 2009. Data are 2008.
· CNBC: Ranks South Carolina's workforce sixth best in the nation; ranks the state fourth for access to transportation in all its modes; and ranks the state fifth best in the nation for cost of doing business.1 for Direct Foreign Investment Per Capita - Organization for International Investment
· The Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council, a nonprofit advocacy group, ranks South Carolina as the seventh most entrepreneur-friendly state in the nation. The Council also ranks the state’s tax system as the eleventh best for entrepreneurship and small business. Source: Business Tax Index 2009, Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council, April 2009.
Misc.
· More astronauts have come from South Carolina than any other state.
· Today, there are more than 100,000 looms in SC weaving more than 4 billion yards of fabric yearly--enough to circle the earth 80 times.
· SC's leadng cash crop is TREES, most of which are harvested on lands once planted in corn and cotton.
· SC is second only to CA, (not GA!) in peaches.
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