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Aiken, South Carolina

Coordinates: 33°32′58″N 81°43′14″W / 33.54944°N 81.72056°W / 33.54944; -81.72056
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Aiken
City
Aiken County Courthouse
Aiken County Courthouse
Official seal of Aiken
Seal
Official logo of Aiken
Logo
Nickname: 
The City of Trees
Aiken is located in South Carolina
Aiken
Aiken
Aiken is located in the United States
Aiken
Aiken
Coordinates: 33°32′58″N 81°43′14″W / 33.54944°N 81.72056°W / 33.54944; -81.72056
CountryUnited States
StateSouth Carolina
CountyAiken
Incorporated1835
Named forWilliam Aiken
Government
[3][4]
 • TypeCouncil–manager
 • MayorTeddy Milner[1]
 • City ManagerStuart Bedenbaugh[2]
Area
[5]
 • Total21.58 sq mi (55.90 km2)
 • Land21.45 sq mi (55.56 km2)
 • Water0.13 sq mi (0.34 km2)  0.60%
Elevation
[6]
515 ft (157 m)
Population
 (2020)[7]
 • Total32,025
 • Estimate 
(2023)
32,947
 • Density1,492.94/sq mi (576.42/km2)
Time zoneUTC−5 (Eastern (EST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC−4 (EDT)
ZIP Codes
29801-29805, 29808
Area codes803, 839
FIPS code45-00550[8]
GNIS feature ID1244853[6]
Websitewww.cityofaikensc.gov

Aiken is the most populous city in, and the county seat of, Aiken County, South Carolina, United States.[9][10] According to 2020 census, the population was 32,025,[11] making it the 15th-most populous city in South Carolina, and one of the two largest cities of the Central Savannah River Area.

Founded in 1835, Aiken was named after William Aiken, the president of the South Carolina Railroad. It became part of Aiken County when the county was formed in 1871. In the late 19th century, Aiken gained fame as a wintering spot for wealthy people from the Northeast. Thomas Hitchcock, Sr. and William C. Whitney established the Aiken Winter Colony. Over the years Aiken became a winter home for many notable people, including George H. Bostwick, James B. Eustis, Madeleine Astor, William Kissam Vanderbilt, Eugene Grace, president of Bethlehem Steel, Allan Pinkerton, and W. Averell Harriman.

Aiken is home to the University of South Carolina Aiken.

History

[edit]
The Old Aiken Post Office in downtown Aiken

The municipality of Aiken was incorporated on December 19, 1835. The community formed around the terminus of the South Carolina Canal and Railroad Company, a rail line from Charleston to the Savannah River, and was named for William Aiken, the railroad's first president.

During Sherman's March to the Sea in the American Civil War Sherman ordered Hugh Judson Kilpatrick and the cavalry corps he commanded to march through South Carolina. By February 5, they had reached Aiken County. While in Aiken County Kilpatrick fought Joseph Wheeler and his cavalry corps. This battle, called the Battle of Aiken, was a Confederate victory.[12][13][14]

Originally it was in the Edgefield District. With population increases, in 1871 Aiken County was organized, made up of parts of neighboring counties. Among its founding commissioners were three African-American legislators: Prince Rivers; Samuel J. Lee, speaker of the state House and the first black man admitted to the South Carolina Bar; and Charles D. Hayne, a free man of color from one of Charleston's elite families.[15]

Aiken was a planned town, and many of the streets in the historic district are named for other cities and counties in South Carolina, including Abbeville, Barnwell, Beaufort, Chesterfield, Colleton, Columbia, Dillon, Edgefield, Edisto, Fairfield, Florence, Greenville, Hampton, Horry, Jasper, Kershaw, Lancaster, Laurens, Marion, Marlboro, McCormick, Newberry, Orangeburg, Pendleton, Pickens, Richland, Sumter, Union, Williamsburg and York.

Between 1890 and the 1920s, many Jewish immigrants settled in Aiken. The Jewish immigrants were from Eastern Europe, including Russia and Poland. Many were from Knyszyn, Poland. In 1905, a group of Russian-Jewish socialists from New York founded a farming colony in Aiken County that was known as "Happyville". Adath (Adas) Yeshurun (Congregation of Israel) Synagogue was chartered in Aiken in 1921 and the cornerstone was laid in 1925. An historical marker was added to the synagogue in 2014, sponsored by the Jewish Historical Society of South Carolina.[16][17][18][19] In 1903, the Jewish-American peddler Abraham Surasky was the victim of an antisemitic murder that occurred near Aiken.[20]

Aiken was the subject of a series of broadcasts by Orson Welles in July and August 1946 regarding the blinding and severe beating of Sergeant Isaac Woodard, a black World War II veteran.

Savannah River Plant

[edit]

The United States Atomic Energy Commission's selection of a site near Aiken for a plant to produce fuel for thermonuclear weapons was announced on November 30, 1950. Residences and businesses at Ellenton, South Carolina, were bought for use for the plant site. Residents were moved to New Ellenton, which was constructed about eight miles north, or to neighboring towns.

The site was named the Savannah River Plant, and renamed the Savannah River Site in 1989. The facility contains five production reactors, fuel fabrication facilities, a research laboratory, heavy water production facilities, two fuel reprocessing facilities, and tritium recovery facilities.

Geography and climate

[edit]
Map
Interactive map of Aiken

Aiken is near the center of Aiken County. It is 20 miles (32 km) northeast of Augusta, Georgia, along U.S. Route 1 and U.S. Route 78. Interstate 20 passes 6 miles (10 km) to the north of the city, with access via South Carolina Highway 19 (exit 18) and US 1 (exit 22).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 21.58 square miles (55.9 km2), of which 21.45 square miles (55.6 km2) is land and 0.13 square miles (0.34 km2) (0.60%) is water.[5]

Aiken has a humid subtropical climate characterized by hot, humid summers and cool, dry winters, but experiences milder temperatures throughout the year than the rest of the state. Precipitation is distributed relatively uniformly throughout the year, with mostly rain in the milder months and occasional snow in the winter. The coldest recorded temperature was −4 °F or −20 °C on January 21, 1985, and the hottest 109 °F or 42.8 °C on August 21, 1983.

Climate data for Aiken 5 SE, South Carolina (1981–2010 normals, extremes 1893–present[a])
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °F (°C) 82
(28) 		88
(31) 		93
(34) 		99
(37) 		106
(41) 		108
(42) 		108
(42) 		109
(43) 		106
(41) 		99
(37) 		88
(31) 		85
(29) 		109
(43)
Mean daily maximum °F (°C) 57.6
(14.2) 		62.0
(16.7) 		68.4
(20.2) 		77.3
(25.2) 		85.5
(29.7) 		90.2
(32.3) 		93.4
(34.1) 		91.6
(33.1) 		86.4
(30.2) 		77.7
(25.4) 		66.8
(19.3) 		59.8
(15.4) 		76.4
(24.7)
Daily mean °F (°C) 44.8
(7.1) 		49.0
(9.4) 		54.7
(12.6) 		62.9
(17.2) 		72.0
(22.2) 		78.6
(25.9) 		81.9
(27.7) 		80.4
(26.9) 		75.3
(24.1) 		64.9
(18.3) 		54.2
(12.3) 		48.1
(8.9) 		63.9
(17.7)
Mean daily minimum °F (°C) 32.0
(0.0) 		35.9
(2.2) 		41.0
(5.0) 		48.5
(9.2) 		58.5
(14.7) 		67.0
(19.4) 		70.4
(21.3) 		69.1
(20.6) 		64.2
(17.9) 		52.1
(11.2) 		41.5
(5.3) 		36.4
(2.4) 		51.4
(10.8)
Record low °F (°C) −4
(−20) 		6
(−14) 		13
(−11) 		21
(−6) 		34
(1) 		42
(6) 		51
(11) 		52
(11) 		37
(3) 		25
(−4) 		11
(−12) 		4
(−16) 		−4
(−20)
Average precipitation inches (mm) 4.74
(120) 		4.20
(107) 		4.86
(123) 		3.11
(79) 		3.83
(97) 		5.46
(139) 		5.10
(130) 		5.25
(133) 		3.80
(97) 		3.38
(86) 		3.64
(92) 		3.78
(96) 		51.15
(1,299)
Average snowfall inches (cm) 0.5
(1.3) 		0
(0) 		0
(0) 		0
(0) 		0
(0) 		0
(0) 		0
(0) 		0
(0) 		0
(0) 		0
(0) 		0
(0) 		0
(0) 		0.5
(1.3)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) 9.2 8.1 7.9 6.8 6.8 10.1 10.5 10.5 7.2 6.2 6.9 8.6 98.8
Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in) 0.2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.2
Source: NOAA[22][23][24]

Demographics

[edit]
Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
18801,817—
18902,36230.0%
19003,41444.5%
19103,91114.6%
19204,1034.9%
19306,03347.0%
19406,1682.2%
19507,08314.8%
196011,24358.7%
197013,43619.5%
198014,97811.5%
199019,87232.7%
200025,33727.5%
201029,56616.7%
202032,0258.3%
2023 (est.)32,947[11]2.9%
U.S. Decennial Census[25]
2020[11][7]

2020 census

[edit]
Aiken racial composition[26]
Race Num. Perc.
White (non-Hispanic) 19,757 61.69%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic) 9,076 28.34%
Native American 51 0.16%
Asian 640 2.0%
Pacific Islander 13 0.04%
Other/mixed 1,271 3.97%
Hispanic or Latino 1,217 3.8%

As of the 2020 census, there were 32,025 people, 12,923 households, and 8,479 families residing in the city.

2010 census

[edit]

At the 2010 census,[8] there were 29,524 people and 12,773 households with a population density was 1,416.3 inhabitants per square mile (546.8/km2). There were 14,162 housing units at an average density of 703.1 per square mile (271.5/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 66.8% White, 28.5% Black or African American, 0.25% Native American, 1.28% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.44% from other races, and 1.09% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 2.6% of the population.

There were 10,287 households, out of which 28.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.9% were married couples living together, 13.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.3% were non-families. 29.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.34 and the average family size was 2.90.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 23.2% under the age of 18, 9.4% from 18 to 24, 25.5% from 25 to 44, 24.0% from 45 to 64, and 17.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 87.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.0 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $49,100, and the median income for a family was $63,520. Males had a median income of $51,988 versus $28,009 for females. The per capita income for the city was $24,129. About 10.1% of families and 14.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.0% of those under age 18 and 10.5% of those age 65 or over.

Government

[edit]

Aiken is governed via a council–manager system. A mayor is elected at large. The city council consists of six members. All six members are elected from single-member districts.[1]

  • Mayor: Teddy Milner
  • District 1: Gail Diggs
  • District 2: Lessie Price
  • District 3: Kay Brohl
  • District 4: Ed Girardeau
  • District 5: Andrea Neira Gregory
  • District 6: Ed Woltz

Previous mayors

[edit]

Aiken has had four previous mayors as of November 7, 2023, when Teddy Milner became the fifth mayor of Aiken.[27] The previous mayors include:

  • Dr. Edward Holbrook Wyman Sr. (1942–1946; died during his second term) – Served for 4 years.
  • H. Odell Weeks (1946–1990; retired) – Served for 44 years.[28]
  • Fred Cavanaugh (1991–2015; retired) – Served for 24 years.[29]
  • Rick Osbon (2015–2023; lost re-election to Teddy Milner) – Served for eight years.[30]

Historic places

[edit]

Education

[edit]

It is within the Aiken County Public School District.[34]

Schools

[edit]
  • Public schools:
    • Aiken Elementary School
    • Aiken High School
    • Aiken Intermediate School
    • Aiken Scholars Academy [35]
    • Chukker Creek Elementary
    • East Aiken School of the Arts
    • JD Lever Elementary School
    • Jackson STEM Middle School
    • Kennedy Middle School
    • Lloyd Kennedy Charter School
    • Millbrook Elementary School
    • North Aiken Elementary School
    • Redcliffe Elementary School
    • Schofield Middle School
    • Silver Bluff High School
    • South Aiken High School
  • Private schools:
    • Aiken Christian School
    • Mead Hall Episcopal School
    • Palmetto Academy Day School
    • St. Mary Help of Christians Catholic School
    • Second Baptist Christian Preparatory School
    • South Aiken Baptist Christian School
    • Town Creek Christian Academy [36]
  • Charter schools:
    • Lloyd Kennedy Charter School
    • Tall Pines Stem Academy
    • Horse Creek Academy

Colleges and universities

[edit]

Library

[edit]

Aiken has a public library, a branch of the ABBE Regional Library System.[37]

Steeplechase racing

[edit]

The Aiken Steeplechase Association,[38] founded in 1930, hosts the Imperial Cup each March and the Holiday Cup in October, both races sanctioned by the National Steeplechase Association. This event draws more than 30,000 spectators.

The Aiken Thoroughbred Racing Hall of Fame and Museum was established in 1977 as a tribute to the famous flat racing and steeplechase thoroughbred horses trained at the Aiken Training Track.[39]

Other events

[edit]

Aiken hosts many polo matches at its numerous polo fields. Other local events include:

  • Aiken Triple Crown
  • Aiken's Makin'
  • Battle of Aiken Reenactment
  • Bluegrass Festival
  • Fall Steeplechase
  • Hops & Hogs
  • The Lobster Races
  • Western Carolina State Fair
  • The Whiskey Road Race
  • Aiken City Limits (ACL)

Attractions

[edit]
  • Aiken Center for Arts, hosts educational classes, a fine arts gallery, and exhibition opportunities
  • Aiken County Farmers Market, oldest food market in South Carolina[40]
  • Aiken County Historical Museum, also known as "Banksia" after the banksia rose, displays special exhibits of items from residents
  • Aiken State Park
  • Aiken Thoroughbred Racing Hall of Fame and Museum, displays the area's thoroughbred history
  • Aiken Visitors Center and Train Museum, railroad depot has nine dioramas depicting railroad history on the second floor
  • Center for African American History, Art, and Culture, hosts special events on African American history
  • DuPont Planetarium and RPSEC Observatory, provides live presentations of stars, constellations, and visible planets
  • Hitchcock Woods, one of the largest urban forests in the United States, at 2100 acres[41]
  • Juilliard in Aiken, live artistic performances, classes, lectures, and workshops
  • Redcliffe Plantation State Historic Site, slaves' and owners' lives depicted
  • Rose Hill Estate, historic housing estate

Notable people

[edit]

In the late 19th century and the first part of the 20th century, Aiken served as a winter residence for many of the country's wealthiest families, such as the Vanderbilts, Bostwicks, and the Whitneys.

See also

[edit]

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ Records kept at the Aiken 5 SE COOP (33°29′33″N 81°41′45″W / 33.4925°N 81.69583°W / 33.4925; -81.69583) until November 1, 2008, and at the Aiken 2 E COOP (33°33′00″N 81°41′49″W / 33.5501°N 81.6969°W / 33.5501; -81.6969) since January 24, 2009.[21]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b "Aiken City Council". www.cityofaikensc.gov. Retrieved August 19, 2023.
  2. ^ "City Manager's Office". www.cityofaikensc.gov. Retrieved December 15, 2023.
  3. ^ "Home - City of Aiken Government, South Carolina". Archived from the original on June 7, 2014. Retrieved June 6, 2014.
  4. ^ "Welcome to the City of Aiken, SC".
  5. ^ a b "ArcGIS REST Services Directory". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved October 15, 2022.
  6. ^ a b U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Aiken, South Carolina
  7. ^ a b "Census Population API". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved October 15, 2022.
  8. ^ a b "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  9. ^ "South Carolina State Library - Aiken County". Archived from the original on July 1, 2014. Retrieved March 19, 2014.
  10. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  11. ^ a b c "QuickFacts: Aiken city, South Carolina". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved May 16, 2024.
  12. ^ "Battle of Aiken". battleofaiken.org[usurped]. Retrieved 2 October 2017.
  13. ^ "The Yellow House and the Battle of Aiken". Aiken Regional Medical Centers. 2017-02-12. Retrieved 2020-09-23.
  14. ^ "Battle of Aiken Historical Marker". www.hmdb.org. Retrieved 2020-09-23.
  15. ^ Jim Nesbitt, "County, once booming, now shadows town it used to rival" Archived 2008-11-20 at the Wayback Machine, Augusta Chronicle, 16 February 2004
  16. ^ "Happyville, the Forgotten Colony" (PDF). American Jewish Archives. Retrieved February 2, 2020.
  17. ^ "Aiken Jewish community collection". College of Charleston. Retrieved February 2, 2020.
  18. ^ "Adath Yeshurun Historical Marker Dedication". Jewish Historical Society of South Carolina. Archived from the original on February 2, 2020. Retrieved February 2, 2020.
  19. ^ "Strangers in Paradise: A Century of Jewish Settlement in Aiken, SC" (PDF). Jewish Historical Society of South Carolina. Retrieved February 2, 2020.
  20. ^ "Suraskys and Poliers: The Old World Meets the New". Jewish Historical Society of South Carolina. Retrieved May 20, 2022.
  21. ^ "Threaded Extremes". threadex.rcc-acis.org.
  22. ^ "NowData – NOAA Online Weather Data". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved August 31, 2020. Select "Aiken Area"
  23. ^ "Station Name: SC AIKEN 5 SE". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved August 31, 2020.
  24. ^ "Station Name: SC AIKEN 2 E". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved August 31, 2020.
  25. ^ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  26. ^ "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved December 14, 2021.
  27. ^ Bradshaw, Abby (November 7, 2023). "Unofficial results indicate Teddy Milner as Aiken's new Mayor". WFXG. Retrieved April 18, 2024.
  28. ^ Smith, Michael (April 4, 2017). "H. Odell Weeks became Aiken Mayor 71 years ago". AP News. Retrieved April 18, 2024.
  29. ^ Staff (December 29, 2022). "Former longtime Aiken Mayor Fred Cavanaugh has died". wrdw.com. Retrieved April 18, 2024.
  30. ^ "Mayor Osbon – A New Era in Aiken Leadership!". www.cityofaikensc.gov. December 14, 2015. Retrieved April 18, 2024.
  31. ^ "Hopelands Gardens". City of Aiken. Archived from the original on June 27, 2012. Retrieved August 16, 2012.
  32. ^ "Old Aiken Post Office transformed into SRNS Aiken headquarters" (PDF). Savannah River Nuclear Solutions. Retrieved June 29, 2017.
  33. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  34. ^ "2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Aiken County, SC" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved October 25, 2024. - Text list
  35. ^ "Aiken Scholars Academy / Homepage". acpsd.net.[permanent dead link‍]
  36. ^ "Town Creek Christian Academy - K-12 School; Birth-4K Preschool". Town Creek Christian Academy.
  37. ^ "South Carolina libraries and archives". SCIWAY. Retrieved June 7, 2019.
  38. ^ "Aiken Steeplechase Association – Southern Strides".
  39. ^ "Aiken Training Track". Archived from the original on March 6, 2012. Retrieved March 20, 2007.
  40. ^ "Aiken County Farmers Market". Visit Aiken South Carolina. August 2, 2010. Retrieved May 2, 2023.
  41. ^ "Hitchcock Woods Foundation - Aiken, SC". www.hitchcockwoods.org. Retrieved July 3, 2018.
  42. ^ Who Was Who in America, Historical Volume, 1607-1896. Chicago: Marquis Who's Who. 1963.
  43. ^ "Aiken Steeplechase". Archived from the original on February 5, 2012. Retrieved February 4, 2012.
  44. ^ "History". www.hitchcockwoods.org. May 14, 2018. Retrieved July 3, 2018.
  45. ^ Ram, Herbert B. "Movie Theater Builder". www.scmovietheatres.com. Retrieved December 15, 2023.[dead link‍]
  46. ^ "Patricia Theatre & Little Patricia Theatre". cinematreasures.org. Retrieved December 15, 2023.
  47. ^ "Cinema 1-2-3". cinematreasures.org. Retrieved December 15, 2023.
  48. ^ Riddick, A. (2011). Memories of Growing Up and Living in Aiken, South Carolina, Rocket Publishing: Aiken, SC, pp. 305–307
[edit]
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