Aiken, South Carolina Explained

Aiken
Settlement Type:City
Nickname:The City of Trees
Image Blank Emblem:Aiken, SC City Logo.png
Blank Emblem Type:Logo
Pushpin Map:South Carolina#USA
Pushpin Label:Aiken
Pushpin Relief:yes
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name:United States
Subdivision Type1:State
Subdivision Name1:South Carolina
Subdivision Type2:County
Subdivision Name2:Aiken
Government Footnotes:[1] [2]
Government Type:Council–manager
Leader Title:Mayor
Leader Name:Teddy Milner
Leader Title1:City Manager
Leader Name1:Stuart Bedenbaugh[3]
Established Title:Incorporated
Established Date:1835
Named For:William Aiken
Total Type:Total
Unit Pref:Imperial
Area Footnotes:[4]
Area Total Km2:55.90
Area Land Km2:55.56
Area Water Km2:0.34
Area Total Sq Mi:21.58
Area Land Sq Mi:21.45
Area Water Sq Mi:0.13
Area Water Percent:0.60
Population As Of:2020
Population Total:32025
Population Density Km2:576.42
Population Density Sq Mi:1492.94
Pop Est As Of:2023
Population Est:32947
Timezone:Eastern (EST)
Utc Offset:-5
Timezone Dst:EDT
Utc Offset Dst:-4
Elevation Ft:515
Coordinates:33.5494°N -81.7206°W
Postal Code Type:ZIP Codes
Postal Code:29801-29805, 29808
Area Codes:803, 839
Blank Name:FIPS code
Blank Info:45-00550[5]
Blank1 Name:GNIS feature ID
Blank1 Info:1244853

Aiken is the most populous city in, and the county seat of, Aiken County, South Carolina, United States.[6] [7] According to 2020 census, the population was 32,025, 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

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.[8] [9] [10]

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.[11]

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.[12] [13] [14] [15] In 1903, the Jewish-American peddler Abraham Surasky was the victim of an antisemitic murder that occurred near Aiken.[16]

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

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

Aiken is near the center of Aiken County. It is northeast of Augusta, Georgia, along U.S. Route 1 and U.S. Route 78. Interstate 20 passes 6miles 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, of which is land and (0.60%) is water.[4]

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 NaNF on January 21, 1985, and the hottest 1091NaN1 on August 21, 1983.

Demographics

2020 census

Aiken racial composition[17] !Race!Num.!Perc.
White (non-Hispanic)19,75761.69%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic)9,07628.34%
Native American510.16%
Asian6402.0%
Pacific Islander130.04%
Other/Mixed1,2713.97%
Hispanic or Latino1,2173.8%

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

2010 census

At the 2010 census,[5] there were 29,524 people and 12,773 households with a population density was 1416.3sp=usNaNsp=us. There were 14,162 housing units at an average density of 703.1sp=usNaNsp=us. 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

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.[18]

Previous mayors

Aiken has had four previous mayors as of November 7, 2023, when Teddy Milner become the fifth mayor of Aiken.[19] The previous mayors include:

Historic places

Education

Schools

Colleges and universities

Library

Aiken has a public library, a branch of the ABBE Regional Library System.[27]

Steeplechase racing

The Aiken Steeplechase Association,[28] 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.[29]

Other events

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

Attractions

Notable people

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

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Home - City of Aiken Government, South Carolina. dead. June 6, 2014. June 7, 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140607000041/https://www.cityofaikensc.gov/index.php?page=about.
  2. Web site: Welcome to the City of Aiken, SC.
  3. Web site: City Manager's Office . December 15, 2023 . www.cityofaikensc.gov . en-US.
  4. Web site: ArcGIS REST Services Directory. United States Census Bureau. October 15, 2022.
  5. Web site: U.S. Census website . . 2008-01-31 .
  6. Web site: South Carolina State Library - Aiken County . 2014-03-19 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20140701221411/http://www.statelibrary.sc.gov/aiken-county . 2014-07-01 .
  7. Web site: Find a County . 2011-06-07 . National Association of Counties . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20110531210815/http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx . 2011-05-31 .
  8. "Battle of Aiken". . Retrieved 2 October 2017.
  9. "The Yellow House and the Battle of Aiken". Aiken Regional Medical Centers. 2017-02-12. Retrieved 2020-09-23.
  10. "Battle of Aiken Historical Marker". www.hmdb.org. Retrieved 2020-09-23.
  11. http://augustachronicle.com/stories/021604/met_321095.shtml Jim Nesbitt, "County, once booming, now shadows town it used to rival"
  12. Web site: Happyville, the Forgotten Colony . American Jewish Archives . 2020-02-02.
  13. Web site: Aiken Jewish community collection . . 2020-02-02.
  14. Web site: Adath Yeshurun Historical Marker Dedication . Jewish Historical Society of South Carolina . 2020-02-02 . February 2, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200202085152/http://jhssc.org/2015/05/04/adath-yeshurun-historical-marker-dedication/ . dead .
  15. Web site: Strangers in Paradise: A Century of Jewish Settlement in Aiken, SC . Jewish Historical Society of South Carolina . 2020-02-02.
  16. Web site: Suraskys and Poliers: The Old World Meets the New . Jewish Historical Society of South Carolina . 2022-05-20.
  17. Web site: Explore Census Data. 2021-12-14. data.census.gov.
  18. Web site: Aiken City Council . August 19, 2023 . www.cityofaikensc.gov . en-US.
  19. Web site: Bradshaw . Abby . November 7, 2023 . Unofficial results indicate Teddy Milner as Aiken's new Mayor . April 18, 2024 . WFXG . en.
  20. Web site: Smith . Michael . April 4, 2017 . H. Odell Weeks became Aiken Mayor 71 years ago . April 18, 2024 . AP News . en.
  21. Web site: Staff . December 29, 2022 . Former longtime Aiken Mayor Fred Cavanaugh has died . April 18, 2024 . wrdw.com . en.
  22. Web site: December 14, 2015 . Mayor Osbon – A New Era in Aiken Leadership! . April 18, 2024 . www.cityofaikensc.gov . en-US.
  23. Web site: Hopelands Gardens. City of Aiken. August 16, 2012. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20120627234307/http://www.cityofaikensc.gov/index.php/residents/sports-recreation/parks-gardens-and-natural-areas/hopelands-gardens/. June 27, 2012.
  24. Web site: Old Aiken Post Office transformed into SRNS Aiken headquarters. Savannah River Nuclear Solutions. 29 June 2017.
  25. Web site: Aiken Scholars Academy / Homepage. acpsd.net.
  26. Web site: Town Creek Christian Academy - K-12 School; Birth-4K Preschool. Town Creek Christian Academy.
  27. Web site: South Carolina libraries and archives . SCIWAY . 7 June 2019.
  28. Web site: Aiken Steeplechase Association – Southern Strides.
  29. Web site: Aiken Training Track . 2007-03-20 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120306161653/http://theaikentrainingtrack.com/history.html . 2012-03-06 . dead .
  30. Web site: Aiken County Farmers Market . 2023-05-02 . Visit Aiken South Carolina . August 2, 2010 . en.
  31. Web site: Hitchcock Woods Foundation - Aiken, SC. www.hitchcockwoods.org. 2018-07-03.
  32. Book: Who Was Who in America, Historical Volume, 1607-1896 . Marquis Who's Who . Chicago . 1963.
  33. Web site: Aiken Steeplechase . 2012-02-04 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120205221637/http://www.aikensteeplechase.com/history.shtml . 2012-02-05 .
  34. Web site: History . 2018-07-03 . www.hitchcockwoods.org. May 14, 2018 .
  35. Web site: Ram . Herbert B. . Movie Theater Builder . December 15, 2023 . www.scmovietheatres.com.
  36. Web site: Patricia Theatre & Little Patricia Theatre . December 15, 2023 . cinematreasures.org.
  37. Web site: Cinema 1-2-3 . December 15, 2023 . cinematreasures.org.
  38. Riddick, A. (2011). Memories of Growing Up and Living in Aiken, South Carolina, Rocket Publishing: Aiken, SC, pp. 305–307

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