71 Fun & Interesting Facts About South Carolina

Are you ready to explore a place filled with beautiful beaches, historic sites, and delicious peaches? Let’s take a trip to South Carolina, a state in the southeastern United States that’s full of interesting stories and fun facts about South Carolina. So, grab your explorer’s hat, and let’s discover some cool things about South Carolina!

Did you know South Carolina is famous for its beautiful beaches? One of the most famous beaches is Myrtle Beach. It’s a super fun place where families go to enjoy the sun, play in the sand, and swim in the ocean. There are also lots of fun parks and yummy ice cream shops along the beach!

South Carolina is also a place with a lot of history. It was one of the original 13 colonies that became the United States. There are many historic sites to visit, like Fort Sumter, where the first battle of the Civil War took place. It’s like stepping back in time when you visit these places.

And here’s something yummy: South Carolina grows a lot of peaches. In fact, it’s one of the top peach-producing states in the country. Some people even call it “The Peach State,” although that’s officially Georgia’s nickname. But South Carolina’s peaches are super sweet and juicy, perfect for a summer snack.

Are you excited to learn more facts about South Carolina? From its sunny beaches to its important history and tasty peaches, there’s so much to explore and learn about this wonderful state. Let’s keep discovering all the amazing facts about South Carolina a special place to visit!

 Be sure to discover even more interesting facts with our Facts about Arizona and our Facts about Hawaii.

Facts about South Carolina

1. South Carolina produces 60,000 tons of peaches annually, which is more than Georgia (The Peach State) produces.
2. In 1969 it rained Cremora, a powdered non-dairy creamer, in the town of Chester when the plant developed exhaust vent issues and released the powder into the air.
3. It has a population of 5,148,714 (as of 2019), making it the 23rd most populous state.
4. Charleston is home to one of the oldest trees in the Country—The Angel Oak. Located on the beautiful Johns Island, this live oak is estimated to be around 500 years old and counting. 
5. South Carolina has lots of golf courses. There are hundreds of golf courses scattered throughout the state. 
6. Fort Jackson, the largest United States Army installation for Basic Combat Training is in Columbia, South Carolina.
7. On May 23, 1788, South Carolina became the eighth state to ratify the United States Constitution. At the time, South Carolina was one of the original 13 colonies.
8. South Carolina is located in the nation’s southeastern coastal region. It is the easternmost state in the “Deep South”.
9. The state was named after King Charles I and King Charles II of England.
10. The world’s smallest police station is in Ridgeway. It’s about as big as a toll booth and was in full use from 1940-1990. The new, upgraded post office is right beside it.
11. People have been living in South Carolina for at least 10,000 years!
12. South Carolina has a monkey colony. On Morgan Island’s 2,000 acres of land, there is a colony of more than 3,000 Rhesus monkeys. 
13. The official state hospitality beverage is sweet tea. It was designated as South Carolina’s official hospitality beverage in 1995 to symbolize South Carolina being the first state to grow tea.
14. The city that serves as the state capital of South Carolina is called Columbia, and it can be found in the middle of the state.
15. South Carolina has a total area of 32,020 mi² (82,932 km²). It is the 11th smallest state, between Maine and West Virginia in terms of size.
16.  The first attempt made by Europeans to settle in South Carolina was in 1651. The Spanish explorers from Santo Domingo failed to do so.
17. South Carolina is the birthplace of barbecue. This can be debated, but the Indians were pit-cooking hogs centuries ago off the coast – or so the story goes.
18. At least twenty-nine different nations or tribes of Native Americans lived in South Carolina when Europeans first arrived.
19. The South Carolina state bird is the Carolina Wren it became the official state bird in 1948. Before this, the state bird was the Mockingbird. 
20. If it were a country, the state would be a similar size as the United Arab Emirates or Austria.

21. Charles Town, the site of the first European settlement was renamed to Charleston in 1783.
22. There might be a lizard man in Lee County. In 1988 a teenager reported a large scaly creature had attacked his car. The car was badly scratched and police found 14-inch long, three-toed footprints at the swamp sighting.
23. In the 1920s and 30s, a new nickname, The Iodine State, emerged. Farmers, especially in the coastal regions, started spreading the word that crops from their farms were much higher in iodine than usually found. 
24. The South Carolina state animal is the whitetail deer. It was designated as the state animal in 1972. You can spot the animal by its reddish-brown color in the spring and summer. Then, in the fall and winter, their coats change to a gray-brown color.
25. The State of South Carolina has designated the shag as its official dance. The shag is a style of swing dance that is often done to the music of the 1950s and 1960s, specifically beach music, oldies, and rhythm and blues.
26. South Carolina is divided into two regions: the Upcountry region and the Lowcountry region. Geographically, it consists of coastal plains, the Piedmont plateau, and the Blue Ridge Mountains.
27. The geographical shape of the state resembles an inverted vertical triangle. From east to west, the state stretches some 460 km while between north and south, it measures 360 km.
28.  Frogmore stew is a traditional South Carolinian dish that is not a stew and doesn’t use frogs.
29. There’s only one place where tea is grown commercially in the U.S., and that’s in South Carolina! In 1963, the Lipton tea company purchased a plot of land on Wadmalaw Island, S.C., to be used as a research farm to tweak and perfect their tea crops.
30. The South Carolina state flower is the Yellow Jessamine it was adopted as the official state flower on February 1st, 1924. The flower is easily recognizable as it has small yellow flowers in clusters on its woody vine with evergreen leaves.
31. The University of South Carolina, which has its main campus in the capital city of Columbia, was established in 1801 as South Carolina College and was one of the earliest colleges or universities in the United States.
32. With a population of 5.19 million, South Carolina is the country’s 23rd most populous state. Its population is just above Alabama but just below Minnesota.
33. In South Carolina, there are many towns with weird and silly names. Some of these town names are Pumpkin Town, Possum Kingdom, Nine Times, and Ninety Six.
34. There are no major professional sports teams in South Carolina. That’s right, no NFL, NHL, NBA, MLS, or MLB.
35. South Carolina is home to the largest living cat in the world. The cat isn’t just any cat, but a liger (a lion crossed with a tiger). He weighs an incredible 922 pounds (418.2 kg), stands 49 inches (1.25 m) tall, and measures some 131 inches long (3.33 m) long!
36. The first South Carolina state motto “dum spiro spero”, means, “While I breathe, I hope.” The other state motto is “Animus Opibusque Parati,” meaning “Prepared in Mind and Resources.” Both mottos were on the original state seal.
37. South Carolina is home to numerous significant historical sites, including Fort Sumter and Charleston’s historic district. Fort Sumter, located near Charleston Harbor, is where the first shots of the American Civil War were fired on April 12, 1861.
38. Residents of South Carolina are called South Carolinians.
39. South Carolina fought 137 battles during the Revolutionary War. The last of these battles happened on November 14, 1782, on Johns Island.
40. There’s a UFO Welcome Center in Bowman. It was built by a local man, Jody Pendarvis, to welcome aliens whenever they finally decide to land.

41. South Carolina is unique in that it has two official state songs, the first is “Carolina,” which was named the official state song in 1911. It was originally a poem by Henry Timrod, then set to music by Anne C. Burgess. “South Carolina On My Mind” became the second state song in 1984. The song was composed by two men from South Carolina, Hank Martin and Buzz Arledge.
42.  In Lancaster, South Carolina, dancing in public is against the law.
43. South Carolina is home to many famous state parks. Some of the most popular state parks in the state include Huntington Beach State Park, Myrtle Beach State Park, and Table Rock State Park.
44. South Carolina is home to one national park: Congaree National Park. It protects the largest section of old-growth floodplain in North America, along the Congaree River.
45. On April 12, 1861, Confederate troops fired shots at Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor. This is considered the first shot that began the Civil War.
46. It’s illegal to fish with a yo-yo or dynamite in the fine state of South Carolina.
47. If you get pulled over in South Carolina for drinking and driving, be aware that South Carolina is the only state in the nation with mandatory videotaping by the arresting officer of the arrest and breath test.
48. The state gemstone is the amethyst. Adopted by the state in 1969, it is found in a variety of purple hues. South Carolina is only one of three states where you can find good-quality amethysts.
49. By law, nothing may be sold on Sundays except for light bulbs.
50. The Carolina Wren is the state bird of South Carolina (Thryothorus ludovicianus). The Carolina Wren is a little brown bird with an audible song. 
51. There are 76 National Historic Landmarks in South Carolina, a list that includes historic gardens, archaeological sites, a submarine, a destroyer, an aircraft carrier, a fort, a textile mill, and numerous historic mansions.
52. About two-thirds of the City of Columbia burned down during the Civil War in 1865. That is why there are few original buildings in the city.
53. It is against the law to buy or sell an electric eel in South Carolina.
54. South Carolina produces the second most prolific harvest of peaches in the U.S. The only state that grows more is California. There are over 30 varieties in the state, and they have been commercially grown in South Carolina since the 1860s. The peach is also the official state fruit of South Carolina, adopted in 1984.
55. Sassafras Mountain is the highest point in South Carolina, rising 3,554 feet (1,083 meters) above sea level.
56. The entire Charleston Historic District is a National Historic Landmark with an abnormally high number of well-preserved historic architecture.
57. Two of the most important battles in the history of the United States were fought in South Carolina – the Battle of King’s Mountains and the Civil War. 
58. South Carolina is the state with the lowest percentage of women in the state legislature. In 2012, the state only had 10% of women in its legislature, while the national average was 23.7%.
59. It’s against the law to keep horses in bathtubs.
60. The first US Senator that was ever elected by a write-in vote was South Carolina’s Strom Thurmond (R) on Nov 2, 1954, with 139,106 write-in votes.

61. Duncan Park Baseball Stadium in Spartanburg, South Carolina, opened in 1926. It is the oldest baseball stadium in the state and one of the oldest in the country. 
62. South Carolina is the 7th most visited state in the U.S. People go there for its forests, beaches, fishing, golf courses, and gardens.
63. Myrtle Beach, a coastal city that is part of a 60 mi (97 km) stretch of beach called The Grand Strand, attracts over 20 million visitors per year, making it one of the most popular beaches in the country.
64. The USS Yorktown, also known as ‘The Fighting Lady,’ a submarine destroyer, played a significant role in World War Two. It is moored at Patriots Point, S.C.
65. South Carolina owns and operates its school bus fleet, and is the only state in the nation to do so.
66. The state fair is held in October every year. The state fair is great for enjoying the best food and entertainment, like music and carnival rides.
67. South Carolina has the largest concentration of Baha’i followers in the United States, with around 18,000 practitioners of the faith in the state.
68. On a historical note, Patriots Point at Charleston Harbor is home to several naval craft. The collection of ships includes ‘The Ship That Would Not Die,’ the USS Laffey.
69. Many people refer to sweet tea as a “Southern thing,” but since it originated in South Carolina, it’s really a “South Carolina thing.” It is also called “The Champagne of the South”.
70. About 10-15 magnitude 3 earthquakes happen per year in South Carolina, but nothing has rivaled the Charleston Earthquake of 1886. It was the largest quake to ever hit the Southeastern United States, at a magnitude of 7.2.
71. The South Carolina state snack is a boiled peanut. The humble peanut was designated as the official South Carolina state snack in 2006.

Do you have even more interesting facts about South Carolina? Share them with us in the comments!