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The Palmetto State CapitalColumbia, SC |
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The capital of South Carolina and the seat of Richland County, Columbia is the largest city in the state, with a population of 98,052 (1990). It is located in the center of the state on the Congaree River, at the fall line between the coastal plain and the northwestern mountains. Columbia's site was selected in 1786 to help neutralize friction between "up country" farmers and "low country" plantation owners. It replaced Charleston as the capital city. Long the market city for the surrounding agricultural region, Columbia is also a finance, government, trade, and industrial center; it has a number of cotton textile and fiber processing factories as well as electronics and plastics plants. Fort Jackson, a major army installation, is nearby. The University of South Carolina (1801) and several smaller colleges are there. Founded in 1786, the city was laid out with wide streets and gardens and parks that flourish in the temperate climate. The city was almost completely destroyed on Feb. 17, 1865, by the Union army under Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman. It was rebuilt after the Civil War. |
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More Facts about the Palmetto State
