| Aiken, South Carolina | |
|---|---|
| — City — | |
| Aiken County Courthouse | |
| Location of Aiken, South Carolina | |
| Coordinates: | |
| Country | United States |
| State | South Carolina |
| County | Aiken |
| Incorporated | 1835 |
| Government[1][2] | |
| • Type | Council-manager |
| • Mayor | Fred Cavanaugh |
| • City Manager | Richard Pearce |
| Area | |
| • Total | 16.2 sq mi (41.9 km2) |
| • Land | 16.2 sq mi (41.9 km2) |
| • Water | 0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2) |
| Elevation | 515 ft (157 m) |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Total | 29,494 |
| • Density | 1,566.3/sq mi (604.8/km2) |
| Time zone | Eastern (EST) (UTC-5) |
| • Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| Area code(s) | 803 |
| FIPS code | 45-00550[3] |
| GNIS feature ID | 1244853[4] |
| Website | www.cityofaikensc.gov |
Aiken ( /ˈeɪkən/) is a city in and the county seat of Aiken County, South Carolina, United States.[5] With Augusta, Georgia, it is one of the two largest cities of the Central Savannah River Area. It is part of the Augusta-Richmond County Metropolitan Statistical Area. Aiken is home to the University of South Carolina at Aiken. The population was 29,494 at the 2010 census. Aiken was recognized with the All-America City Award in 1997 by the National Civic League.
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Aiken is located at (33.549397, -81.720689)[6].
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 16.2 square miles (42 km2).
| Climate data for Aiken, SC | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 82 (28) |
88 (31) |
89 (32) |
99 (37) |
101 (38) |
108 (42) |
108 (42) |
109 (43) |
100 (38) |
99 (37) |
88 (31) |
83 (28) |
109 (43) |
| Average high °F (°C) | 55 (13) |
60 (16) |
68 (20) |
76 (24) |
84 (29) |
90 (32) |
92 (33) |
91 (33) |
85 (29) |
76 (24) |
67 (19) |
59 (15) |
92 (33) |
| Average low °F (°C) | 33 (1) |
36 (2) |
42 (6) |
51 (11) |
60 (16) |
68 (20) |
72 (22) |
71 (22) |
64 (18) |
52 (11) |
42 (6) |
35 (2) |
33 (1) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −4 (−20) |
9 (−13) |
13 (−11) |
21 (−6) |
34 (1) |
42 (6) |
51 (11) |
52 (11) |
37 (3) |
25 (−4) |
11 (−12) |
5 (−15) |
−4 (−20) |
| Precipitation inches (mm) | 4.74 (120.4) |
4.36 (110.7) |
4.86 (123.4) |
3.11 (79) |
3.83 (97.3) |
5.46 (138.7) |
5.10 (129.5) |
5.25 (133.4) |
3.80 (96.5) |
3.38 (85.9) |
3.64 (92.5) |
3.78 (96) |
51.31 (1,303.3) |
| Source: The Weather Channel[7] | |||||||||||||
Population in 1890, 2,362; in 1900, 3,414; in 1910, 3,911; in 1940, 6,168. As of the census[3] of 2000, there were 25,337 people, 10,287 households, and 6,758 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,566.3 people per square mile (604.6/km²). There were 11,373 housing units at an average density of 703.1 per square mile (271.4/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 66.63% White, 30.30% 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 of any race were 1.49% 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.
Aiken is governed via a mayor-council system. A mayor is elected at-large. The city council consists of six members. Four are elected from districts and the other two are elected at-large.
The history of Aiken dates to its incorporation on December 19, 1835. It was named for William Aiken, a founder of a railroad company in Charleston.
The writer Gamel Woolsey, who coined the phrase "pornography of violence" in her memoir of the Spanish Civil War, Death's Other Kingdom (also published under the title Malaga Burning), was born in Aiken in 1895.
In the late 19th century, Aiken gained fame as a wintering spot for wealthy people from the Northeast. The Aiken Winter Colony was establish by Thomas Hitchcock, Sr. and William C. Whitney. Over the years Aiken became a winter home for many famous and notable people in addition to the Hiteney including , George H. Bostwick, James B. Eustis, Madeleine Astor, William Kissam Vanderbil, Eugene Grace president of Bethlehem Steel, Allan Pinkerton, W. Averell Harriman and many others.
In the spring of 1931, the nation's attention was riveted on Aiken when Nicholas Longworth, Republican Speaker of the House, came down unexpectedly with pneumonia and died there on April 9, 1931. He had been visiting family friends – all long-time Republicans and fellow poker players – who had a winter home in town. Longworth was married to US President Theodore Roosevelt's daughter, Alice Roosevelt Longworth, who rushed to his side from Cincinnati, Ohio, arriving prior to his death.
The selection of a site near Aiken by the United States Atomic Energy Commission to build a plant to produce fuel for thermonuclear weapons was announced on November 30, 1950. The site was named the Savannah River Plant (subsequently renamed to the Savannah River Site in 1989). The facility contained 5 production reactors, fuel fabrication facilities, a research laboratory, heavy water production facilities, two fuel reprocessing facilities and tritium recovery facilities.
The Aiken Steeplechase Association, founded in 1930, [5] hosts the Imperial Cup each March and the Holiday Cup in October, both of which are steeplechase races sanctioned by the National Steeplechase Association. This event shows large attendances of 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 that trained at The Aiken Training Track.
Aiken also hosts many polo matches at the numerous polo fields located in the city. There are also many other events held in Aiken such as:
In the late 19th century and the first part of the 20th century, Aiken served as a winter playground for many of the country's wealthiest families such the Vanderbilts, Bostwicks, and the Whitneys.
The Southside is the southern area of the city of Aiken, which strongly increased in development after the construction of the Savannah River Site. It now serves as the premiere shopping district in Aiken County, being the location of the Aiken Mall, multiple retail stores, and several restaurants. Two large residential communities, Houndslake Country Club and Woodside Plantation, have multiple golf courses within the communities. Many newcomers take up residence in either Houndslake or Woodside; however, the most prestigious homes are located in historic downtown Aiken.
Although no scheduled commercial flights run through the airport, it is a very busy airport with multiple executive partners from nearby businesses. It has two newly paved runways, a newly renovated terminal, and is in close proximity with Interstate 20.
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