Ridgeland, South Carolina

Ridgeland, South Carolina
Town
The Ridgeland Street Clock
Location of Ridgeland, South Carolina
Coordinates: 32°29′11″N 80°58′48″W / 32.48639°N 80.98000°W / 32.48639; -80.98000Coordinates: 32°29′11″N 80°58′48″W / 32.48639°N 80.98000°W / 32.48639; -80.98000
Country	United States
State	South Carolina
County	Jasper
Area
• Total	2.4 sq mi (6.3 km2)
• Land	2.4 sq mi (6.2 km2)
• Water	0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2)
Elevation	56 ft (17 m)
Population (2000)
• Total	2,518
• Density	1,046.6/sq mi (404.1/km2)
Time zone	Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
• Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP codes	29912, 29936
Area code(s)	843
FIPS code	45-60280[1]
GNIS feature ID	1250384[2]
Website	Ridgeland, South Carolina

Ridgeland is a town in Jasper County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 4,036 at the 2010 census, a 60% increase from 2000. It has been the county seat of Jasper County^[3] since its formation in 1912. As defined by the U.S. Census Bureau, Ridgeland is included within the Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Beaufort, SC Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Ridgeland is home to the Ridgeland Correctional Institution, a medium security prison operated by the South Carolina Department of Corrections.

Ridgeland was originally known as Gopher Hill in 1894, derived from the "gopher tortoise," which is indigenous to the area but that name was not considered good enough for a new railroad station so it was changed to Ridgeland in 1902 for the fact the town stands upon the highest hill between Charleston and Savannah.^[4]

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 2.4 square miles (6.3 km²), of which 2.4 square miles (6.2 km²) is land and 0.41% is water.^[5]

Demographics

As of the census^[1] of 2000, there were 2,518 people (2,612 in 2004 estimate), 517 households, and 332 families residing in the town. The population density was 1,046.6 people per square mile (403.4/km²). There were 597 housing units at an average density of 248.1 per square mile (95.6/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 44.64% White, 49.17% African American, 0.16% Native American, 0.75% Asian, 4.69% from other races, and 0.60% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 7.63% of the population.

There were 517 households out of which 33.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 35.2% were married couples living together, 22.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.6% were non-families. 29.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.53 and the average family size was 3.02.

In the town, the population was spread out with 14.9% under the age of 18, 16.6% from 18 to 24, 44.5% from 25 to 44, 15.8% from 45 to 64, and 8.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 279.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 338.2 males. The presence of the Ridgeland Correctional Institution in the town limits heavily skews the sex ratio.

The median income for a household in the town was $27,679, and the median income for a family was $37,647. Males had a median income of $21,900 versus $20,938 for females. The per capita income for the town was $7,394. About 20.0% of families and 24.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 32.7% of those under age 18 and 14.5% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Ridgeland is home to Ridgeland Elementary School and Ridgeland-Hardeeville High School. Thomas Heyward Academy is a private school located just outside the town limits.

Transportation

Billboards along northbound I-95 in Ridgeland.

Roads

• I-95, the major north-south highway on the Eastern Seaboard runs through Ridgeland. A trumpet interchange to a connecting road exists south of the town at Exit 18 north of Switzerland, though the main interchanges within the community are Exits 21 and 22.
• US 17, a principal route connecting Charleston, Savannah and beyond enters Ridgeland after passing through Switzerland. The road is known locally as Jacob Smart Boulevard and has an interchange with I-95 at Exit 22, which it joins in an overlap until Point South at Exit 33. The road is mainly four lanes wide, with some segments having a suicide lane, although it becomes a four-lane divided highway north of downtown Ridgeland before joining I-95 in the aforementioned overlap.
• US 278, overlaps US 17 from northern Hardeeville, before veering west onto Third Street and then Grays Highway towards Augusta and Atlanta.
• SC 336, known locally as Main Street, runs eastward from its starting point at U.S. 321 in Tillman. Within Ridgeland it intersects at U.S. 17, goes under I-95 at Exit 21, and continues eastward towards the hamlet of Old House at SC 462.

Rail

The CSX Railway (also known as the Charleston-Savannah Railway) currently operates both freight trains and passenger trains (via Amtrak) along the lines, but do not stop at Ridgeland. The line runs along the west side of US 17 until the south end of the I-95 overlap, where it then runs along Nuna Rock Road (Old US 17) until it reaches Coosawhatchie.

Notable people

• LaRue Howard – Gospel musician
• General Lloyd W. Newton - First African-American pilot in the Air Force Thunderbirds
• General Jacob E. Smart - Cold War era USAF general
• Thomas Heyward, Jr. - Signer of the Declaration of Independence

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ridgeland, South Carolina.

• Town of Ridgeland