West Columbia, South Carolina
| West Columbia, South Carolina | |
|---|---|
| City | |
|
|
| Motto: "Bridging Past, Present, And Future"[1] | |
 Location in Lexington County, South Carolina |
|
| Coordinates: Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. | |
| Government | |
| • Type | City Council, City Administrator |
| • Mayor | Joe W. Owens[2] |
| Area | |
| • Total | 16.3 km2 (6.3 sq mi) |
| • Land | 15.7 km2 (6.1 sq mi) |
| • Water | 0.5 km2 (0.2 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 87 m (285 ft) |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Total | 14,988 |
| • Density | 831.0/km2 (2,152/sq mi) |
| Time zone | EST (UTC-5) |
| • Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| Area code(s) | 803 |
| FIPS code | 45-75850 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1251380[3] |
| Website | www.westcolumbiasc.gov |
West Columbia, part of the greater Columbia, SC metropolitan statistical area, is a city in the suburban eastern sections of Lexington County, South Carolina, United States. According to the 2010 census, the population was 14,988.
West Columbia lies west of Columbia, South Carolina, directly across the Congaree River. It's near Columbia's city center or downtown district as well as the South Carolina State House and the Congaree Vista, known locally as "the Vista."
West Columbia is bordered to the south by its sister suburb, Cayce, SC.
Contents
Riverwalk
West Columbia's lovely Riverwalk park, part of the Cayce-West Columbia Riverwalk, is within walking distance of the South Carolina State Museum and Columbia's Vista, a residential, restaurant, entertainment district.
The park offers views of Columbia's skyline, but it's the river and the, largely undisturbed, ancient floodplain forest that offer visitors the best views.
The entire Riverwalk system is an interesting mixture of a city park and the natural beauty of a state park trail. The park system has wide, paved walkways and is completely wheelchair accessible. And, the park is lighted and has emergency call boxes spaced along the entire length of the park.
Botanical Garden
The Riverbanks Zoo and Garden has an entrance on the West Columbia side of the river. The zoo's Botanical Garden entrance is located at 1300 Botanical Parkway, West Columbia, SC 29169
Lexington Medical Center
West Columbia is also home to the Lexington Medical Center, one of the region's largest hospital systems. Its address is 2720 Sunset Blvd., West Columbia, SC 29169
History
West Columbia was incorporated in 1894 as Brookland, but the United States Postal Service called the town "New Brookland" since there was another town called Brookland. In 1936, the name was changed to West Columbia to emphasize its proximity to Columbia, South Carolina.[1] Numerous businesses, churches and a high school retain the Brookland and New Brookland names.
The Gervais Street Bridge, Mount Hebron Temperance Hall, New Brookland Historic District, and Saluda Factory Historic District are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.[5]
Geography
West Columbia lies to the south and west of the Saluda and Congaree Rivers.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 6.3 square miles (16.3 km²), of which 6.1 square miles (15.7 km²) is land and 0.2 square mile (0.5 km²) (3.18%) is water.
Demographics
| Historical population | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1900 | 1,089 | — | |
| 1910 | 900 | −17.4% | |
| 1920 | 1,793 | 99.2% | |
| 1930 | 1,722 | −4.0% | |
| 1940 | 1,744 | 1.3% | |
| 1950 | 1,543 | −11.5% | |
| 1960 | 6,410 | 315.4% | |
| 1970 | 7,838 | 22.3% | |
| 1980 | 10,409 | 32.8% | |
| 1990 | 10,588 | 1.7% | |
| 2000 | 13,064 | 23.4% | |
| 2010 | 14,988 | 14.7% | |
| Est. 2014 | 15,920 | [6] | 6.2% |
| U.S. Decennial Census[7] 2012 Estimate[8] |
|||
As of the census of 2000, there were 13,064 people, 5,968 households, and 3,300 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,150.6 people per square mile (831.0/km²). There were 6,436 housing units at an average density of 1,059.5 per square mile (409.4/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 74.54% White, 19.81% African American, 0.28% Native American, 1.71% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 2.04% from other races, and 1.61% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.66% of the population.
There were 5,968 households out of which 22.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 37.5% were married couples living together, 14.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 44.7% were non-families. 36.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.13 and the average family size was 2.76.
In the city the population was spread out with 18.8% under the age of 18, 10.1% from 18 to 24, 30.0% from 25 to 44, 22.1% from 45 to 64, and 19.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 88.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.1 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $30,999, and the median income for a family was $40,253. Males had a median income of $30,033 versus $24,637 for females. The per capita income for the city was $18,135. About 12.8% of families and 16.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 24.5% of those under age 18 and 11.4% of those age 65 or over.
Education
Lexington County School Districts One and Two serve West Columbia. White Knoll High School serves some of the city's residents who live in District One, and there are two high schools in District Two, Brookland-Cayce High School and Airport High School.
The nearby University of South Carolina, Columbia, is just across the river. Midlands Technical College also operates their Airport campus near the Columbia Metropolitan Airport. There are two historically black colleges in Columbia: Allen University and Benedict College. And, there is also Columbia College (South Carolina), a private women's liberal arts college.
Infrastructure
Transportation
Columbia Metropolitan Airport, CAE, which serves Columbia, is located at 3250 Airport Blvd, West Columbia, SC 29170.
The airport serves as the regional National Weather Service radar station and Weather Forecast Office for eighteen counties in South Carolina and five counties in Georgia.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
External links
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to [[commons:Lua error in Module:WikidataIB at line 506: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).|Lua error in Module:WikidataIB at line 506: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).]]. |
- History of West Columbia
- City of West Columbia
- City-Data.com
- ePodunk
- Three Rivers Greenway, West Bank
- City of Cayce
- Riverbanks Zoo and Garden
- Lexington Medical Center
|
Municipalities and communities of Lexington County, South Carolina, United States
|
||
|---|---|---|
| Cities |
 |
|
| Towns | ||
| CDPs | ||
| Footnotes |
‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties
|
|
