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Olar, South Carolina

16 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1919 and the latest in 1982. It stands in the Olar census division. It lies in ZIP code area 29843. The Survey maps it on the Olar quadrangle. 215 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 187 feet above sea level.

Olar within Bamberg County

On record in Olar

Buildings and businesses the archive holds for this place. Each opens its own page, with the source record it came from.

On the National Register 1 record

Population over time

2 figures

Olar fell from 257 to 215 between 2010 and 2020. These are the recorded population figures Wikidata holds for this place, reached through the Geographic Names Information System number this page is keyed on rather than by name, so they belong to this place and not to another of the same name. Most are census counts, but not all are: an early figure may be a founding or settlement estimate, and an estimate published within five years of a census is left out. The change column is computed, and is left blank where more than 20 years separate a figure from the one before it, because a gap that long is not a change between two counts.

YearPeople Change
2010257
2020215-42 (-16%)

Topographic sheets covering this place

9 surveys from 16 printed sheets

Matched by testing this settlement's coordinate against the published boundary of every sheet in the United States Geological Survey's historical collection. Each opens the scanned sheet at the Survey.

Fires near this place

118 since 1992

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 118 fires within 5 miles of Olar between 1992 and 2020, burning about 613 acres in total. 4 started naturally. 12 were recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Reported cause Fires
Missing data/not specified/undetermined42
Debris and open burning40
Equipment and vehicle use14
Arson/incendiarism12
Natural4
Power generation/transmission/distribution3
Smoking2
Misuse of fire by a minor1

The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.

DateCause SizeReported by Name on the report
26 September 2010Arson/incendiarismunder an acreSouth Carolina Forestry Commissionnot named
26 September 1996Missing data/not specified/undetermined12 acresSouth Carolina Forestry Commissionnot named
25 September 2010Debris and open burning5.0 acresSouth Carolina Forestry Commissionnot named
25 September 2007Debris and open burning2.0 acresSouth Carolina Forestry Commissionnot named
24 September 2010Arson/incendiarism5.0 acresSouth Carolina Forestry Commissionnot named
28 August 1997Natural3.0 acresSouth Carolina Forestry Commissionnot named
26 August 1998Debris and open burning4.0 acresSouth Carolina Forestry Commissionnot named
21 August 1993Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreSouth Carolina Forestry Commissionnot named

Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:

Every fire recorded in Bamberg County

Mines and quarries near this place

2 within 5 miles

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 2 workings within 5 miles of Olar: 1 past producer, 1 producer. 1 still produces. What was taken out: Sand and Gravel, Construction. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Where SiteCommodity StatusRecorded
Ila SmithSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer1981
Pit No. 2Sand and Gravel, ConstructionProducer

Every working recorded in Bamberg County

Storms near this place

27 since 1997

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Olar in 27 storm reports between 1997 and 2022: 16 thunderstorm wind, 8 hail, 2 tornado, 1 lightning. The reports record 31 injuries. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.

WhenEvent Place namedHarm What the report says
July 2012HailOlar30 hurt, $20,000Public reported golfball size hail in the Olar area.
May 2008HailOlar1 hurtLaw enforcement tennis ball size hail. Storm survey found many homes had damage to siding, windows, and roofs. Auto and home windows were broken. One woman was injured by flying glass in her auto. Holes were in siding. Vehicles were badly dented. Crops were flattened and there was a blanket of leaves and pine needles that covered the ground and roadways.
August 1997LightningOlar$15,000Garage was hit and destroyed by lightning. Contents included an automoblie, tractors, mowers, etc.
November 2011Thunderstorm WindOlar$12,000Sheriff and NWS Storm Survey found trees down from Olar to Hwy 301 on Hwy 64.
June 2009Thunderstorm WindOlar$6,000DOT reported trees down on hwys 321 and 64 in Govan and Olar.
June 2011Thunderstorm WindOlar$3,000Highway Patrol reported trees down on Low Country road.
August 2011Thunderstorm WindOlar$3,000Sheriff reported trees down at the intersection of US 321 and Hwy 64.
July 2015Thunderstorm WindOlar$2,000Dispatch reported a couple of trees down in the Olar area including Hwy 64.
May 2022Thunderstorm WindOlar-SC Highway Patrol reported a tree in the roadway. Time estimated by radar.
May 2021Thunderstorm WindOlar-SCDOT reported a tree that had fallen, partially blocking SC 64 near the town of Olar. Time estimated.
September 2017Tornado (EF0)Olar-NWS storm survey team confirmed an EF-0 tornado touched down just NE of Olar, SC, moved to the NNW and dissipated approximately 4 minutes later near Govan, SC. The tornado was associated with the circulation of tropical cyclone Irma. ||The tornado touched down just northwest of the town of Olar along Thunder Road. The tornado continued north-northwest for approximately 2 miles. The tornado crossed Thunder Road, Red Fox Road, Memorial Church Road and dissipated before reaching Ehrhardt Road. The tornado downed a few trees and several large limbs along it's path. The tornado was brief, only staying on the ground for approximately |4 minutes.
April 2009HailOlar-SKYWARN spotter reported 3/4 inch hail on Spider road.
July 2008Thunderstorm WindOlar-DOT reported a couple of trees down on hwy 64 and sc23.
July 2008HailOlar-Public reported nickel size hail in Olar.
February 2007Tornado (EF0)Olar-An EF1 touched down SE of Olar near hwy 64 and continued NE taking down trees along its path.
June 2007HailOlar-Public reported quarter size hail at Tiger Mart.
June 2007Thunderstorm WindOlar-Public reported several trees down in the Olar area.
July 2006Thunderstorm WindOlar-Emergency Manager reported large limbs down in Olar.
May 2005Thunderstorm WindOlar-Electric coop reported large limbs down on powerlines with power outages.
June 2005Thunderstorm WindOlar-Sheriff reported trees down in Olar.
May 2005HailOlar-Sheriff reported 3/4 inch hail in Olar and the surrounding area.
September 2000Thunderstorm WindOlar-Highway department reported scattered trees down in the Olar area.
April 1999Thunderstorm WindOlar-Highway Patrol reported trees down along highway 321.
April 1999HailOlar-Police reported golf ball size hail covering ground.
August 1997Thunderstorm WindOlar-A severe thunderstorm took down trees along SC Highway 64 and other adjacent county roads.
August 1997HailOlar-Post Office reports 1 inch hail.
August 1997Thunderstorm WindOlar-Post Office reports trees down on SC Highway 64. Tops were broken off and blown into an animal shelter.

Every storm recorded in Bamberg County

Nearest settlements

The eight closest, with where each one stands in the county. Distances are straight-line, computed from the Geographic Names Information System coordinates.

Map PlaceDistance Sheets
Govan2.9 miles16
Schofield3.4 miles16
Bufords Bridge4.5 miles15
Springtown5.1 miles15
Luther (historical)6.6 miles15
Garris (historical)7.3 miles15
Clear Pond8.3 miles15
Hughes9.5 miles15

Elsewhere

Matched on this settlement's Geographic Names Information System number rather than its name, so it cannot be a different place of the same name in another state.

Wikipedia article on OlarAn encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied.
Wikidata item Q3239840The structured record the population and elevation above come from. Public domain (CC0).

Provenance

This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 1249948. The sheet list is computed by point-in-boundary test against the United States Geological Survey's historical topographic inventory. Both are works of the United States government and carry no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.

Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.

Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.

Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.