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.
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
Mizpah Methodist Churchlisted 2000
Population over time
2 figuresOlar 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.
| Year | People | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 257 | |
| 2020 | 215 | -42 (-16%) |
Topographic sheets covering this place
9 surveys from 16 printed sheetsMatched 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.
- 1919 USGS Olar quadrangle1:62500, 3 printings
- 1943 USGS Olar quadrangle1:62500, 2 printings
- 1954 USGS Augusta quadrangle1:250000
- 1957 USGS Augusta quadrangle1:250000, 3 printings
- 1958 USGS Augusta quadrangle1:250000
- 1961 USGS Augusta quadrangle1:250000, 2 printings
- 1962 USGS Augusta quadrangle1:250000
- 1982 USGS Barnwell quadrangle1:100000
- 1982 USGS Olar quadrangle1:24000, 2 printings
Fires near this place
118 since 1992Regional 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/undetermined | 42 |
| Debris and open burning | 40 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 14 |
| Arson/incendiarism | 12 |
| Natural | 4 |
| Power generation/transmission/distribution | 3 |
| Smoking | 2 |
| Misuse of fire by a minor | 1 |
The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.
| Date | Cause | Size | Reported by | Name on the report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26 September 2010 | Arson/incendiarism | under an acre | South Carolina Forestry Commission | not named |
| 26 September 1996 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 12 acres | South Carolina Forestry Commission | not named |
| 25 September 2010 | Debris and open burning | 5.0 acres | South Carolina Forestry Commission | not named |
| 25 September 2007 | Debris and open burning | 2.0 acres | South Carolina Forestry Commission | not named |
| 24 September 2010 | Arson/incendiarism | 5.0 acres | South Carolina Forestry Commission | not named |
| 28 August 1997 | Natural | 3.0 acres | South Carolina Forestry Commission | not named |
| 26 August 1998 | Debris and open burning | 4.0 acres | South Carolina Forestry Commission | not named |
| 21 August 1993 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | South Carolina Forestry Commission | not named |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Mines and quarries near this place
2 within 5 milesRegional 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.
Storms near this place
27 since 1997Regional 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.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| July 2012 | Hail | Olar | 30 hurt, $20,000 | Public reported golfball size hail in the Olar area. |
| May 2008 | Hail | Olar | 1 hurt | Law 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 1997 | Lightning | Olar | $15,000 | Garage was hit and destroyed by lightning. Contents included an automoblie, tractors, mowers, etc. |
| November 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Olar | $12,000 | Sheriff and NWS Storm Survey found trees down from Olar to Hwy 301 on Hwy 64. |
| June 2009 | Thunderstorm Wind | Olar | $6,000 | DOT reported trees down on hwys 321 and 64 in Govan and Olar. |
| June 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Olar | $3,000 | Highway Patrol reported trees down on Low Country road. |
| August 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Olar | $3,000 | Sheriff reported trees down at the intersection of US 321 and Hwy 64. |
| July 2015 | Thunderstorm Wind | Olar | $2,000 | Dispatch reported a couple of trees down in the Olar area including Hwy 64. |
| May 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | Olar | - | SC Highway Patrol reported a tree in the roadway. Time estimated by radar. |
| May 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | Olar | - | SCDOT reported a tree that had fallen, partially blocking SC 64 near the town of Olar. Time estimated. |
| September 2017 | Tornado (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 2009 | Hail | Olar | - | SKYWARN spotter reported 3/4 inch hail on Spider road. |
| July 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | Olar | - | DOT reported a couple of trees down on hwy 64 and sc23. |
| July 2008 | Hail | Olar | - | Public reported nickel size hail in Olar. |
| February 2007 | Tornado (EF0) | Olar | - | An EF1 touched down SE of Olar near hwy 64 and continued NE taking down trees along its path. |
| June 2007 | Hail | Olar | - | Public reported quarter size hail at Tiger Mart. |
| June 2007 | Thunderstorm Wind | Olar | - | Public reported several trees down in the Olar area. |
| July 2006 | Thunderstorm Wind | Olar | - | Emergency Manager reported large limbs down in Olar. |
| May 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | Olar | - | Electric coop reported large limbs down on powerlines with power outages. |
| June 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | Olar | - | Sheriff reported trees down in Olar. |
| May 2005 | Hail | Olar | - | Sheriff reported 3/4 inch hail in Olar and the surrounding area. |
| September 2000 | Thunderstorm Wind | Olar | - | Highway department reported scattered trees down in the Olar area. |
| April 1999 | Thunderstorm Wind | Olar | - | Highway Patrol reported trees down along highway 321. |
| April 1999 | Hail | Olar | - | Police reported golf ball size hail covering ground. |
| August 1997 | Thunderstorm Wind | Olar | - | A severe thunderstorm took down trees along SC Highway 64 and other adjacent county roads. |
| August 1997 | Hail | Olar | - | Post Office reports 1 inch hail. |
| August 1997 | Thunderstorm Wind | Olar | - | Post Office reports trees down on SC Highway 64. Tops were broken off and blown into an animal shelter. |
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 | Place | Distance | Sheets |
|---|---|---|---|
| Govan | 2.9 miles | 16 | |
| Schofield | 3.4 miles | 16 | |
| Bufords Bridge | 4.5 miles | 15 | |
| Springtown | 5.1 miles | 15 | |
| Luther (historical) | 6.6 miles | 15 | |
| Garris (historical) | 7.3 miles | 15 | |
| Clear Pond | 8.3 miles | 15 | |
| Hughes | 9.5 miles | 15 |
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 Olar | An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied. |
| Wikidata item Q3239840 | The 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.








