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Orangeburg, South Carolina

18 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1920 and the latest in 1990. It stands in the Orangeburg census division. It lies in ZIP code area 29115. The Survey maps it on the Orangeburg South quadrangle. 13,240 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 243 feet above sea level.

Research this city

Orangeburg within Orangeburg County

On record in Orangeburg

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 12 of 28 shown

Every listing in Orangeburg County

Surveyed buildings and structures 1 record

Population over time

3 figures

Orangeburg grew from 997 to 13,240 between 1860 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
1860997
201013,964
202013,240-724 (-5%)

Topographic sheets covering this place

12 surveys from 18 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.

Photographs

8 of 18 photographs shown, 1938 to 1941

Taken for the Office of War Information and the Farm Security Administration, who photographed the country between 1935 and 1944. Works of United States government photographers, with no known restriction on use. Each opens its catalogue record.

The Rocks, Eutaw Springs vic., Orangeburg County, South Carolina
The Rocks, Eutaw Springs vic., Orangeburg County, South Carolina
Johnston, Frances Benjamin, 1938. Library of Congress
Cultivating a field at Orangeburg Farms, a FSA (Farm Security Administration) project where eight families were settled from the Santee-Cooper basin. Orangeburg County, South Carolina
Cultivating a field at Orangeburg Farms, a FSA (Farm Security Administration) project where eight families were settled from the Santee-Cooper basin. Orangeburg County, South Carolina
Delano, Jack, 1941. Library of Congress
Woman who had been moved out of the Santee-Cooper basin to Orangeburg Farms, a FSA (Farm Security Administration) project in Orangeburg County, South Carolina
Woman who had been moved out of the Santee-Cooper basin to Orangeburg Farms, a FSA (Farm Security Administration) project in Orangeburg County, South Carolina
Delano, Jack, 1941. Library of Congress
This family was relocated at FSA (Farm Security Administration) Orangeburg Farms when they had to move out of the Santee-Cooper basin. Orangeburg County, South Carolina
This family was relocated at FSA (Farm Security Administration) Orangeburg Farms when they had to move out of the Santee-Cooper basin. Orangeburg County, South Carolina
Delano, Jack, 1941. Library of Congress
Loch Dhu, Barn, State Route 6 & County Road 59, Eutawville, Orangeburg County, SC
Loch Dhu, Barn, State Route 6 & County Road 59, Eutawville, Orangeburg County, SC
Photographer not recorded. Library of Congress
Numertia Plantation House, Eutaw Springs, Orangeburg County, SC
Numertia Plantation House, Eutaw Springs, Orangeburg County, SC
Photographer not recorded. Library of Congress
Loch Dhu, State Road 6 & County Road 59 vicinity, Eutawville, Orangeburg County, SC
Loch Dhu, State Road 6 & County Road 59 vicinity, Eutawville, Orangeburg County, SC
Photographer not recorded. Library of Congress
Target United Methodist Church, Holly Hill, Orangeburg County, SC
Target United Methodist Church, Holly Hill, Orangeburg County, SC
Photographer not recorded. Library of Congress

Every photograph of Orangeburg County

Fires near this place

401 since 1992

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 401 fires within 5 miles of Orangeburg between 1992 and 2019, burning about 983 acres in total. 3 started naturally. 13 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
Debris and open burning229
Missing data/not specified/undetermined90
Equipment and vehicle use22
Smoking19
Misuse of fire by a minor19
Arson/incendiarism13
Natural3
Fireworks2
Railroad operations and maintenance2
Recreation and ceremony1
Power generation/transmission/distribution1

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
5 September 1999Missing data/not specified/undetermined2.5 acresSouth Carolina Forestry Commissionnot named
30 September 2006Debris and open burningunder an acreSouth Carolina Forestry Commissionnot named
29 September 2006Debris and open burningunder an acreSouth Carolina Forestry Commissionnot named
25 September 2019Debris and open burning4.0 acresSouth Carolina Forestry Commissionnot named
22 September 1997Debris and open burning1.0 acresSouth Carolina Forestry Commissionnot named
21 September 2009Debris and open burningunder an acreSouth Carolina Forestry Commissionnot named
21 September 1997Equipment and vehicle useunder an acreSouth Carolina Forestry Commissionnot named
19 September 2005Debris and open burningunder an acreSouth Carolina Forestry Commissionnot named

Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:

Every fire recorded in Orangeburg 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 Orangeburg: 1 unknown, 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
Edisto Asphalt Sand PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionUnknownSedimentary
No. 6 PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionProducer

Every working recorded in Orangeburg County

Storms near this place

60 of 132 shown

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Orangeburg in 132 storm reports between 1994 and 2025: 70 thunderstorm wind, 31 hail, 18 flash flood, 6 tornado. The reports record 5 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
November 1995Tornado (F1)Orangeburg3 hurt, $200,000Tornado destroyed 16 mobile homes, seriously damaged 11 others and one frame home, and took trees down. Most of the damage occurred along U.S. 178. Three people were slightly injured.
August 2002Thunderstorm WindOrangeburg1 hurt, $8,000Emergency Manager reported tree fell on a home and came through the roof causing one injury.
December 2004Tornado (F3)Orangeburg1 hurtDamage survey found an F3 tornado demolished a brick church, completely destroyed 2 mobile homes and several outbuildings. The main damage occurred on Coulter road.
September 2016Flash FloodOrangeburg$400,000Flash Flooding was reported in parts of Orangeburg. The water entered three county buildings, including the library, the courthouse and the law enforcement complex. The emergency manager estimates 40 structures were flooded, with 20 to 25 of them sustaining substantial damage. An apartment complex had 5 buildings with 2 to 3 feet of water in them. A daycare center also had 2 feet of water in the building. Numerous cars were also submerged.
July 2022Flash FloodOrangeburg$300,000The broadcast media and local newspaper reported a flash flood at the Malibu Apartments along Malibu Dr between Middleton St and Green St. Ten units flooded with water up to one to two feet. Cars that were parked were also flooded. The nearby Orangeburg water plant reported 3.00 inches of rain, a weather observer along mason drive reported 3.37 inches of rain and a cocorahs observer off jackson drive reported 2.41 inches of rain. Sunnyside Canal, which runs through the complex, rose from 0.54 feet up to 5.31 feet in 45 minutes, cresting at 215 am.
August 1996LightningOrangeburg$200,000no account filed
April 2011HailOrangeburg$40,000Sheriff reported golf ball size hail at FIRE STATION 4 located at Rowesville Road and Prosperity Drive.
January 1996Tornado (F0)Orangeburg$29,000no account filed
April 2011Thunderstorm WindOrangeburg$18,000Emergency Manager reported trees down from Cope to Orangeburg. Sheriff also reported a tree down on Hwy 601 by the hospital.
July 2024Thunderstorm WindOrangeburg$10,000Orangeburg County EM reported numerous buildings damaged along a path beginning at the intersection of Russell St and Broughton St to Whaley St and Crystal St and ending on Woodbine Drive where there is a large tree on a house. NWS survey team confirmed a microburst occurred in downtown Orangeburg with estimated wind speeds up to 70 mph.
August 2022Flash FloodOrangeburg$10,000Orangeburg Co EM reported flood waters entered 4 apartments at the Malibu Apartments on Malibu Dr. Time estimated.
September 2016Flash FloodOrangeburg$10,000County EM reported roadways due to rising water from creeks draining into Caw Caw Swamp Creek. These include Old Riley at Lakeside...Brookside Road...Myers Road at Caw Caw Creek and Railroad Corner Hwy. 601 and Russell Street.
October 1995Thunderstorm WindOrangeburg$10,000no account filed
August 2011Thunderstorm WindOrangeburg$8,000SCEMD reported trees down in Orangeburg.
May 2009Flash FloodOrangeburg$8,000Sheriff reported several roads closed due to 1 to 3 feet of water in some areas. Whittaker Parkway, U.S 21, and U.S. 178 were closes as were several roads in Cordova and Cope.
June 2009Thunderstorm WindOrangeburg$8,000Emergency Manager reported numerous trees and powerlines down at SC State University.
July 2023Flash FloodOrangeburg$5,000Emergency Manager reported water entered two apartments at Malibu Apartments on Malibu Dr. Times estimated.
July 2023Flash FloodOrangeburg$5,000Emergency Manager reported water entered a daycare facility at Belleville Rd and Russell St. Times estimated.
June 2011Thunderstorm WindOrangeburg$5,000Highway Patrol reported trees in the roadway near Presidential Drive and Magnolia road.
May 2006Thunderstorm WindOrangeburg$5,000A microburst blew a tin roof off a horse barn and did minor damage the building.
June 2011Thunderstorm WindOrangeburg$4,000Sheriff reported trees down in north Orangeburg between US 21 and US 601.
July 2009Thunderstorm WindOrangeburg$4,000Sheriff reported trees down along hwy 21 in Orangeburg.
October 2016FloodOrangeburg$3,000Reported some minor street flooding in downtown Orangeburg along US 301 John C Calhoun Drive at Sprinkle Street and also along Stonewall Jackson Blvd.
June 2015Thunderstorm WindOrangeburg$3,000Highway Patrol reported trees down on U.S. 301 at U.S 21 in Orangeburg.
June 2010Thunderstorm WindOrangeburg$3,000Emergency Manager reported trees down on Forest Creek Drive.
June 2015Thunderstorm WindOrangeburg$2,000EM reported several trees down in Edisto from thunderstorm winds.
July 2013Flash FloodOrangeburg$2,000Highway Patrol reported magnolia Street at Whaley Street closed due to flooding.
July 2009Thunderstorm WindOrangeburg$2,000EM reported several trees down in Edisto.
August 2009Thunderstorm WindOrangeburg$2,000DOT reported several trees down on Partridge Lane road near US 378.
May 2002Thunderstorm WindOrangeburg$2,000Emergency Manager reported a tree fell on a mobile home doing minor damage to the roof.
June 2002Thunderstorm WindOrangeburg$2,000Newspaper reported part of the cinder brick wall of the stands at the football stadium were blown down.
August 2022Flash FloodOrangeburg$1,000The Times and Democrat newspaper in Orangeburg relayed a report and photo, via social media, of a flooded vehicle on Frederick St near Chestnut St in the University Village area of SC State Univ. in Orangeburg. Time estimated.
November 2020Flash FloodOrangeburg$1,000A flooded and impassable roadway was reported at Brookside Dr and Riverside Dr in Orangeburg. Observations from around the area indicated about 4 to 6 inches of rain fell over this region. Street flooding was also observed in a few other parts of the town of Orangeburg.
August 2010Thunderstorm WindOrangeburg$1,000Sheriff reported a couple of trees down on Bamberg Hwy just southwest of Orangeburg.
June 1995Thunderstorm WindOrangeburg$1,000Thunderstorm winds downed trees in City of Orangeburg.
April 2013Thunderstorm WindOrangeburg$500Highway Patrol reported a tree in the roadway on Columbia road.
May 2018Flash FloodOrangeburg$100Road closure at Glover St and Stonewall Jackson Blvd in Orangeburg.
May 2018Flash FloodOrangeburg$100Flooding observed at a day care center on Russell St in Orangeburg. Children were rescued.
May 2018Flash FloodOrangeburg$100Vehicle stalled in flood waters at Broughton St and Whaley St in Orangeburg.
May 2022HailOrangeburg$10MPING report of pea sized hail.
August 2019HailOrangeburg$10Report of pea size hail received via mPING.
May 2025Thunderstorm WindOrangeburg-SC highway patrol reported a tree down on the roadway on Old Edisto Dr. west of Orangeburg. Time estimated by radar.
July 2025Thunderstorm WindOrangeburg-Emergency Manager reports roof damage to multiple buildings at 1098 Joe S Jeffords Highway.
August 2024Thunderstorm WindOrangeburg-SCHP reported a tree down on Russell St at Old Elloree Rd.
August 2024Flash FloodOrangeburg-City of Orangeburg has closed portions of Riverside Drive due to flash flooding.
August 2024Flash FloodOrangeburg-Broadcast media reported via social media that abandoned homes along Waring Street are being flooded.
August 2024Flash FloodOrangeburg-A SC highway patrol trooper reported a flooded intersection at John C. Calhoun Drive and Sprinkle Avenue.
July 2023Heavy RainOrangeburg-USGS rain gage at the US Hwy 301/601 bridge over the North Fork of the Edisto River measured 2.20 inches of rain in one hour from 1730 EDT to 1830 EDT.
May 2022Thunderstorm WindOrangeburg-Social media photos show a downed tree near the intersection of Park St and Brantleywood Ln. Time estimated by radar.
May 2022Thunderstorm WindOrangeburg-SC Highway Patrol reported a tree in the roadway near the intersection of Hwy 178 and Kennerly Rd. Time estimated.
July 2019Thunderstorm WindOrangeburg-A tree fell through a house at 734 Partridge Rd. Time estimated.
July 2019Thunderstorm WindOrangeburg-Trees downed in the vicinity of Guinyard St, Garnet St, and Redmon St.
June 2019Thunderstorm WindOrangeburg-A thunderstorm downburst with straight-line winds produced extensive damage on the north side of the city of Orangeburg. Tree damage was first observed near Lake Edisto Rd, continuing in a wide path east to east-southeast across North Rd, across |Columbia Rd and ending east of US Hwy 601 south of the Regional Medical Center. Numerous uprooted, snapped and toppled trees were evident, with many structures exhibiting structural and roof damage caused by high wind, downed trees and large downed tree limbs. Several power lines were also down from falling trees|and tree limbs.
September 2019Thunderstorm WindOrangeburg-Trees down on Green St in Orangeburg.
April 2018Thunderstorm WindOrangeburg-Tree down in roadway Columbia Rd at Sims St. Time estimated.
May 2018Heavy RainOrangeburg-The USGS rain gage on the US Hwy 301 bridge over the N. Fork of the Edisto R. recorded 3.24 inches of rain. Most of this rain fell between 1000 am EDT (0900 EST) and 1130 am EDT (1030 EST).
May 2018Heavy RainOrangeburg-The NWS COOP observer at the Orangeburg Water Plant recorded 2.88 inches of rain. Most of this rain fell between 1000 am EDT (0900 EST) and 1130 am EDT (1030 EST). Runoff from the heavy rainfall resulted in a nearly 2 foot rise of the N. Fork of the Edisto R. at a gage at the US Hwy 301 bridge.
June 2018Thunderstorm WindOrangeburg-SCHP reported trees down on Riverbank Dr at Summer Creek Dr. Time estimated.
October 2018Tornado (EF0)Orangeburg-A third tornado touchdown occurred near the city of Orangeburg, SC, touching down near Brookside Dr and Pinehill Rd around 2248 EST (2348 EDT). This tornado caused non-continuous damage to large trees as it moved northwestward. It lifted near the Calhoun Co SC line near Providence Rd around 2301 EST on 10/10 (or 00:01 EDT 10/11).
June 2016Thunderstorm WindOrangeburg-County Emergency Manager reports numerous trees and power lines down in the city of Orangeburg.

Every storm recorded in Orangeburg County

Newspapers printed here

47,121 digitised pages

6 papers published in this town, digitised by the Library of Congress and free to read: 5,733 issues, 47,121 pages. Every page is searchable, so a name or a street can be looked for directly in what the town printed about itself at the time.

NewspaperPublished
The Orangeburg News1867 to 1875
Orangeburg News and Times1875 to 1877
The Times and Democrat1881 to Current
Orangeburg Times1872 to 1875
The Orangeburg Democrat1879 to 1881
The Free Citizen1874 to 1876

What the paper printed

154,335 words

Front pages of the local paper, read from the Library of Congress scans: 29 issues spread across its run from 1867 to 1911, 154,335 words in total. Each is reproduced on its own page, exactly as the recogniser returned it.

These pages read less well than anything else here, and the number is worth stating: about three words in four come through cleanly, against nine in ten for the building records. An 1896 broadsheet sets eight-point type in seven columns on microfilm, which is the hardest thing in this archive to read by machine. We tested our own recognisers against the Library's and they were not better, so the Library's text is what appears, with the wholly unreadable columns removed. Read it as a guide to what the paper covered, and follow the link to the scan before quoting anything.

IssuePaper Length
1867-03-09The Orangeburg News3,684 words
1875-03-06The Orangeburg News3,014 words
1875-05-29Orangeburg News and Times3,002 words
1875-07-24Orangeburg News and Times2,172 words
1875-09-11Orangeburg News and Times3,955 words
1875-11-06Orangeburg News and Times4,168 words
1877-09-22Orangeburg News and Times4,248 words
1883-04-26The Times and Democrat9,888 words
1883-08-30The Times and Democrat10,081 words
1883-10-11The Times and Democrat10,067 words
1883-12-20The Times and Democrat10,200 words
1911-12-30The Times and Democrat6,421 words
1875-03-06The Free Citizen5,263 words
1875-04-17The Free Citizen6,609 words
1875-07-31The Free Citizen5,627 words
1875-10-16The Free Citizen5,784 words
1875-11-20The Free Citizen5,116 words
1872-02-14Orangeburg Times3,031 words
1872-04-10Orangeburg Times3,137 words
1872-06-05Orangeburg Times4,020 words
1872-08-07Orangeburg Times4,039 words
1872-10-16Orangeburg Times3,457 words
1875-03-11Orangeburg Times6,267 words
1879-01-03The Orangeburg Democrat6,307 words
1879-03-14The Orangeburg Democrat5,671 words
1879-05-23The Orangeburg Democrat5,707 words
1879-08-08The Orangeburg Democrat4,933 words
1879-10-17The Orangeburg Democrat5,546 words
1880-12-17The Orangeburg Democrat2,921 words

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
Hallmark Hills0.7 miles18
Quicktown0.8 miles18
Orangeburg Manor1.0 miles18
College Terrace1.1 miles18
Moss Heights1.2 miles18
Pecanway Terrace1.2 miles13
New Brookland1.3 miles13
Berry Woods1.3 miles13

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 OrangeburgAn encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied.
Wikidata item Q2276157The 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 1249990. 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.