Orangeburg

Formed January 1, 1789 (4^th county)

Orangeburg County (92,501), Orangeburg (13,964)                

The yellow brick courthouse was constructed in 1928 and renovated in 1980.  There was an 1875 facility earlier.  The county was formed on January 1, 1789 as an original county (4^th county) with Orangeburg as the only county seat.  The facility is on Docket Street at Amelia Avenue.  United States Highway 21 passes seven blocks to the southeast of the structure.  R. E. B. Hewetson designed the Utilitarian courthouse.  A rot iron fence is on the south grounds.  An Administration Building was added in 1991.  The county and its county seat are named for William, Prince of Orange.  Orangeburg County is the birthplace for 1 South Carolina Governor, Ransome J. Williams. 

Orangeburg County government consists of a sheriff and 7 Council Members.  Two Circuit Court Judges and Four Family Court Judges serve Orangeburg, Calhoun, and Dorchester counties.  Orangeburg County is in south central South Carolina.  Columbia, South Carolina is northwest and Charleston, South Carolina is southeast of the county.  The county center is 3.8 miles Southeast of Orangeburg.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Calhoun, Clarendon, Berkeley, Dorchester, Colleton, Bamberg, Barnwell, Aiken, and Lexington counties. 

The area of the county is 1128 square miles.  It is 5 out of 46 in the state.  It ranks 16 out of 46 in population in the state.  It has a density of 82.00 persons per square mile making it 23 out of 46 in the state.  Orangeburg County has 24.0% of its population in its incorporated areas.  Interstate Highway 26 crosses the county from northwest to southeast from Calhoun County to Dorchester County.  Interstate Highway 95 enters from Clarendon County, northeast, and exits to Dorchester County.  United States Highway 15 parallels Interstate Highway 95 from Clarendon to Dorchester counties.  United States Highway 21 comes from Calhoun County, north, and goes to Colleton County, south.  United States Highway 78 clips the southeast tip east to west from Dorchester County to Bamberg County.  United States Highway 176 passes from Berkeley County, southeast, to Calhoun County, northeast.  United States Highway 178 enters from Lexington County, northwest, and exits to Dorchester County.  United States Highway 301 originates and heads south into Bamberg County.  United States Highway 321 goes north to south from Lexington County to Bamberg County.  United States Highway 601 comes from Calhoun County and joins United States Highway 301 into Bamberg County.  The county resembles a skinny map of the State of Louisiana tilted up on the east.  The City of Orangeburg is located in the northwest quarter of the county.  Orangeburg is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 15.1% of the county population.  This county is in the Orangeburg Micropolitan Statistical Area.