Saluda

Formed January 1, 1896 (36^th county)

Saluda County (19,875), Saluda (3,565)

The orange brick Neo-Classical Revival structure was erected in 1917.  It is located at Main and Church streets.  United States Highway 378 is Church Street in this part of the town.  C. Gadsden Sayre provided the facility designs.  The structure has columns and the grounds have veteran memorials and a gazebo.  The county was formed on January 1, 1896 from Edgefield County as the 36^th county with Saluda as the only county seat.  The county and its county seat are named for the Native American tribe.  Saluda County is the birthplace for 1 South Carolina Governor, Milledge L. Bonham. 

Saluda County government consists of a sheriff and 5 Council Members.  Two Circuit Court Judges and Two Family Court Judges serve Saluda, Edgefield, Lexington, and McCormick counties.  The county is located in western South Carolina.  Columbia, South Carolina is east and Greenville, South Carolina is northwest of the county.  The county center is 2.5 miles East of Saluda.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Newberry, Lexington, Aiken, Edgefield, and Greenwood counties. 

The area of the county is 462 square miles.  It is 39 out of 46 in the state.  It ranks 41 out of 46 in population in the state.  It has a density of 43.02 persons per square mile making it 36 out of 46 in the state.  Saluda County has 24.9% of its population in its incorporated areas.  United States Highway 178 passes through the county from southeast to northwest from Lexington County to Greenwood County.  United States Highway 378 goes east to west from Lexington County to Edgefield County.  The county shape resembles a bird’s head facing west.  The City of Saluda is located in the western third of the county.  Saluda is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 17.9% of the county population.  The county and county seat are pronounced SA-LOO-DA.  This county is in the Columbia Metropolitan Statistical Area.