Editing Richland County, South Carolina (section)

==History==
[[File:Harvesting red gum trees, Richland County, South Carolina (1904).jpg|thumb|right|Harvesting [[Liquidambar styraciflua|red gum]] trees in Richland County, 1904]]
[[File:Scstatehouse.jpg|thumb|right|[[South Carolina State House]]; Richland County holds the state's capitol in [[Columbia, South Carolina|Columbia]].]]
[[File:Swamp in Richland County, SC.jpg|thumb|A swamp in rural Richland County]]
Richland County was probably named for its "rich land". The county was formed in 1785 as part of the large Camden District.<ref name="1785sc"/> A small part of Richland County was later ceded to adjacent [[Kershaw County, South Carolina|Kershaw County]] in 1791. The county seat and largest city is Columbia, which is also the state capital. In 1786, the state legislature decided to move the capital from [[Charleston, South Carolina|Charleston]] to a more central location. A site was chosen in Richland County, which is in the geographic center of the state, and a new town was laid out. Richland County's boundaries were formally incorporated on December 18, 1799.<ref>{{cite web |title=About Richland County |url=https://richlandcountysc.gov/Home/About-Richland-County |publisher=Richland County, South Carolina |access-date=March 20, 2022}}</ref> Cotton from the surrounding plantations was shipped through Columbia and later manufactured into textiles there. General [[William T. Sherman]] captured Columbia during the Civil War and his troops burned the town and parts of the county on February 17, 1865. The [[U. S. Army]] returned on friendlier terms in 1917, when [[Fort Jackson (South Carolina)|Fort Jackson]] was established, which is now the largest and most active [[United States Army Basic Training|Initial Entry Training Center]] in the U.S. Army. The [[South Carolina State House]] is located in downtown Columbia.