Editing St. George, South Carolina

{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2024}}
{{Infobox settlement
| official_name            = St. George, South Carolina
| settlement_type          = [[Town]]
| nickname                 = 
| motto                    = "The Town of Friendly People"
| image_skyline            = Lourie_Theater.JPG
| imagesize                = 
| image_caption            = The restored Lourie Theater, Downtown St. George
| image_seal               = St. George, SC Town Seal.jpg
| image_map                = SCMap-doton-StGeorge.PNG
| mapsize                  = 250px
| map_caption              = Location of St. George, South Carolina
| image_map1               = 
| mapsize1                 = 
| map_caption1             = <!-- Location -->
| subdivision_type         = [[List of sovereign states|Country]]
| subdivision_name         = United States
| subdivision_type1        = [[U.S. state|State]]
| subdivision_name1        = [[South Carolina]]
| subdivision_type2        = [[List of counties in South Carolina|County]]
| subdivision_name2        = [[Dorchester County, South Carolina|Dorchester]]

<!-- Government -->| government_footnotes     = 
| government_type          = 
| leader_title             = 
| leader_name              = 
| leader_title1            = 
| leader_name1             = 
| established_title        = 
| established_date         = <!-- Area -->
| unit_pref                = Imperial
| area_footnotes           = <ref name="TigerWebMapServer">{{cite web |title=ArcGIS REST Services Directory |url=https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer/5/query?where=STATE='45'&outFields=NAME,STATE,PLACE,AREALAND,AREAWATER,LSADC,CENTLAT,CENTLON&orderByFields=PLACE&returnGeometry=false&returnTrueCurves=false&f=json |publisher=United States Census Bureau |access-date=October 15, 2022}}</ref>
| area_magnitude           = 
| area_total_km2           = 7.37
| area_land_km2            = 7.37
| area_water_km2           = 0.00
| area_total_sq_mi         = 2.85
| area_land_sq_mi          = 2.85
| area_water_sq_mi         = 0.00

<!-- Population -->| population_as_of         = [[2020 United States Census|2020]]
| population_footnotes     = <ref name="USCensusDecennial2020CenPopScriptOnly"/>
| population_total         = 1843
| population_density_km2   = 250.05
| population_density_sq_mi = 647.58

<!-- General information -->| timezone                 = [[North American Eastern Time Zone|Eastern (EST)]]
| utc_offset               = −5
| timezone_DST             = EDT
| utc_offset_DST           = −4
| elevation_footnotes      = 
| elevation_m              = 32
| elevation_ft             = 105
| coordinates              = {{coord|33|11|N|80|34.46|W|region:US-NC_type:city|display=inline,title}}
| postal_code_type         = [[ZIP Code]]
| postal_code              = 29477
| area_code                = 
| blank_name               = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
| blank_info               = 45-62530<ref name="GR2">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|accessdate=January 31, 2008|title=U.S. Census website}}</ref>
| blank1_name              = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
| blank1_info              = 1250508<ref name="GR3">{{cite web|url=http://geonames.usgs.gov|accessdate=January 31, 2008|title=US Board on Geographic Names|publisher=[[United States Geological Survey]]|date=October 25, 2007}}</ref>
| website                  = {{URL|https://saintgeorgesc.org/}}
| footnotes                = 
| pop_est_as_of            = 
| pop_est_footnotes        = 
| population_est           = 
}}

'''Saint George''' is a town in [[Dorchester County, South Carolina|Dorchester County]], [[South Carolina]], United States. The population was 2,084 at the [[2010 United States census|2010 census]], eight fewer than in [[2000 United States census|2000 census]]. It has been the [[county seat]] of [[Dorchester County, South Carolina|Dorchester County]]<ref name="GR6">{{cite web |url=http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx |access-date=June 7, 2011|title=Find a County |publisher=National Association of Counties}}</ref> since the county was formed from Colleton County in 1897.

Saint George is included within the [[Charleston-North Charleston-Summerville metropolitan area]] as defined by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget and used by the U. S. Census Bureau for statistical purposes only.

==History==
The Town of St. George was incorporated by an act of the South Carolina Legislature on January 28, 1875.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Town of St. George |url=https://saintgeorgesc.org/ |access-date=November 1, 2023 |website=Town of St. George |language=en-US |quote=The Town of St. George was incorporated by an act of the Legislature on January 28, 1875.}}</ref> The town grew on both sides of [[South Carolina Canal and Railroad Company]], one of the first railroads built in the United States and the first to offer scheduled passenger trains pulled by steam locomotives.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Mauldin |first=G. E. |date=1928 |title=South Carolina Canal and Rail Road |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/43504505 |journal=The Railway and Locomotive Historical Society Bulletin |issue=17 |pages=70–80 |issn=0033-8842}}</ref> In the 1970s, [[Appleby's Methodist Church]], [[Carroll Place]], and [[Indian Fields Methodist Campground]] were listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]].<ref name="nris">{{NRISref|2009a}}</ref>

==Geography==
Saint George is located at {{coord|33|11|N|80|34.46|W|type:city}}, near the crossing of [[Interstate 26]] and [[Interstate 95]].

The town has a total area of {{Convert|2.7|sqmi|km2|1}}, all of it land, according to the [[United States Census Bureau]].

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
|1880= 279
|1890= 629
|1900= 576
|1910= 957
|1920= 1386
|1930= 1639
|1940= 1906
|1950= 1938
|1960= 1833
|1970= 1806
|1980= 2134
|1990= 2077
|2000= 2092
|2010= 2084
|2020= 1843
|align-fn=center
|footnote=[https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html U.S. Decennial Census]<ref name="USCensusDecennial2020CenPopScriptOnly">{{cite web|url=https://api.census.gov/data/2020/dec/pl?get=P1_001N,NAME&for=place:*&in=state:45&key=5ccd0821c15d9f4520e2dcc0f8d92b2ec9336108|title=Census Population API|publisher=United States Census Bureau|accessdate=October 15, 2022}}</ref>
}}

===2020 census===
{| class="wikitable"
|+St. George racial composition<ref>{{Cite web|title=Explore Census Data|url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?g=1600000US4562530&tid=DECENNIALPL2020.P2|access-date=December 15, 2021|website=data.census.gov}}</ref>
!Race
!{{Abbr|Num.|Number}}
!{{Abbr|Perc.|Percentage}}
|-
|[[White (U.S. Census)|White]] (non-Hispanic)
|938
|50.9%
|-
|[[African American (U.S. Census)|Black or African American]] (non-Hispanic)
|755
|40.97%
|-
|[[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]]
|8
|0.43%
|-
|[[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]]
|20
|1.09%
|-
|[[Pacific Islander (U.S. Census)|Pacific Islander]]
|3
|0.16%
|-
|[[Race (United States Census)|Other/Mixed]]
|87
|4.72%
|-
|[[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]]
|32
|1.74%
|}
As of the [[2020 United States census]], there were 1,843 people, 744 households, and 453 families residing in the town.

===2000 census===
As of the [[census]]<ref name="GR2" /> of 2000, there were 2,092 people and 804 households residing in the town. The population density was {{convert|779.7|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. There were 928 housing units at an average density of {{convert|345.9|/sqmi|/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. The racial makeup of the town was 51.19% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 47.22% [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], 0.19% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 0.72% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 0.33% from [[Race (United States Census)|other races]], and 0.33% from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race were 0.91% of the population.

There were 804 households, out of which 30.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.4% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 19.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.6% were non-families. 32.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.36 and the average family size was 3.00.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 23.9% under the age of 18, 7.6% from 18 to 24, 26.6% from 25 to 44, 22.7% from 45 to 64, and 19.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.8 males. For every 100 women age 18 and over, there were 87.4 men.

The median income for a household in the town was $24,651, and the median income for a family was $40,000. Men had a median income of $27,639 versus $19,957 for women. The [[per capita income]] for the town was $13,389. About 14.2% of families and 18.7% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including 22.2% of those under age 18 and 25.2% of those age 65 or over.

==Education==
St. George has a [[public library]], a branch of the Dorchester County Library.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.sciway.net/lib/counties.html | title=South Carolina libraries and archives | publisher=SCIWAY | accessdate=June 8, 2019}}</ref>

== Arts and culture ==
In the mid-1980s, town leaders wanted to create a yearly festival for the city.  After reviewing possible ideas, local grocery store owner John Walters discovered from contacts at [[Quaker Oats]] that the upper part of Dorchester County (where Saint George is located) consumes more grits per capita than any other place in the world. In 1986, the first annual World Grits Festival was held. During the festival, which takes place in mid-April, close to 10,000 people flock to the tiny town for food, music, and games. Until 2019, the festival featured a contest in which people rolled in a vat of grits, vying to have the largest quantity of grits (by weight) stick to them.<ref>{{Cite web |title=About WGF |url=http://worldgritsfestival.com/about-wgf.html |access-date=April 9, 2022 |website=World Grits Festival |language=en}}</ref> The festival is held annually; it was not held in 2020 or 2021 because of the [[COVID-19 pandemic]] but returned in 2022.<ref>{{Cite web |date=April 8, 2022 |title=World Grits Festival happening this weekend in St. George |url=https://www.counton2.com/news/local-news/dorchester-county-news/world-grits-festival-happening-this-weekend-in-st-george/ |access-date=April 9, 2022 |website=WCBD News 2 |language=en-US}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{Dorchester County, South Carolina}}
{{South Carolina county seats}}

{{authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint George, South Carolina}}
[[Category:Towns in Dorchester County, South Carolina]]
[[Category:Towns in South Carolina]]
[[Category:County seats in South Carolina]]
[[Category:Charleston–North Charleston–Summerville metropolitan area]]