SCIWAY News No. 46 – August 2007

In This Issue

South Carolina Speak: How to Pronounce SC Place Names
How Does the Population of Your County Compare?
Notable SC Websites
SC Has a Lot to Share: Part Two of the SC Blogs Directory
SC Photo of the Month
Upcoming SC Festivals & Events
The Tastier Peach State

1. South Carolina Speak: How to Pronounce SC Place Names

Our SC Place Name Pronunciations Project surely has been a learning experience. And as is often the case, the more we learned, the more we found out how much we didn't know. We've heard from dozens of readers from across South Carolina who brought to our attention little-known or often mispronounced place names from around the state.

So, thanks to the help of our readers and other patient South Carolinians whom we have called – "Can you say this word for me? H-U-G-E-R" – we are introducing SCIWAY's SC Place Name Pronunciations Guide. We hope it will be a helpful resource for residents and visitors who have found themselves mumbling SC names like DeBordieu (DEB • i • dew) or Yauhannah (yaw • HAN • nah).

In a couple of cases, we've been too stumped to offer definitive answers, so we're asking for your help once again. We'd like you to weigh in on two towns – Cheraw and Clemson – whose pronunciations seem to stir special debate. Please vote online for the pronunciations you think are correct.

Fancy yourself knowledgeable on SC place names? Test yourself with our Pronunciations of SC Places guide. You might be surprised. We sure were.

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2. How Does the Population of Your County Compare? - Resource No Longer Available

We're all aware that South Carolina is growing. From 1900 to 2005, our state's population more than tripled, and the lion's share of this growth has occurred since 1970. SC now has over 4.2 million residents.

The growth trends in individual SC counties are less well known, but even more interesting. Although some counties have grown at a rate similar to that of the state, others have diverged dramatically.

For example, Horry County, which includes Myrtle Beach, has a population almost 10 times larger than it did in 1900! Click here to see a graph of Horry's growth.

On the other hand, several counties have declined in population. Allendale County now has just under 11,000 residents, down from 16,000 a hundred years ago. Six other counties have also experienced a negative growth rate. Click here to see a map of population growth rates for SC counties.

SCIway now features updated SC county population maps and graphs which reflect 2005 Census Bureau estimates. These helpful visual aids show the population trends for each of our 46 counties in the past century. Is the population of your county decreasing, increasing at a steady pace, or is it going through a growth spurt? Visit our County Population Changes page to find out.

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3. Notable SC Websites

Conservation Voters of South Carolina - promotes environmental awareness among SC voters

Downtown Seneca Merchant's Association - Oconee County

Elloree | Elloree Heritage Museum and Cultural Center

Forward Together: South Carolina in World War I - partnership of historical and educational institutions with exhibits highlighting the effects of WWI on SC

Pavilion Park - rides and attractions from the old Myrtle Beach Pavilion - located at Broadway at the Beach

SC Afterschool Alliance - afterschool resources across the state

South Carolina Tobacco-Free Collaborative - promotes policies that reduce the consequences of tobacco use in our state - site no longer available

Upstate Moms - family-friendly events, hot topics in parenting, and Q&A from Upstate Moms - site no longer available

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4. SC Has a Lot to Share: Part Two of the SC Blogs Directory

South Carolina has a lot to share, and we are thankful for it! People from around our state have taken the time to create some excellent blogs. Topics range far and wide, but all the blogs highlighted here focus on the Palmetto State in some way:

Audubon South Carolina - "Swampy" the snake spills all. A good read for nature buffs of every age.
Backyard Wildlife Habitats - How to attract wildlife to your SC backyard. Sara Green of the South Carolina Wildlife Federation shares her garden journal. A treasure! - site no longer available
Chicken Bog - Joey from Greenville focuses his lens on SC birds, flowers, nature, landmarks, and ruins ... with a little football thrown in. Truly beautiful!
Charleston Watch - What is your government up to now? Be sure to scroll down for the articles.
The Dead Librarian - Debra Bloom, Periodicals Librarian for the Richland County Public Library, helps you research your SC genealogy.
Greenville Daily Photo - The title says it all. We wish every SC town had one of these!
Ima Buyer - Get it? ;) SC Consumer Affairs blog about pitfalls facing consumers in our state. A valuable resource - site no longer available

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5. SC Photo of the Month

Tobacco has historically been one of the Pee Dee's biggest crops and one that has left a legacy of old drying barns throughout the area.

Robert B. Davis captured one of these barns against a stunning backdrop near Timmonsville, which is just outside of Florence on US 76.

— The Old Hot Barn —

A great big thanks to Robert, who was kind enough to share this gorgeous shot with us. If you would like your photo to appear on SCIway.net and possibly SCIWAY News, learn more about the SC Picture Project.

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6. Upcoming SC Festivals & Events

For a complete calendar of South Carolina festivals and events, visit https://www.sciway.net/calendar.html. Here are just a few of August's and early September's highlights:

SC Peanut Party - August 9-11 - Pelion's small-town, family-oriented festival - site no longer available

Prosperity's Hoppin' - August 17-18 - street dance and festival

Spittoono - August 23-25 - Clemson - sponsored by the Redneck Performing Arts Association - site no longer available

Jubilee Festival of Heritage - August 25 - Columbia

Summerfest - August 25 - Historic York - site no longer available

Hispanic / Latino Issues Conference - August 30 - Columbia - site no longer available

BMW Roadster Homecoming - August 30-September 2 - Greer - BMW manufacturing plant - site no longer available

Upper SC State Fair - August 30-September 9 - Greenville

Beach, Boogie, and Barbeque - August 31-September 1 - Myrtle Beach - site no longer available

Celebrity Golf Tournament - August 31-September 2 - Hilton Head - site no longer available

Balloons Over Anderson - August 31-September 3 - Anderson

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7. The Tastier Peach State

Summer in South Carolina means peaches. From roadside stands to supermarkets, this delectable fruit has been gracing the shelves and palates of our state since early June.

While it may be hard to think of South Carolina without peaches, the fruit is actually native to China, where it has been cultivated for more than 4,000 years. The Spanish introduced peaches to our part of North America in the 1500s. When English colonists arrived here in 1670, the Native Americans in the region were cultivating descendants of those early Spanish peach trees. This led many early settlers to believe that peaches were native to South Carolina.

It wasn't until the 1850s that South Carolina began growing peaches commercially. The golden years of peach production started after WWII and continued until about 1984, when our state harvested its biggest peach crop ever: 480,000 tons.

More recently, many SC peach growers have reduced their acreage due to inclement weather, disease, market volatility, and increased production costs. Nonetheless, the current value of the peach industry in our state is about $40 million.

Did you know that South Carolina actually outranks Georgia – the Peach State – in the production of peaches? During a normal year, South Carolina grows 60,000 tons of peaches. Due to a devastating late spring freeze, this year's harvest is estimated at only 8,000 tons, 13% of the normal yield.

The next time you're looking for a good tasting peach, buy local and support our South Carolina peach growers. We are after all the "Tastier Peach State."

More Resources:

Gaffney Peachoid - a South Carolina landmark
SC Peach Council - tons of info, including tips and recipes

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