Blythewood is a town in Richland and Fairfield counties,

South Carolina South Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders North Carolina to the north and northeast, the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, and Georgia (U.S. state), Georg ...

, United States; and a suburb of Columbia. As of the 2020 United States census, the population of the town was 4,772.

History

Blythewood was originally named "Doko", a Native American term for a watering place. The town was named after Doko Depot, which was a stop along the railroad that ran between Charlotte and Columbia. In 1865, this railroad was destroyed by General Sherman. The town was rebuilt, and changed its name to Blythewood in 1877, after a local school called The Blythewood Female Institute. The school was later renamed "Blythewood Academy". The George P. Hoffman House, built in 1855, is the oldest extant house in Blythewood and is used as the city hall. It was added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

in 1986.

Geography

Blythewood is located in the Piedmont region of South Carolina. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the town has a total area of , of which is land and , or 0.79%. is water.

Climate

Climate is characterized by warm temperatures and moderate precipitation throughout the year. The

Köppen Climate Classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

subtype for this climate is " Cfa" (Humid Subtropical Climate).

Demographics

Blythewood is part of the Columbia, South Carolina, Metropolitan Statistical Area.

2020 census

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 4,772 people, 1,057 households, and 920 families residing in the town.

2010

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2010, there were 3,148 people, 996 households residing in the town. The population density was . The average median age was 39.3 The racial makeup of the town was 55%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 41%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, and 1.0% Asian.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 3.0% of the population. There were 723 households, out of which 42.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 71.0% were headed by

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 9.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 15.9% were non-families. 13.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 4.6% were someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.81 and the average family size was 3.08. In the town, the population was spread out, with 28% below the age of 19, 15% from 20 to 29, 8% 30-39, 16% 40-49, 18% 50-59 and 15% who were 60 years of age or older. The median age was 39.3 years. 49% male and 51% female. The estimated median annual income for a household in the town was $90,444. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the town was $38,077. About 1.4% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 0.0% of those under the age of 18.

Economy

The US Headquarters for

Spirax-Sarco Engineering Spirax Group plc, formerly Spirax-Sarco Engineering plc, is a British manufacturer of steam management systems and peristaltic pumps and associated fluid path technologies. It is headquartered in Cheltenham, England. It is listed on the London ...

is headquartered in Blythewood. A $2 billion

Scout Motors Scout Motors Inc. is an American automotive startup company. Founded in 2022, it is backed by German manufacturer Volkswagen Group and a member of the Volkswagen Group companies. Volkswagen AG obtained the Scout brand after acquiring American tr ...

electric vehicle plant is planned. The

Volkswagen Volkswagen (VW; )English: , . is a German automotive industry, automobile manufacturer based in Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony, Germany. Established in 1937 by German Labour Front, The German Labour Front, it was revitalized into the global brand it ...

subsidiary plans to build a 1,100-acre site that will employ 4,000 people and produce 200,000 vehicles annually by the end of 2026.

Education

Blythewood has a

public library A public library is a library, most often a lending library, that is accessible by the general public and is usually funded from public sources, such as taxes. It is operated by librarians and library paraprofessionals, who are also Civil servic ...

, a branch of the Richland County Library. The schools in Richland School District 2 located directly in Blythewood are as follows: * Blythewood High School * Westwood High School * Blythewood Middle School * Muller Road Middle School * Bethel-Hanberry Elementary School * Round Top Elementary School * Langford Elementary School

Infrastructure

Roads

Blythewood Road is one of the main thoroughfares, intersecting

Interstate 77 Interstate 77 (I-77) is a north–south Interstate Highway in the Eastern United States. It traverses diverse terrain, from the mountainous state of West Virginia to the rolling farmlands of North Carolina and Ohio. It largely supplants the ...

at Exit 27. U.S. Route 21 also goes through Blythewood, intersecting Interstate 77 at exit 24.

Notable people

* Elizabeth Hawley Gasque - first woman from South Carolina elected to the

United States Congress The United States Congress is the legislature, legislative branch of the federal government of the United States. It is a Bicameralism, bicameral legislature, including a Lower house, lower body, the United States House of Representatives, ...

Justin Bethel Justin Andrew Bethel (born June 17, 1990) is an American former professional football player who was a cornerback and special teamer in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Presbyterian Blue Hose and was sel ...

- defensive back and special teams player for the

Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. The Dolphins compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The team ...

* Brandon Wilds - former NFL

running back A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive American football plays#Offensive terminology, handoffs from the quarterback to Rush (American football)#Offense ...

* Amaré Barno - outside linebacker for the

Carolina Panthers The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. The t ...

* Cam Smith - an

American football American football, referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada and also known as gridiron football, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular American football field, field with goalposts at e ...

cornerback A cornerback (CB) is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in gridiron football. Cornerbacks cover Wide receiver, receivers most of the time, but also blitz and defend against such Play from scrimmage, offensive running plays as sweep ...

for the

of the

NFL The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The N ...

Alex Huntley Alexander J. Huntley (born October 8, 2001) is an American professional football defensive tackle for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the South Carolina Gamecocks. Early life and high scho ...

- an

defensive tackle A defensive tackle (DT) is a position in American football that typically lines up on the line of scrimmage, opposite one of the Guard (American football), offensive guards; however, he may also line up opposite one of the offensive Tackle (gridir ...

for the

of the

References

External links

Town of Blythewood official website
{{authority control Towns in South Carolina Towns in Fairfield County, South Carolina Towns in Richland County, South Carolina Columbia metropolitan area (South Carolina)