The Midlands region of

South Carolina )''Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = ...

is the middle area of the state. The region's main center is

Columbia Columbia may refer to: * Columbia (personification), the historical female national personification of the United States, and a poetic name for America Places North America Natural features * Columbia Plateau, a geologic and geographic region i ...

, the state's capital. The Midlands is so named because it is halfway point between the Upstate and the Lowcountry. The main

area code A telephone numbering plan is a type of numbering scheme used in telecommunication to assign telephone numbers to subscriber telephones or other telephony endpoints. Telephone numbers are the addresses of participants in a telephone network, r ...

is 803. The area has become a major business center in the state, for its growing production of paper products, textile, medical supplies and steel. It is also a center for farming and medical care. The area is also involved in attractions and tourism, featuring shopping, fishing and amusement.

Counties

The Midlands area of South Carolina includes at least these eight counties: * Calhoun * Fairfield * Kershaw *

Lexington Lexington may refer to: Places England * Laxton, Nottinghamshire, formerly Lexington Canada * Lexington, a district in Waterloo, Ontario United States * Lexington, Kentucky, the largest city with this name * Lexington, Massachusetts, the oldes ...

* Orangeburg * Richland * Saluda * Sumter

Usually included

* Lee County * Clarendon County *

Newberry County Newberry County is a county located in the U.S. state of South Carolina. As of the 2020 census, its population was 37,719. Its county seat is Newberry. The name is of unknown origin. Newberry County comprises the Newberry, SC Micropolitan S ...

* Aiken County This region is largely coextensive with the Columbia metropolitan area (which includes Newberry and Orangeburg counties) but . The middle portion of Orangeburg County is located in the Midlands, while the western part is located in the Central Savannah River Area and the eastern part is considered to be located in the Lowcountry. Other than being designated to the Augusta, GA market, Aiken County is also frequently listed as part of the Central Savannah River Area.

Cities

Primary cities

(including county and 2020 census count) *

, '' Richland and

'' 136,632 * Sumter, '' Sumter County'' 42,976 *

, '' Lexington County'', 23,568 * Orangeburg, '' Orangeburg County'' 12,704

Suburban towns and cities over 10,000 in population

(including county and 2020 census bureau population estimates) * West Columbia ''Lexington'', 17,416 * Cayce, ''

'', 13,789 * Irmo, ''Richland and Lexington'', 11,569 * Newberry, '' Newberry'', 10,691 * Forest Acres '' Richland'', 10,606

Suburbs with less than 10,000 inhabitants

(including county and 2020 census bureau population data) * Arcadia Lakes, ''Richland'', 865 * Batesburg-Leesville, ''Lexington'', 5,270 * Blythewood, ''Richland'', 4,772 * Camden, ''Kershaw'', 7,788 * Chapin, ''Lexington'', 1,809 * Eastover, ''Richland'', 614 * Elgin, ''Kershaw'', 1,634 *

Gaston Gaston is a masculine given name of French origin and a surname. The name "Gaston" may refer to: People First name *Gaston I, Count of Foix (1287–1315) *Gaston II, Count of Foix (1308–1343) *Gaston III, Count of Foix (1331–1391) * Gaston ...

, ''Lexington'', 1,608 *

Gilbert Gilbert may refer to: People and fictional characters *Gilbert (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters *Gilbert (surname), including a list of people Places Australia * Gilbert River (Queensland) * Gilbert River (South A ...

, ''Lexington'', 571 * Little Mountain, ''Newberry'', 249 *

North North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating direction or geography. Etymology The word ''north ...

, ''Orangeburg'', 696 *

Pelion Pelion or Pelium (Modern el, Πήλιο, ''Pílio''; Ancient Greek/ Katharevousa: Πήλιον, ''Pēlion'') is a mountain at the southeastern part of Thessaly in northern Greece, forming a hook-like peninsula between the Pagasetic Gulf and the ...

, ''Lexington'', 631 * Pine Ridge, ''Lexington'', 2,167 *

Prosperity Prosperity is the flourishing, thriving, good fortune and successful social status. Prosperity often produces profuse wealth including other factors which can be profusely wealthy in all degrees, such as happiness and health. Competing notions ...

, ''Newberry'', 1,178 * Ridgeway, ''Fairfield'', 266 * Saluda, ''Saluda'', 3,122 * Silverstreet, ''Newberry'', 164 * St. Matthews, ''Calhoun'', 1,841 * Springdale, ''Lexington'', 2,744 *

Swansea Swansea (; cy, Abertawe ) is a coastal city and the second-largest city of Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the C ...

, ''Lexington'', 722 * South Congaree, ''Lexington'', 2,377 * Winnsboro, ''Fairfield'', 3,215

Unincorporated communities

(2020 Census Figures) * Dentsville, ''Richland'', 14,431 *

Hopkins Hopkins is an English, Welsh and Irish patronymic surname. The English name means "son of Hob". ''Hob'' was a diminutive of ''Robert'', itself deriving from the Germanic warrior name ''Hrod-berht'', translated as "renowned-fame". The Robert spe ...

, ''Richland'', 13,025 (2010 data) * Lugoff, ''Kershaw'', 9,990 * Red Bank, ''Lexington'', 10,924 *

Seven Oaks Seven Oaks or Sevenoaks may refer to: Canada * Seven Oaks (electoral district), in Winnipeg, 1956–89 * Seven Oaks General Hospital, Winnipeg * Seven Oaks School Division * Seven Oaks House Museum * Seven Oaks Sportsplex * Battle of Seven Oaks ...

, ''Lexington'', 14,652 *

St. Andrews St Andrews ( la, S. Andrea(s); sco, Saunt Aundraes; gd, Cill Rìmhinn) is a town on the east coast of Fife in Scotland, southeast of Dundee and northeast of Edinburgh. St Andrews had a recorded population of 16,800 , making it Fife's four ...

, ''Richland'', 20,675 * Woodfield, ''Richland'', 9,199

Higher education

* Allen University- Columbia * Benedict College- Columbia * Central Carolina Technical College- Sumter * Claflin University- Orangeburg * Columbia College- Columbia * Columbia International University- Columbia * Midlands Technical College- Columbia *

Newberry College Newberry College is a private Lutheran college in Newberry, South Carolina. It has 1,250 students. Accreditation Newberry College is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) to award ...

- Newberry *

Morris College Morris College (MC) is a private, Baptist historically black college in Sumter, South Carolina. It was founded and is operated by the Baptist Educational and Missionary Convention of South Carolina. History Morris College was founded in 1908 ...

- Sumter * Orangeburg-Calhoun Technical College- Orangeburg * South Carolina State University- Orangeburg * University of South Carolina- Columbia * University of South Carolina Sumter- Sumter *

Webster University Webster University is a private university with its main campus in Webster Groves, Missouri. It has multiple branch locations across the United States and countries across Europe, Asia, and Africa. It offers undergraduate and graduate program ...

Media

The region is served by four commercial television stations, WLTX CBS 19, WOLO ABC 25
WACH FOX 57
and WIS 10. The state's second largest

newspaper A newspaper is a periodical publication containing written information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide variety of fields such as politics, business, spor ...

The State A state is a centralized political organization that imposes and enforces rules over a population within a territory. There is no undisputed definition of a state. One widely used definition comes from the German sociologist Max Weber: a "sta ...

, is published here.

Major highways

Interstate 20 Interstate 20 (I‑20) is a major east–west Interstate Highway in the Southern United States. I-20 runs beginning at an interchange with I-10 in Scroggins Draw, Texas, and ending at an interchange with I-95 in Florence, South Carolina. Betwe ...

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 ...

Interstate 95 Interstate 95 (I-95) is the main north–south Interstate Highway on the East Coast of the United States, running from US Route 1 (US 1) in Miami, Florida, to the Houlton–Woodstock Border Crossing between Maine and the Canadia ...

* Interstate 26 *

Interstate 126 Interstate 126 (I-126) is a spur route of I-26 entirely within the city limits of Columbia in the US state of South Carolina. It is entirely concurrent with U.S. Route 76 (US 76) and connects I-26 to Downtown Columbia. It i ...

US 321 U.S. Route 321 (US 321) is a spur of U.S. Route 21. It runs for from Hardeeville, South Carolina to Lenoir City, Tennessee; with both serving as southern termini. It reaches its northernmost point at Elizabethton, Tennessee. Because o ...

* US 21 *

US Route 1 U.S. Route 1 or U.S. Highway 1 (US 1) is a major north–south United States Numbered Highway that serves the East Coast of the United States. It runs from Key West, Florida, north to Fort Kent, Maine, at the Canadian border, makin ...

* US 76 *

US 176 U.S. Route 176 (US 176) is a spur of US 76 in the U.S. states of North Carolina and South Carolina. The U.S. Highway runs from US 25 Business and North Carolina Highway 225 (NC 225) in Hendersonville, North Carolina, east to US 52 in Goose ...

* US 178 *

US 378 U.S. Route 378 (US 378) is a spur of US 78 in the U.S. states of Georgia and South Carolina. The U.S. Highway runs from US 78, Georgia State Route 10 (SR 10), SR 17, and SR 47 in Washington, Georgia, east to ...

US 15 U.S. Route 15 (US 15) is a -long United States highway, designated along South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and New York. The route is signed north–south, from U.S. Route 17 Alternate in Walterboro, South Caro ...

* US 301 *

US 601 U.S. Route 601 (US 601) is a north–south United States highway that runs for from U.S. Route 321, near Tarboro, South Carolina, to U.S. Route 52, in Mount Airy, North Carolina. In North Carolina, it is one of the main north-sou ...

* US 521 * SC 277 *

SC 12 South Carolina Highway 12 (SC 12) is a state highway in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It serves Columbia and areas to its east. It serves as a parallel route to Interstate 20 (I-20) for much of its length. Route description ...

SC 34 SC34 or S.C. 34 may refer to: * (48792) 1997 SC34, asteroid belt minor planet * ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 34 ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 34, Document description and processing languages is a subcommittee of the ISO/IEC JTC 1 joint technical committee, which is a col ...

* SC 261

References

{{Coord, 34.06, -81.08, display=title Regions of South Carolina