South Carolina
Capital | Columbia |
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Nickname | The Palmetto State |
Official Language | English |
Governor | Mark Sanford, R |
Senator | Jim DeMint, R (202) 224-6121 Contact |
Senator | Lindsey Graham, R (202) 224-5972 Contact |
Ratification of Constitution/or statehood | May 23, 1788 (8th) |
Flag of South Carolina | Motto: "Animis Opibusque Parati" (Prepared in mind and resources) |
South Carolina was the eighth state to enter into the Union. The capital city is Columbia.
South Carolina is a key primary state in the 2008 Presidential Election - it will hold its primary on January 19, 2008. The early primary date has been controversial, as a number of states have come under fire for the "leapfrogging" practice of scheduling their primaries earlier and earlier in order to hold the earliest primaries.
South Carolina relies heavily on the textile industry and trade with foreign countries, especially trade with Germany. In December 2001, it had 299,100 manufacturing jobs. This fell by over 15% to 253,000 manufacturing jobs in December 2006. The state also has fewer than 38,000 textile manufacturing jobs left, while ten years ago it had 80,000 textile jobs.
While non-farm employment overall has increased, the manufacturing jobs were much higher-paying than the service-related jobs. The average weekly wage for non-supervisory workers in January 2007 were:[1] May 23, 1788 (8th)
- $518 in textile mills
- $404 in apparel facilities
- $250 in the leisure/hospitality sector.
On December 20, 1860, South Carolina became the first state to secede from the Union. Several months later, South Carolina's Fort Sumter, located near Charleston, became the site of the first shots of the Civil War were fired.
South Carolina is the birthplace of Andrew Jackson, the seventh President of the United States.
References
- ↑ Source: U.S. Department of Labor
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