About South Carolina
South Carolina sits at the crossroads of American history. It was the first colony to organize a revolutionary government, the first state to secede from the Union, and the place where the Civil War's first shots were fired at Fort Sumter. For a small state , 40th in land area, South Carolina has had an outsized impact on the American story.
The state today is a study in contrasts. The Upstate is one of the most dynamic manufacturing regions in the country, home to BMW's largest global plant, Boeing's 787 Dreamliner assembly line, and Michelin's North American headquarters. Charleston is a world-class city of colonial architecture, James Beard Award-winning restaurants, and a thriving international port. Myrtle Beach draws more than 20 million visitors a year to its stretch of Atlantic coastline.
South Carolina's Lowcountry coast, a world of tidal marshes, sea islands, and ancient live oaks draped in Spanish moss, is the homeland of the Gullah Geechee people, one of the most distinctive cultural landscapes in North America. The state's natural beauty, from the Blue Ridge foothills in the northwest to the subtropical barrier islands of the southeast, is matched only by the depth of its history.
Geography, Four Distinct Regions
South Carolina spans from the Blue Ridge foothills in the northwest to subtropical barrier islands and tidal marshes in the southeast, three broad geographic zones in just 200 miles.
Economy
South Carolina's economy has transformed dramatically over the past three decades, moving from a textile and tobacco base to a diversified mix of advanced manufacturing, tourism, and logistics.
