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South Carolina Log Homes & SC Log Cabins

ORIGIN OF STATE NAME: Named in honor of King Charles I of England. NICKNAME: The Palmetto State.CAPITAL: Columbia. ENTERED UNION: 23 May 1788 (8th). SONG: "Carolina" and "South Carolina on My Mind." OPERA: "Porgy and Bess." MOTTO: Animis opibusque parati (Prepared in mind and resources) and Dum spiro spero (While I breathe, I hope). COAT OF ARMS: A palmetto stands erect, with a ravaged oak (representing the British fleet) at its base; 12 spears, symbolizing the first 12 states, are bound crosswise to the palmetto's trunk by a hand bearing the inscription "Quis separabit" (Who shall separate?). Two shields bearing the inscriptions "March 26" (the date in 1776 when South Carolina established its first independent government) and "July 4," respectively, hang from the tree; under the oak are the words "Meliorem lapsa locavit" (Having fallen, it has set up a better one) and the year "1776." The words "South Carolina" and the motto Animis opibusque parati surround the whole. FLAG: Blue field with a white palmetto in the center and a white crescent at the union. OFFICIAL SEAL: The official seal consists of two ovals showing the original designs for the obverse and the reverse of South Carolina's great seal of 1777. left (obverse): same as the coat of arms. right (reverse): as the sun rises over the seashore, Hope, holding a laurel branch, walks over swords and daggers; the motto Dum spiro spero is above her, the word "Spes" (hope) below. ANIMAL: White-tailed deer. BIRD: Carolina wren. WILD GAME BIRD: Wild turkey. FISH: Striped bass. FLOWER: Yellow jessamine. FRUIT: Peach. BEVERAGE: Milk. HOSPITALITY BEVERAGE: Tea. TREE: Palmetto. GEM: Amethyst. STONE: Blue granite. LEGAL HOLIDAYS: New Year's Day, 1 January; Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr., 3rd Monday in January; Lee's Birthday, 19 January; Washington's Birthday, 3rd Monday in February; Jefferson Davis's Birthday, 3 June; Independence Day, 4 July; Labor Day, 1st Monday in September; Election Day, 1st Tuesday after 1st Monday in November (even-numbered years); Veterans Day, 11 November; Thanksgiving Day, 4th Thursday in November; Christmas Eve, 24 December, when declared by the governor; Christmas Day, 25 December; day after Christmas. TIME: 7 AM EST = noon GMT.

South Carolina has a humid, subtropical climate. Average temperatures range from 68°F (20°C) on the coast to 58°F (14°C) in the northwest, with colder temperatures in the mountains. Summers are hot: in the central part of the state, temperatures often exceed 90°F (32°C), with a record of 111°F (44°C) set at Camden on 28 June 1954. In the northwest, temperatures of 32°F(0°C) or less occur from 50 to 70 days a year; the record low for the state is –20°F (–29°C), set at Caesars Head Mountain on 18 January 1977. The daily mean temperature at Columbia is 44°F(7°C) in January and 81°F (27°C) in July.

Rainfall is ample throughout the state, averaging 48.3 in (122.7 cm) annually at Columbia (1971–2000) and ranging from 38 in (97 cm) in the central region to 52 in (132 cm) in the upper piedmont. Snow and sleet (averaging 2 in/5 cm a year at Columbia) occur about three times annually, but more frequently and heavily in the mountains.

South Carolina had 12,495,000 acres (5,057,000 hectares) of forestland in 2002—about two-thirds of the state's area and 1.7% of all US forests. The state's two national forests, Francis Marion and Sumter, comprised 5% of the forested area. Nearly all of South Carolina's forests are classified as commercial timberland, about 90% of it privately owned. Several varieties of pine, loblolly, longleaf, and shortleaf, are the major source of timber and of pulp for the paper industry. Total lumber production in 2002 was 1.4 billion board feet.

In 2002, there were an estimated 1,825,531 housing units, 1,563,144 of which were occupied; 70.2% were owner-occupied. About 61.4% of all housing units were single-family, detached homes; nearly 19.6% were mobile homes. Electricity and utility gas were the most common energy sources for heating. It was estimated 82,402 units lacked telephone service, 4,327 lacked complete plumbing facilities, and 5,233, lacked complete kitchen facilities. The average household size was 2.54 people.

In 2002, 34,104 new privately owned housing units were authorized for construction. The median home value was $116,614. The median monthly cost for mortgage owners was $995. Renters paid a median of $565 per month. During 2002, South Carolina received over $70.1 million in community planning and development aid from the US Department of Housing and Urban Development.

South Carolina has made a determined effort to upgrade housing. The State Housing Authority, created in 1971, is empowered to issue bonds to provide mortgage subsidies for lowand middle-income families.

There are no major league professional sports teams in South Carolina. Minor league baseball teams are located in Fort Mill, Myrtle Beach, Greenville, Columbia, and Charleston. There is also minor league hockey in North Charleston, Greenville, and Florence. Several steeplechase horse races are held annually in Camden, and important professional golf and tennis tournaments are held at Hilton Head Island.

In collegiate football, the Clemson Tigers of the Atlantic Coast Conference won the AP and UPI National Championship in 1981; the University of South Carolina of the Southeastern Conference and South Carolina State of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference also have football programs. Under the tutelage of former Notre Dame coach Lou Holtz, the South Carolina Gamecocks saw a turnaround in their football program, higlighted by consecutive Outback Bowl victories over Ohio State in 2001 and 2002.

Fishing, water-skiing, and sailing are popular participant sports. There are two major stock car races held at Darlington each year: the Mall.com 400 in March and the Southern 500 on Labor Day weekend.

Other annual sporting events include Polo Games held from February through Easter in Aiken, and the Governor's Annual Frog Jumping Contest held in Springfield on the Saturday, before Easter.