ZIP Code 29073

Lexington is the largest town in and the county seat of Lexington County, South Carolina, United States. It is a suburb of the state capital, Columbia. The population was 23,568 at the 2020 Census, and it is the second-largest municipality in the greater Columbia area. The greater Lexington area had an estimated population of 111,549 in 2020 and is considered the fastest-growing area in the Midlands. In 2014, Timothy Jones Jr. murdered his five children in their home in Lexington. Jones was found guilty of murder in 2019 and sentenced to death. In 2015, extreme flooding resulted in the destruction of the Old Mill Dam, which led to the subsequent failure of the Gibson Park Dam. In 2016, Lexington was the site of the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history, when a gunman opened fire on a crowd of more than 1,000 people in a South Carolina high school football stadium. The shooting was the deadliest school shooting in the United States since September 11, 2001. In 2012, the town of Lexington was hit by a tornado, resulting in over 40 injuries and $50 million in damages. In 2013, a gas station on Augusta Highway sold a $400 million winning Powerball ticket. This was the fifth largest winning ticket of any United States lottery station in history. The town is home to the National Register of Historic Places, which is listed as a National Historic Landmark in the South Carolina National Park System. It was named after the Saxe Gotha town, which flourished in the 17th century.

History

In 1735, the colonial government of King George II established 11 townships in backcountry South Carolina to encourage settlement. In 1781, the Battle of Muddy Springs was fought to the south of the present-day town limits. In 1820, Granby was the county seat of Lexington County, but chronic flooding forced the local government to move the courthouse to its present location in Lexington. The area was known by locals as the "Lexington Courthouse" and was not incorporated as the Town of Lexington until 1861. During Sherman's March to the Sea in the American Civil War, much of the town of Lexington was destroyed by Union forces as they protected William Sherman's western flank as Union troops attacked Columbia. In 2014, Timothy Jones Jr. of Red Bank, a neighborhood of Lexington, murdered his five children in their mobile home. Jones was found guilty in 2019 and sentenced to death. He is currently awaiting execution on death row. In 2015, remnants from Hurricane Joaquin brought historic flooding to South Carolina. In Lexington, extreme flooding resulted in the destruction of Gibson Park Dam, which led to the subsequent failure of the Old Mill Dam (Gibson Park Dam was reconstructed and opened to the public in 2021; Old Mill was reconstructed in 2022). The flooding additionally resulted in several roads and businesses in the town being destroyed. The "move over law" is now in effect in all fifty U.S. states and the District of Columbia; Hawaii was the last to pass legislation in 2012.

Government

Lexington has a mayor-council government, consisting of seven council members, including the mayor. Each member of the council is elected at-large and serves a term of four years. Steve MacDougall, who took office in December 2013, is the incumbent mayor of Lexington, currently serving his second term. In 2015, Lexington's town council voted in a 5-1 motion to impose a 2% hospitality tax on all prepared food items. The tax generates over two million dollars annually, and the town uses the funds for road and traffic improvement. The largest project completed was the conversion of South Carolina Highway 6 and Church Street to one-way streets in downtown Lexington in 2019. Future projects include the building of an overpass over Interstate 20 and the widening of SC Highway 6. The town council passed a town ordinance requiring citizens to wear face masks in public to combat the COVID-19 pandemic in South Carolina. Councilman Todd Carnes drew criticism after stating three time in the council meeting that the government has "infinite power" to create laws such as these. He opposed enacting a face mask ordinance because "science does not indicate that it helps" The council vote garnered criticism after a county-wide tax referendum failed the year before; if passed the county would have increased sales tax by 1% for traffic improvements. The council voted to impose the hospitality tax after the county failed to pass a sales tax referendum the previous year. It is estimated that Lexington will have a population of 1.2 million in 2020.

Geography

Lexington is located in northeastern Lexington County at 33°5852N 81°1351W (33.980975, -81.230839). The town is drained on the north by Fourteenmile Creek and on the south by Twelvemile Creek, both northeast-flowing tributaries of the Saluda River. It is 12 miles (19 km) west of Columbia, South Carolina's state capital and second-largest city. The town has a total area of 12.0 square miles (31.0 km²), of which 11.9square miles (30.7 km²) are land and 0.2square miles(0.4km²) is water. It has a population of 1.2 million (1.3% of the state's population) and is located on the Atlantic seaboard of South Carolina and the U.S. Eastern Seaboard. The city of Lexington is in Lexington County, which is part of the Lexington-Polk County region of S.C., and is home to the University of South Carolina and the College of Lexington. It was founded in 1883. The Town of Lexington was named after the town of Lexington, South Cleveland, S.C. and the town's first post office was established in 1881. The current mayor is the son of a former mayor of the town, who was killed in a car accident in the 1950s. He is a former member of the South Carolina Senate.

Climate

Lexington averages 48 in (1.2 m) of rain per year; Lexington averages 1.6 in (4.1 cm) of snow per year. July averages the most yearly precipitation. The lowest recorded temperature in Lexington was 2 °F (19 °C) in February 1899. The warmest recorded temperature was 111 °C (44 °F) in June 2012. The city is located on the Ohio River, which runs through the center of the city. It is the only city in the state to have a population of more than 100,000. Lexington is located in the Ohio Valley, which is one of the most arid areas in the United States. It has the highest temperatures in the U.S. and the lowest lows in the world. The average temperature in the city is 11.7 °F. The highest temperature in July is 12.7°F (42 °C), the highest in August is 13.8 °F, and the coldest in December is 9.7 °F. It averages 48 inches of rain a year and 1.2 inches of snow a year. The town has a high school football team that competes in the NCAA Division II. It also has a baseball team that plays in the Division I National Football League, which competes against the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The school's mascot is the Red Sox. The Red Sox have won two state championships and one state championship in their history.

Economy

In 2022, retail sale within the town accounted for nearly $2.5 billion. In 2020, the medium household income was $74,996 and the percentage of residents living below the poverty line was 9.11%. According to the Town's 2020 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the top employers in the city are: Walmart, Target, and Kmart. In 2022, the retail sale in the town will account for nearly £1.6 billion, according to the town's report. In 2019, the city will have a population of 2,828,000. The city's economy is expected to grow at a rate of 2.5% over the next five years, the report says. The town's economy will grow by 2.7% over that time, the town says. It will also grow by 1.8% in the next three years, it adds. The Town's economic growth will be fueled by the growth of retail sale, it says. In 2021, the economy will be at a growth rate of 1.7%. The town will grow at an average of 3.2% per year, the Town says. This year's growth rate is projected to be 2.9%. In 2022 the city's retail sale will be nearly £2.4 billion, the Report says. That's an increase of $1.1 billion over the last five years. The economy will also see a growth of 1% in 2020. In 2025, the growth rate will be 1.6%.

Transportation

Public transportation in Lexington is provided by the COMET, or officially the Central Midlands Regional Transit Authority (CMRTA) I-20 travels from west to east and connects Columbia to Atlanta and Augusta in the west and Florence in the east. It serves the nearby towns and suburbs of West Columbia, Oak Grove, and Red Bank. The bus system is the main public transit system for the greater Columbia area. The U.S. 378 highway is a main route through Lexington. It connects the city with the rest of the South. The Lexington-Columbia area is one of the most densely populated areas in the United States. It is home to the University of South Carolina, which is located in the state's largest city, Columbia. The University of Kentucky is also in the Lexington-Charleston area and has a campus of the College of Arts and Sciences, which was founded in 1894. It was the first college in the South to graduate from a bachelor's degree program in history. The university also has a college of medicine, which has been located in Lexington for more than 50 years. It has a hospital, the Lexington Medical Center, which opened in the early 1960s. The hospital is the only one of its kind in the country. It also serves as a hospital for the elderly and disabled. It opened in 1968. The city has a public library, the Central Library, and the Lexington Public Library, which opens in the late 1970s. In the early 1980s, it opened a branch of the library in the town of Lexington.

Tourism

Lake Murray is held by a 1.7-mile-long (2.7 km) dam 5 miles (8 km) north of Lexington. The Saluda Dam, or Lake Murray Dam, provides electricity for the surrounding region. A public swimming area is open during the summer months on the Lexington side of the dam. Three public parks: Virginia Hilton Park, Gibson Pond Park, and Corely Street Water Park.Lexington County Blowfish Baseball Stadium hosted Florida's Sister Hazel in 2018, and Greenville's Edwin McCain in 2017. Fourteen-Mile Creek Trail runs along the banks of Lake Murray. The Lexington Community Band-hosted Florida's sister band Sister Hazel, and the Greenville band, Edwin McCain, in 2017 and 2018. The town is also home to the Lexington County Museum and the Lexington-Lexington Community Band, which has played at the Icehouse Amphitheater in 2018 and 2019. It is located on the South Carolina Turnpike, one of the state's busiest roads. It has a population of about 2,000, and is home to a number of tourist attractions, such as the Lexington Museum of History and Science and the County Museum of Nature and Science. It also has a large number of public parks, many of which are open to the public in the summer and winter months. The city is located in South Carolina's Piedmont region, which is known for its whitewater and water sports. It was founded in 1881.

Demographics

Since 2000, the town population grew from nearly 10,000 inhabitants to 25,000, a 166% increase. Since 2005, 3,200 new homes have been built within the town limits, as well as 130 new businesses. In the 2010 census, the racial makeup of the town was 83.88% White, 12.48% Black or African American, 0.18% Native American, 2.05% Asian and 0.03% Pacific Islander. The median income for a household in the town is $53,865, and the median income. for a family is $65,694. About 5.2% of families and 7.2%. of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.3% of those under age 18 and 14.5%. of those age 65 or over. The average household size was 2.51 and the average family size was 3.03. There were 4,025 housing units at an average density of 708.7/sq mi (273.6/km²). The town has a population of 17,870 people, 8,101 households, and 2,558 families in the 2020 U.S. census. The population density is 1,724.4 inhabitants per square mile (665.8/ km²) The town's population is expected to rise to 23,568 by the end of the 2020 United States census. It has a median age of 33 years, with 27.1% under the age of 18. For every 100 females, there were 97.6 males.

Education

Lexington has a branch of the Lexington County Public Library. Public education in Lexington is administered by Lexington County School District One. The district has an enrollment of over 27,000 students and employees 3,900 faculty and staff. The city is home to the Lexington High School, which was founded in 1883. The Lexington Middle School is located in the city's downtown area. It was established in 1881 and is the oldest high school in the state. The school has a total enrollment of more than 20,000. It has a library with a branch in the town's downtown. The town also has a chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, which opened in 1894. It is the state's oldest public hospital, with a campus in downtown Lexington. It also has its own library branch, the Lexington Public Library, which is open to the public in the evenings and on the weekends. It opened its first branch in 1891 and has since grown to a total of six branches. The library has a collection of over 2,000 books. It's the largest public library in Lexington, along with the Lexington City Public Library and the Lexington School of Music, both of which are open on weekdays and on weekends. The public school district has a school that opened in 1896 and has anrollment of over 26,500 students and staff, including 3,000 teachers and students. The county has a history of over 100 years of continuous enrollment. The first public school was built in 1803.

Air Quality, Water Quality, Superfund Sites & UV Index

The Air Quality index is in Lexington, Lexington County, South Carolina = 45.8. These Air Quality index is based on annual reports from the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The number of ozone alert days is used as an indicator of air quality, as are the amounts of seven pollutants including particulates, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, lead, and volatile organic chemicals. The Water Quality Index is 55. A measure of the quality of an area’s water supply as rated by the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The EPA has a complex method of measuring the watershed quality, using 15 indicators such as pollutants, turbidity, sediments, and toxic discharges. The Superfund Sites Index is 20. Higher is better (100=best). Based upon the number and impact of EPA Superfund pollution sites in the county, including spending on the cleanup efforts. The UV Index in Lexington = 4.7 and is a measure of an area's exposure to the sun's ultraviolet rays. This is most often a combination of sunny weather, altitude, and latitude. The UV Index has been defined by the WHO (www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/radiation-the-ultraviolet-(uv)-index) and is uniform worldwide.

Employed

The most recent city population of 4,922 individuals with a median age of 35.6 age the population grows by 46.85% in Lexington, Lexington County, South Carolina population since 2000 and are distributed over a density of 1,968.92 residents per square mile of area (760.19/km²). There are average 2.49 people per household in the 5,495 households with an average household income of $64,874 a year. The unemployment rate in Alabama is 8.60% of the available work force and has dropped -2.52% over the most recent 12-month period and the projected change in job supply over the next decade based on migration patterns, economic growth, and other factors will increase by 26.36%. The number of physicians in Lexington per 100,000 population = 151.7.

Weather

The annual rainfall in Lexington = 47.4 inches and the annual snowfall = 1.6 inches. The annual number of days with measurable precipitation (over .01 inch) = 108. The average number of days per year that are predominantly sunny = 222. 92 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily high temperature for the month of July and 33.5 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily low temperature for the month of January. The Comfort Index (higher=better) is 29, where higher values mean a more pleasant climate. The Comfort Index measure recognizes that humidity by itself isn't the problem. (Have you noticed nobody ever complains about the weather being 'cold and humid?) It's in the summertime that we notice the humidity the most, when it's hot and muggy. Our Comfort Index uses a combination of afternoon summer temperature and humidity to closely predict the effect that the humidity will have on people.

Median Home Cost

The percentage of housing units in Lexington, Lexington County, South Carolina which are owned by the occupant = 64.59%. A housing unit is a house, apartment, mobile home, or room occupied as separate living quarters. The average age of homes = 9 years with median home cost = $167,110 and home appreciation of -1.10%. This is the value of the years most recent home sales data. Its important to note that this is not the average (or arithmetic mean). The median home price is the middle value when you arrange all the sales prices of homes from lowest to highest. This is a better indicator than the average, because the median is not changed as much by a few unusually high or low values. The property tax rate of $5.50 shown here is the rate per $1,000 of home value. If for simplification for example the tax rate is $14.00 and the home value is $250,000, the property tax would be $14.00 x ($250,000/1000), or $3500. This is the 'effective' tax rate.

Study

The local school district spends $4,864 per student. There are 11.7 students for each teacher in the school, 844 students for each Librarian and 349 students for each Counselor. 10.20% of the area’s population over the age of 25 with an Associate Degree or other 2-year college degree, 24.42% with a master’s degree, Ph.D. or other advanced college degree and 10.90% with high school diplomas or high school equivalency degrees (GEDs).