South Carolina
South Carolina is on the Eastern Seaboard, in the southern region of the United States. The eastern border is defined by the Atlantic Ocean; Georgia lies to the south and North Carolina is to the north. Historical South Carolina was one of the nation's original 13 colonies. On March 15, 1776, the colony of South Carolina was the first to declare independence from Great Britain and set up its own government. South Carolina was alsothe first state to vote to secede from the Union before the start of the Civil War.
In 2009, the U.S. Census Bureau estimated South Carolina's population at 4,561,242. SC is one of the nation's smallest states, ranked 40th,with 31,113 square miles of land. With the Blue Ridge Mountains to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the south and east, and numerous rivers and lakes in between, residents and visitors enjoy a wide range of outdoor activities. South Carolinians enjoy outdoor activities year-round, due to the temperate climate with four distinct seasons, including hot summers and mild winters. Popular activities include golfing at one of South Carolina's 368 golf courses, visiting one of the 47 state parks or attending one of the more than 400 annual festivals held in South Carolina.
Columbia, the state capital, is South Carolina's largest city, and the anchor city of the Columbia Metropolitan Statistical Area, in central South Carolina. Other major cities include Charleston, Greenville, Rock Hill and Florence. Charleston is the second largest city in the state and home to the Patriots Point Naval and Maritime Museum, featuring the USS Yorktown, USS Clamagore, Medal of Honor Museum, Cold War Submarine Memorial, and the only Vietnam Support Base Camp in the U.S.
While Greenville is the sixth largest city in South Carolina, it is the largest city in "the Upstate," also known as the Upcountry. The region includes the 10 counties in the I-85 corridor in the northwest corner of SC. The Upstate region is known for its large number of corporations, especially in the financial and automotive sectors.
The state of South Carolina has a long and proud military history, starting with the Revolutionary War. SC has a significant number of military bases providing a positive economic impact for state and local communities. South Carolina military institutions include Joint Base Charleston (Charleston Air Force Base), Coast Guard Sector Charleston, Fort Jackson in Columbia, Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort, Marine Corps Recruit Depot, Parris Island, McEntire Air National Guard Station in Eastover, Naval Weapons Station Charleston in Goose Creek and Shaw Air Force Base in Sumter.
The Department of Veteran Affairs State Summary lists 410,000 veterans in South Carolina in 2008, with 9,116 South Carolina veterans receiving inpatient care at VA health care facilities located in Charleston and Columbia. In addition, 6,678 SC veterans received post-conflict care from the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. The VA has special programs for those returning from service in Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom(OEF/OIF).
Not all military service-related issues end when people are discharged from active duty – 59,455 South Carolina veterans are receiving monthly disability compensation. Nationwide, about 43 percent of the men and women leaving military service from the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan seek VA health care after returning stateside.
The State of South Carolina offers two veteran nursing homes: the E. Roy Stone Jr., Pavilion, which is located in Columbia; and the Richard Michael Campbell Veterans Nursing Home in Anderson, S.C. Admission to these facilities is limited to veterans who have been separated from the U.S. Armed Forces under honorable conditions and qualify as South Carolina residents who are in need of skilled or intermediate nursing home care.
