Oconee County, South Carolina

Oconee County is a located in the  of. The recorded its population to be 66,215. In 2005, the estimated that its population had reached 69,577. Its is. Other cities in the county include Seneca and. Towns include and. The county is included in the.

The name Oconee is generally believed to be derived from a Hitichi word meaning "land of springs". When the county was first formed, the name was picked up from the Yuchi Tribe (Creek) which was prevalent around Anderson and Pendleton, the seat of the district government. An alternative theory holds that the name and meaning came from the.

Geography
According to the, the county has a total area of 1,745 (674 ). 1,620 km² (625 sq mi) of it is land and 125 km² (48 sq mi) of it (7.15%) is water. The hilly landscape has created a haven for man-made lakes. Three large man-made lakes provide residents with, , and as well as  power. The largest lake is, built by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers between and. is the second largest lake and the Oconee Nuclear Station operates by the lake. is the third largest and is a source of, but is also popular for its breathtaking scenery and numerous. Bad Creek Reservoir, located in the mountains above Jocassee, is for generating electricity during peak hours. The water level can fall by tens of feet per hour and during off-peak times water is pumped back into the lake for the next peak period. Because of this, boating and swimming are prohibited in the reservoir.

Adjacent Counties

 * - north
 * - northeast
 * - east
 * - southeast
 * - south
 * - south
 * - southwest
 * - west
 * - west
 * - northwest

Oconee County is one of the few counties in the U.S. to border 10 other counties.

History
1780s - The rare wildflower,, first recorded by André Michaux.

1780s - After the, Colonel and a group of followers received land grants from Georgia and settled in present day Oconee County.

1787 - Georgia withdrew its claims to the land between the Tugaloo and Keowee River by the to South Carolina.

1816 - sold their remaining South Carolina land.

1850s - The largest town was Tunnel Hill, located above.

1870- Air line Rairoad build a railroad through the county which helped to form and

1893 - was established as mill village to house workers of the Courtenay Manufacturing Company

1900s - The town of was chartered.

Demographics
As of the of 2000, there were 66,215 people, 27,283 households, and 19,589 families residing in the county. The was 41/km² (106/sq mi). There were 32,383 housing units at an average density of 20/km² (52/sq mi). The racial makeup of the county was 89.14%, 8.38% or , 0.22% , 0.35% , 0.02% , 1.06% from , and 0.82% from two or more races. 2.36% of the population were or  of any race.

There were 27,283 households out of which 28.50% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.80% were living together, 10.10% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.20% were non-families. 24.70% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.40 and the average family size was 2.85.

In the county, the population was spread out with 22.90% under the age of 18, 8.00% from 18 to 24, 27.40% from 25 to 44, 26.20% from 45 to 64, and 15.60% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 96.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.50 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $36,666, and the median income for a family was $43,047. Males had a median income of $31,032 versus $22,156 for females. The for the county was $18,965. About 7.60% of families and 10.80% of the population were below the, including 14.00% of those under age 18 and 12.90% of those age 65 or over.