Santee, South Carolina

Santee, South Carolina
The 18th hole at the Santee-Cooper Country Club, showing the I-95 causeway crossing Lake Marion at Santee
The 18th hole at the Santee-Cooper Country Club, showing the I-95 causeway crossing Lake Marion at Santee
Motto: 
"It's a Brand New Day in Santee"
Location in Orangeburg County, South Carolina
Coordinates: 33°29′N 80°29′W / 33.483°N 80.483°W / 33.483; -80.483
CountryUnited States
StateSouth Carolina
CountyOrangeburg
Government
 • TypeMayor–council government
 • MayorDonnie Hilliard
Area
 • Total2.44 sq mi (6.33 km2)
 • Land2.43 sq mi (6.28 km2)
 • Water0.02 sq mi (0.05 km2)
Elevation
138 ft (42 m)
Population
 • Total797
 • Density328.52/sq mi (126.86/km2)
Time zoneUTC-5 (EST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code
29142
Area code(s)803, 839
FIPS code45-63790[3]
GNIS feature ID1231775[4]
Websitetownofsantee-sc.org

Santee is a town in Orangeburg County along the Santee River Valley in central South Carolina, United States. It has become a resort town of note located centrally north-south along the Atlantic Seaboard of South Carolina. The region has been rural, with a primarily agricultural economy typical of Orangeburg County, but is now known primarily for its several golf courses in proximity to Lake Marion, Santee State Park and other Lake Marion attractions. Interstate 95 connects its attractions easily with tourists traveling by automobile. I-95 crosses a narrow arm of the lake into the town lands, along a causeway. Lake Marion is a man-made hydroelectric reservoir, which at 110,000 acres (450 km2, 173 sq mi) is one of the fifty largest lakes in the country.

The population was 797 at the 2020 census. The town has been undergoing economic and population growth, and development as rural niches are supplanted by bedroom communities.

Construction of the Santee Cooper Regional Water System can provide millions of gallons of potable water per day to the surrounding five counties centered about Santee. The system was coordinated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and funded by the Army Corps of Engineers, USEPA, and the South Carolina Department of Commerce. The plant was completed and operational as of June 1, 2008. Work to connect the plant to the five counties (Berkeley, Orangeburg, Dorchester, Calhoun, and Sumter) is underway and being overseen and funded by the same parties. Currently, the RWS serves the town of Santee, with pipeline rapidly being installed to other locations.[5] Incoming businesses from this project are projected to bring thousands of jobs to the area.[6]

The Lake Marion High School & Technology Center is located in the town.

  1. ^ "ArcGIS REST Services Directory". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved October 15, 2022.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference USCensusDecennial2020CenPopScriptOnly was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  4. ^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. October 25, 2007. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  5. ^ "Lake Marion Regional Water System, South Carolina Regional Water Consolidation Study (section)". Archived from the original on October 24, 2008. Retrieved June 17, 2009. As a result of the study, HUA is responsible for the engineering, planning, design, and construction of a new 8.0 MGD water treatment plant on Lake Marion.
    . The regional water system will serve the I-95 industrial corridor and is being funded by the Corps of Engineers, USEPA, and the South Carolina Department of Commerce. The USDA Rural Development representatives have been involved in planning meetings since the project's inception. Funding applications for the participating counties and municipalities may be submitted to USDA.
  6. ^ "Dubai Retail Business News - Middle East Guide". Archived from the original on August 28, 2008. Retrieved August 6, 2023.