Allendale County, South Carolina

Allendale County is a county in South Carolina, United States, on the Savannah River across from Georgia. It had a population of 8,039 at the 2020 census, South Carolina’s least populous county, and covers 408 square miles (1,057 km2) of land plus 4 square miles (11 km2) of water, centred near 32°59′N 81°22′W.

Allendale is the county seat, and its postal code is 29810. The county holds four incorporated towns (Allendale, Fairfax, Sycamore and Ulmer) alongside a scatter of unincorporated crossroads and Savannah River landing communities. It sits in the Eastern time zone and carries FIPS code 45005.

Towns & Villages in Allendale County

Allendale County has four incorporated towns and more than twenty unincorporated places, most of them small farm crossroads or old river landings along the Savannah. «CDP» marks a Census Bureau-defined place with no town government; «Unincorp.» marks a named community with no incorporated boundary at all.

South Carolina has no civil townships, so places here are grouped only as incorporated towns or unincorporated communities. The Savannah River landing names (Browns, Cohens Bluff, Fennell Hill, Johnsons, King Creek, Little Hell, Red Bluff and Steel Creek) mark old ferry and cotton-shipping points on the river rather than settlements with a fixed core.

ZIP Codes

• 29810 — Allendale (also serves Appleton)
• 29827 — Fairfax (also serves Martin)
• 29846 — Sycamore
• 29849 — Ulmer

The county’s smaller crossroads and river-landing communities have no post office of their own and are covered by the nearest of these four ZIP codes.

Geography

Allendale County sits in the coastal plain of the South Carolina Lowcountry, mostly flat farmland cut by branches draining toward the Savannah River, which forms the county’s entire western border with Georgia. The Savannah’s floodplain swamps line that edge, while the interior is given over to row crops, pine plantation and pasture.

Bamberg County lies to the northeast, Colleton County to the east, Hampton County to the southeast, and Barnwell County to the northwest; Hampton County and Bamberg County both border it as well. Across the Savannah River to the west and southwest lie Burke County and Screven County, Georgia.

Demographics

Allendale County had 8,039 residents at the 2020 census, the smallest population of any of South Carolina’s 46 counties. Allendale, the seat, and Fairfax are its two largest towns. The county’s population is majority Black or African American, and median household income runs well below the South Carolina median of $67,804, reflecting the county’s rural, agriculture-dependent economy. Density works out to roughly 20 people per square mile, among the lowest in the state.

Economy & Local Life

Row-crop and timber farming anchor the county’s economy, alongside county and town government employment and a handful of manufacturing and correctional facilities in the Allendale area. Allendale County School District and Allendale County Hospital are among the county’s larger employers. U.S. Route 301, once a major north–south tourist corridor to Florida before the interstate era, still runs through Allendale and Fairfax and shaped much of the county’s mid-20th-century roadside development.

History

Allendale County was formed in 1919 out of parts of Barnwell and Hampton counties, making it one of South Carolina’s youngest counties. The town of Allendale, its seat, grew up as a stop on the Charleston and Savannah Railroad in the 19th century. The Savannah River crossing and, later, U.S. 301 made the county a through-route for traffic between the Southeast and Florida for much of the 20th century, before Interstate 95 diverted that traffic to the east.

Getting There

U.S. Route 301 and U.S. Route 278 cross the county and meet at Fairfax; South Carolina Highway 3 also serves Allendale. Interstate 95 runs along the county’s eastern edge through neighboring Hampton County.

• Augusta, Georgia — 62 miles northwest
• Savannah, Georgia — 73 miles southwest
• Columbia, South Carolina — 87 miles north
• Charleston, South Carolina — 90 miles east

The nearest commercial airport is Augusta Regional Airport in Georgia; Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport is a similar distance to the southwest.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Allendale County?
It is in the South Carolina Lowcountry along the Savannah River, on the Georgia state line.

What is the population of Allendale County?
8,039 at the 2020 census, the smallest of South Carolina’s 46 counties.

How big is Allendale County?
408 square miles (1,057 km2) of land plus 4 square miles (11 km2) of water.

What is the county seat of Allendale County?
The town of Allendale.

How many towns are in Allendale County?
Four incorporated towns — Allendale, Fairfax, Sycamore and Ulmer — plus more than twenty unincorporated communities.

What ZIP codes are in Allendale County?
29810 (Allendale), 29827 (Fairfax), 29846 (Sycamore) and 29849 (Ulmer).

What river forms the county’s western border?
The Savannah River, which also forms the state line with Georgia along the county’s entire western and southwestern edge.

More counties in this state: Towns and villages in South Carolina.