Richland County dates to 1875 and was probably named for its “rich land”. The capital was moved from Charleston in 1786 and the Town of Columbia was laid out. The county grew from 23,000 people in 1870 to 78,000 in 1920. 

By 1940 the county population had grown to about 100,000 people who were located largely in the City of Columbia and nearby suburbs. Figure 3-1 shows the distribution of the population in 1940. By 1960, the county had more than doubled in size to 200,000 residents. See Figure 3-2. The pattern of development continued to grow outward from the center, especially toward the northeast.

By 1980, the population had grown to more than 270,000 people, and by the year 2000 it is expected that the population will grow to 312,000 people. The pattern of development in those years is shown in the Figures 3-3 and 3-4.