Pee Dee

[[Image:Map of the South Carolina Pee Dee region.svg|The twelve counties that comprise the Pee Dee region|thumbnail|right|300px]]

The '''Pee Dee''' is a region in the northeast corner of the [[U.S. state]] of [[South Carolina]].<ref name="PeeDee">{{cite web |title=Charleston and Lowcountry, The SC Lowcountry, Pee Dee, Midlands, and Piedmont |url=http://charlestonandlowcountry.com/sc-regions |website=Pee Dee Tourism |access-date=15 September 2018}}</ref> It lies along the lower watershed of the [[Pee Dee River]], which was named after the [[Pedee people|Pee Dee]], an [[Native Americans in the United States|Indigenous]] tribe historically inhabiting the region.

==History== The region was the homeland of the [[Pedee people|Pee Dee]] [[Native Americans in the United States|Native Americans]], a people who originally occupied the area as part of the South Appalachian Mississippian culture from about 1000 to 1400, leaving the region for unknown reasons. Today, several nonprofit organizations have been recognized by South Carolina as descendants of the historic Pee Dee, including two [[state-recognized tribes]]<ref name=sccma>{{cite web|url=http://cma.sc.gov/native-american-affairs/sc-native-american-recognized-entities/|title=Federal and State Recognized Native American Entities|website=The South Carolina Commission for Minority Affairs|access-date=14 November 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160814125418/http://cma.sc.gov/native-american-affairs/sc-native-american-recognized-entities/|archive-date=14 August 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref> and one state-recognized group.<ref name=sccma/> However, none of these organizations are [[Native American recognition in the United States|federally recognized]].<ref name="sctribes">{{cite web|url=https://cma.sc.gov/minority-population-initiatives/native-american-affairs/south-carolinas-recognized-native-american-indian-entities|title=Native American Heritage Federal and State Recognized Tribes|website=SC Department of Archives & History|publisher=State of South Carolina|access-date=14 November 2022|archive-date=9 August 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240809160840/https://cma.sc.gov/minority-population-initiatives/native-american-affairs/south-carolinas-recognized-native-american-indian-entities|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="scentities">{{cite web |title=South Carolina's Recognized Native American Indian Entities |url=https://cma.sc.gov/minority-population-initiatives/native-american-affairs/south-carolinas-recognized-native-american-indian-entities |website=South Carolina Commission for Minority Affairs |access-date=14 November 2022 |archive-date=9 August 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240809160840/https://cma.sc.gov/minority-population-initiatives/native-american-affairs/south-carolinas-recognized-native-american-indian-entities |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==Economy== {{See also|Economy of South Carolina#Tobacco|label 1=Tobacco in the Pee Dee region}} The region's largest county is Horry. It encompasses the [[Grand Strand]], which includes the beaches running from the [[North Carolina]] state border to the [[Winyah Bay]] in [[Georgetown County, South Carolina|Georgetown County]] in South Carolina. On the coast, the economy is dominated by [[tourism]], and features beaches, [[amusement park]]s, shopping, fishing, and golf. The area has become a major retirement center in the United States, in part because of its low cost of living, mild weather, and numerous golf courses. Inland is a belt featuring rivers, [[marsh]]es, [[Carolina bay]]s, and sandy rises where forestry is predominant. There are pine [[plantation]]s and [[Taxodium distichum|bald cypress]] timbering. Further inland, on higher ground, but still of only slight relief, is an agricultural belt of cultivation of [[tobacco]], [[cotton]], [[soybean]]s and [[produce]].<ref name="PDT">{{cite web |title=Visitor Info |url=http://www.peedeetourism.com/visitor-info/ |website=Pee Dee Tourism |access-date=15 September 2018 |archive-date=15 September 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180915122309/http://www.peedeetourism.com/visitor-info/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>

The region, especially the inland portion, remained mostly rural well into the 20th century. As late as the 1970s, it was still so rural that Florence's second television station, [[WPDE-TV]], obtained a [[Farmers Home Administration]] loan to build a studio and tower.<ref name="Stat800712">{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/99586974/tv-station-gets-loan-guarantee/|date=July 12, 1980|page=3-A|agency=Associated Press|title=TV Station Gets Loan Guarantee|newspaper=The State|location=Columbia, South Carolina|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=April 12, 2022|archive-date=April 12, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220412060802/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/99586974/tv-station-gets-loan-guarantee/|url-status=live}}</ref>

== Regional definition == There is no agreed definition on which of South Carolina's counties are included in the region. The region takes its name from the [[Pee Dee River]]. The counties in the Pee Dee region are located, either entirely or partially, within the river's watershed.

{{US Census population |1950= 510179 |1960= 532450 |1970= 524091 |1980= 624669 |1990= 683840 |2000= 777839 |2010= 871876 |2020= 926069 |estimate= 953988 |estyear= 2022|align-fn=center |footnote=[https://web.archive.org/web/20060208103743/http://www.census.gov:80/prod/www/abs/decennial/ U.S. Decennial Census] }}

=== Always included === * [[Chesterfield County, South Carolina|Chesterfield]] * [[Darlington County, South Carolina|Darlington]] * [[Dillon County, South Carolina|Dillon]] * [[Florence County, South Carolina|Florence]] * [[Marlboro County, South Carolina|Marlboro]] * [[Marion County, South Carolina|Marion]]

=== Usually included === * [[Horry County, South Carolina|Horry]] * [[Georgetown County, South Carolina|Georgetown]] * [[Williamsburg County, South Carolina|Williamsburg]]

=== Rarely included === * [[Clarendon County, South Carolina|Clarendon]] * [[Lee County, South Carolina|Lee]] * [[Sumter County, South Carolina|Sumter]]

== Politics == The Pee Dee region has remained relatively constant during the first decade of the 21st century in terms of its voting history. The region's voters have been close during the previous four presidential elections, but lean toward the Republican Party. The tilt of the region is primarily due to the numerous Republicans resident in Horry County along the Atlantic coast.<ref name="auto">{{cite web|url=http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/|title=Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections|first=David|last=Leip|website=Uselectionatlas.org|access-date=2 January 2018}}</ref>

At the congressional level, the region, including the rarely included counties, is located within three congressional districts. The Pee Dee region is mostly contained in [[South Carolina's 7th congressional district]].

Williamsburg, Clarendon, parts of Sumter, and parts of Florence counties are located in the [[majority-minority]] [[South Carolina's 6th congressional district|6th district]]. Lee and the remaining parts of Sumter counties are located in [[South Carolina's 5th congressional district|5th district]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.islandpacket.com/2011/07/26/1738581/sc-lawmakers-approve-new-7th-congressional.html|title=SC lawmakers approve new 7th congressional district anchored in Horry County|website=Islandpacket.com|access-date=2 January 2018}}</ref> The 5th and 6th districts are represented by Republican [[Ralph Norman]] and Democrat [[Jim Clyburn]], respectively.

The 7th district was established following the 2010 census. In the 2012 elections, incumbents Mulvaney and Clyburn won re-election. Republican [[Tom Rice]] defeated Democrat Gloria Tinubu, both of Horry County, 54.9% to 45.1%, to represent South Carolina's new House seat.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.politico.com/2012-election/results/house/south-carolina/ |title=South Carolina House Election Results 2012 - Map, District Results, Live Updates - POLITICO.com |website=[[Politico]] |access-date=2013-07-05 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130618051259/http://www.politico.com/2012-election/results/house/south-carolina/ |archive-date=2013-06-18 }}</ref> {| class="wikitable" align="right" style="margin: 0 1em 1em 1em; font-size: 95%;" |+ '''Presidential Election Results 2000-2012'''<ref name="auto"/> |- ! Year ! [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democrat]] ! [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] |- |align="center" bgcolor="#fff3f3"|'''[[U.S. presidential election, 2012|2012]]''' |align="center" bgcolor="#f0f0ff"|47% ''139,723'' |align="center" bgcolor="#fff3f3"|'''53%''' ''159,629'' |- |align="center" bgcolor="#fff3f3"|'''[[U.S. presidential election, 2008|2008]]''' |align="center" bgcolor="#f0f0ff"|47% ''138,565'' |align="center" bgcolor="#fff3f3"|'''53%''' ''153,380'' |- |align="center" bgcolor="#fff3f3"|'''[[U.S. presidential election, 2004|2004]]''' |align="center" bgcolor="#f0f0ff"|46% ''106,776'' |align="center" bgcolor="#fff3f3"|'''54%''' ''124,487'' |- |align="center" bgcolor="#fff3f3"|'''[[U.S. presidential election, 2000|2000]]''' |align="center" bgcolor="#f0f0ff"|47% ''96,150'' |align="center" bgcolor="#fff3f3"|'''53%''' ''107,954'' |- |}

== Cities ==

=== Primary cities === (population figures is from 2020 census estimates) * [[Florence, South Carolina|Florence]]: 39,899 * [[Myrtle Beach, South Carolina|Myrtle Beach]]: 35,682

=== Cities with a population of at least 5,000 === * [[Bennettsville, South Carolina|Bennettsville]]: 7,020 * [[Cheraw, South Carolina|Cheraw]]: 5,040 * [[Conway, South Carolina|Conway]]: 24,849 * [[Darlington, South Carolina|Darlington]]: 6,149 * [[Dillon, South Carolina|Dillon]]: 6,384 * [[Georgetown, South Carolina|Georgetown]]: 8,403 * [[Hartsville, South Carolina|Hartsville]]: 7,446 * [[Lake City, South Carolina|Lake City]]: 5,903 * [[Marion, South Carolina|Marion]]: 6.448 * [[North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina|North Myrtle Beach]]: 18,790

== Higher education ==

=== 4-year colleges === * [[Coastal Carolina University]]- Conway * [[Coker College|Coker University]]- Hartsville * [[Francis Marion University]]- Florence

=== 2-year or specialized colleges === * [[Florence-Darlington Technical College]]-Florence * [[Horry-Georgetown Technical College]]- Conway * [[Northeastern Technical College]]- Cheraw * [[Williamsburg Technical College]]- Kingstree

== Media == The area is served by four commercial broadcast television stations, [[WBTW-TV|WBTW CBS 13]], [[WPDE-TV|WPDE ABC 15]], [[WMBF-TV|WMBF NBC 32]] and [[WFXB|WFXB Fox 43]], the first two with twin studios at Florence and Myrtle Beach, as well as two [[South Carolina Educational Television|educational television]] stations substations, WHMC-TV, in [[Conway, South Carolina]], and WJPM-TV in [[Florence, South Carolina]]

Daily newspapers include ''[[The Sun News]]'' of Myrtle Beach and ''[[The Morning News (American newspaper)|The Morning News]]'' of Florence. The ''[[Georgetown, South Carolina|Georgetown Times]]'' is published five times per week.

==See also== * [[Early history of Williamsburg, South Carolina]] * [[Pee Dee Area Council]] * [[Peedee Formation]]

==References== {{Reflist}}

==External links== * [http://peedeetourism.com/ Pee Dee Tourism Commission]

[[Category:Regions of South Carolina]]