Irmo () is a town in

Lexington Lexington may refer to: Places England * Laxton, Nottinghamshire, formerly Lexington Canada * Lexington, a district in Waterloo, Ontario United States * Lexington, Kentucky, the largest city with this name * Lexington, Massachusetts, the oldes ...

and Richland counties,

South Carolina )''Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

and a suburb of

Columbia Columbia may refer to: * Columbia (personification), the historical female national personification of the United States, and a poetic name for America Places North America Natural features * Columbia Plateau, a geologic and geographic region i ...

. It is part of the Columbia

Metropolitan Statistical Area In the United States, a metropolitan statistical area (MSA) is a geographical region with a relatively high population density at its core and close economic ties throughout the area. Such regions are neither legally incorporated as a city or tow ...

and is located northwest of the city center. The population of Irmo was 11,097 at the 2010 census.

History

Irmo was chartered on Christmas Eve in 1890 in response to the opening of the

Columbia, Newberry and Laurens Railroad The Columbia, Newberry and Laurens Railroad was a railroad line between Columbia and Laurens. In 1885, the South Carolina General Assembly issued a charter for the Columbia, Newberry and Laurens Railroad, and the line was officially christened ...

. The name of Irmo was the result of combining the names of Captain C.J. Iredell and Henry Moseley, two important figures in the founding of the town. Despite the town's growth, Irmo does not have an actual downtown area. Rather, it consists of several clusters of suburban neighborhoods and commercial areas. The

Jacob Wingard Dreher House The Jacob Wingard Dreher House, also known as Glencoe Farm, is an historic home located near Irmo, Lexington County, South Carolina. It was built about 1830–50, and is a two-story, rectangular weatherboarded frame farmhouse. It has a gable ro ...

was listed on the U.S.

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

in 1983.

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of th ...

, the town has a total area of , all land.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the

2020 United States census The United States census of 2020 was the twenty-fourth decennial United States census. Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2020. Other than a pilot study during the 2000 census, this was the first U.S. census to off ...

, there were 11,569 people, 4,686 households, and 3,327 families residing in the town.

2000 census

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses inc ...

of 2000, there were 11,039 people, 3,911 households, and 3,163 families residing in the town. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopu ...

was 2,670.2 people per square mile (1,032.0/km²). There were 4,066 housing units at an average density of 983.5 per square mile (380.1/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 76.76%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White ...

, 20.16%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 0.25% Native American, 1.43% Asian, 0.08%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/ racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...

, 0.44% from other races, and 0.88% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties for ...

or Latino of any race were 1.42% of the population. There were 3,911 households, out of which 47.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 65.9% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between ...

living together, 12.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 19.1% were non-families. 15.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 2.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.81 and the average family size was 3.15. In the town, the population was spread out, with 30.7% under the age of 18, 6.6% from 18 to 24, 34.6% from 25 to 44, 23.3% from 45 to 64, and 4.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.7 males. The median income for a household in the town was $55,847, and the median income for a family was $62,005. Males had a median income of $41,054 versus $30,171 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the town was $22,312. About 3.3% of families and 4.3% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 4.4% of those under age 18 and 11.6% of those age 65 or over.

Arts and culture

The Okra Strut is an annual festival started in 1973 as a fundraising effort for a new library. Named for the

okra Okra or Okro (, ), ''Abelmoschus esculentus'', known in many English-speaking countries as ladies' fingers or ochro, is a flowering plant in the mallow family. It has edible green seed pods. The geographical origin of okra is disputed, with su ...

plant, events have included a charity golf tournament, street dance, live entertainment, a midway, cycling and running competitions, arts and crafts exhibits, and a parade.

Government

The town council of Irmo consists of five council members including the mayor. The council also appoints a town administrator to efficiently operate the town government and manage day-to-day operations of the town. As of February 2020, the current mayor of Irmo is Barry A. Walker Sr., elected in 2019.

Education

Irmo has two

public libraries A public library is a library that is accessible by the general public and is usually funded from public sources, such as taxes. It is operated by librarians and library paraprofessionals, who are also civil servants. There are five fundamen ...

, a branch of the Lexington County Public Library and a branch of the Richland County Public Library. Irmo Elementary serves grades K-5. Crossroads Intermediate School serves grade 6. Irmo Middle School serves grades 6-8. Irmo High School serves grades 9-12. Dutch Fork Middle School serves grades 7-8 Dutch Fork High School serves Grades 9-12.

Notable people

Tyler Bass Tyler Bass (born February 14, 1997) is an American football placekicker for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Georgia Southern and was drafted by the Bills in the sixth round of the 2020 NFL ...

(born 1997) NFL Kicker, attended Dutch Fork High School *

Ben Bridwell Benjamin Bridwell (born April 25, 1978) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer and musician. He is best known as the lead singer of the American rock band Band of Horses and a former member of the band Carissa's Wierd. Early life Br ...

(born 1978), musician *

Alaina Coates Alaina Denise Coates (born April 7, 1995) is an American professional basketball player for Galatasaray in Turkey. She played college basketball for the University of South Carolina. High School career Coates enjoyed a stellar high school caree ...

(born 1995), professional basketball player for the Chicago Sky * Leeza Gibbons (born 1957), talk show host *

Dustin Johnson Dustin Hunter Johnson (born June 22, 1984) is an American professional golfer. He has won two major championships, the 2016 U.S. Open at Oakmont Country Club with a 4-under-par score of 276 and the 2020 Masters Tournament with a record score ...

(born 1984), professional golfer; attended Dutch Fork High School * B.J. McKie (born 1977), professional basketball player University of South Carolina * Courtney Shealy (born 1977), swimmer, 2000 Olympic Gold Medalist *

E. Lee Spence Edward Lee Spence (born November 1947) is a pioneer in underwater archaeology who studies shipwrecks and sunken treasure. He is also a published editor and author of non-fiction reference books; a magazine editor (''Diving World'', ''Atlantic Co ...

(born 1947), pioneer underwater archaeologist and shipwreck historian *

Auden Tate Auden Heanon Tate (born February 3, 1997) is an American football wide receiver for the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Florida State, and was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in the 20 ...

(born 1997), NFL wide receiver for the

Atlanta Falcons The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. The Falcon ...

References

External links

*
Greater Irmo Chamber of Commerce
{{authority control Towns in South Carolina Towns in Lexington County, South Carolina Towns in Richland County, South Carolina Columbia metropolitan area (South Carolina) Populated places established in 1890 1890 establishments in South Carolina