Welcome to Aiken ...
The city of Aiken is located in Aiken County<1> and is the County Seat for Aiken County.
While we don't have a date for the founding of Aiken, you might consider that their post office opened in 1834.
When the people of Aiken refer to themselves (known as a demonym), they frequently use Aikenite<2>
From the Census Estimates for 2019, Aiken has a population of 30,982 people<3> (see below for details).
Aiken is 500 feet [152 m] above sea level.<4>.
Time Zone: Aiken lies in the Eastern Time Zone (EST/EDT) and observes daylight saving time
Aiken lies within the (803) area code.
The ZIP code for Aiken: 29801<5>
Websites for Aiken ...
Official Website: www.cityofaikensc.gov/
Chamber of Commerce: www.aikenchamber.net/
Population Details ...
Taken from the 2019 Census Estimates, Aiken had an population of 30,982 people. This is an increase of 4.94% since the 2010 Census (or an increase of 22.28% since the 2000 Census).
At the time of the 2010 Census, Aiken had a population of 29,524 people (or 18.44% of the total population of Aiken County). This makes Aiken the county's most populous community.
The population of Aiken represents 0.64% of the total population of South Carolina (which has 4,625,364 people), making it the state's 13th most populous community.
With a 2010 count of 29,524 people, the population of Aiken increased 16.53% from the 2000 Census (with a count of 25,337 people).
More information can be found on the Census Page for Aiken.
Communities Also Named Aiken ...
Using our Gazetteer, we found that there are 10 communities that are also named Aiken - they are located in Alabama, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Kansas, Mississippi, Pennsylvania and Texas (3).
For more information, see our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Aiken.
Communities near Aiken ...
We have created a list of 10 communities that are near Aiken.
- Augusta
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Augusta
- Augusta is located in Richmond County (GA)
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Augusta <6>
- North Augusta
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Augusta
- North Augusta is located in Aiken County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 24,137 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for North Augusta <6>
- Edgefield
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edgefield
- Edgefield is located in Edgefield County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 4,825 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Edgefield <6>
- Bonair
(18 miles [29 km] to the west) - Burnettown
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Burnettown have been provided by the GNIS.<7> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burnettown
- Burnettown is located in Aiken County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,769 people
- Johnston
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Johnston
- Johnston is located in Edgefield County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,395 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Johnston <6>
- New Ellenton
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Ellenton
- New Ellenton is located in Aiken County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,186 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for New Ellenton <6>
- Jackson
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jackson
- Jackson is located in Aiken County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,815 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Jackson <6>
- Ridge Spring
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ridge Spring
- Ridge Spring is located in Saluda County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 738 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ridge Spring <6>
- Trenton
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trenton
- Trenton is located in Edgefield County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 200 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Trenton <6>
To Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
We have a couple of sections for those tracing their genealogy.
We created a list of cemeteries that are in the area around Aiken. Our list includes the location of those cemeteries and we provide an overhead view. See our Cemetery List for Aiken.
Using the information from an 1895 Atlas, we've created a list of communities that were in the area of Aiken. Our list includes information such as whether the 1895 community had a post office or railroad service. See our List of 1890's Communities around Aiken.
We also have a detailed list of newspapers that have been published in the area around Aiken. Our list includes 18 papers. See our Newspapers Page for Aiken.
TripAdvisor Tourism Pages for Aiken ...
Looking for more information about Aiken? A wonderful source is the TripAdvisor website. We always start with the TripAdvisor Tourism page, where you can read an overview with links that will help you find lodging, restaurants and attractions.
In addition to the Tourism page for Aiken, there are neighboring communities that also have Tourism pages. More information about those communities can be found on our TripAdvisor Page for Aiken.
Adding Aiken to Our Gazetteer ...
We originally found mention of Aiken in both the FIPS-55 and the GNIS. For more information, see the FIPS and GNIS Codes sections on our Miscellaneous Page.
From our notes, the earliest published mention we've found for Aiken was in the document titled List of Post Offices from Cameron Blevins and Richard Helbock.<8>
From that list, the Aiken post office opened in 1834.
We also found Aiken in the book titled Business Atlas and Shippers' Guide (1895).
For more details, see References and Mentions for Aiken.
Off-the-Road Links ...
The official website for Aiken: www.cityofaikensc.gov/
The official website for Aiken County: www.aikencounty.net/
The official website for State of South Carolina: https://sc.gov/
Footnotes ...
| <1> | If you're interested in how the shape of South Carolina's counties, including Aiken, have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries. |
| <2> | A demonym is the name for a resident of a community which is usually derived from (or is related to) the name of that community. In other words, it's how the residents of Aiken refer to themselves. It's important to note that there aren't any rules for taking a city's name and turning it into a demonym. A demonym is informal and while the majority of Aiken may use one name, keep in mind that others may use something different. |
| <3> | Population counts have been provided by the U.S. Census Bureau. For more detail, please visit our Census Page for Aiken. |
| <4> | The elevation is an estimate for the area around Aiken - it will be higher in some places and lower in others. |
| <5> | ZIP Codes have been created by the United States Postal Service (USPS) as a way of grouping addresses to make delivery more efficient. The boundaries of the ZIP Code can be changed, re-assigned, eliminated or overlapped with other ZIP Codes. So keep in mind that any given ZIP Code is only 'loosely' associated with a city (such as Aiken). When looking for a ZIP Code, whether Aiken or elsewhere, it's always best to check the website of the United States Postal Service (USPS). |
| <6> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
| <7> | The location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required. |
| <8> | A copy of their list with background information can be found at: https://cblevins.github.io/us-post-offices/data-biography/ |