Welcome to Aiken ...
The city of Aiken is located in Aiken County<1> and is the County Seat for Aiken County.
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).
We don't have a date for the establishment of Aiken.
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 is located in 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 (which is 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 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 (which had 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 have 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 [Richmond County]
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Augusta
- Augusta [Richmond County] lies 16 miles [25.7 km]<6> to the southwest of Aiken
- Jump to Google Maps centered on Augusta
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Augusta<7>
- North Augusta [Aiken County]
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Augusta
- North Augusta [Aiken County] lies 14 miles [22.5 km]<6> to the west of Aiken
- Population from the 2020 Census: 24,137 people
- Jump to Google Maps centered on North Augusta
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for North Augusta<7>
- Edgefield [Edgefield County]
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edgefield
- Edgefield [Edgefield County] lies 19 miles [30.6 km]<6> to the northwest of Aiken
- Population from the 2020 Census: 4,825 people
- Jump to Google Maps centered on Edgefield
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Edgefield<7>
- Bonair [Richmond County]
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bonair
- Bonair [Richmond County] lies 18 miles [29 km]<6> to the west of Aiken
- Population from the 2010 Census: 3,135 people
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bonair have been provided by the GNIS.<8> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to Google Maps centered on Bonair
- Continue List (6 more) ...
- Burnettown [Aiken County]
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burnettown
- Burnettown [Aiken County] lies 8 miles [12.9 km]<6> to the west of Aiken
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,769 people
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Burnettown have been provided by the GNIS.<8> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to Google Maps centered on Burnettown
- Johnston [Edgefield County]
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Johnston
- Johnston [Edgefield County] lies 19 miles [30.6 km]<6> to the north of Aiken
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,395 people
- Jump to Google Maps centered on Johnston
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Johnston<7>
- New Ellenton [Aiken County]
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Ellenton
- New Ellenton [Aiken County] lies 9 miles [14.5 km]<6> to the south of Aiken
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,186 people
- Jump to Google Maps centered on New Ellenton
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for New Ellenton<7>
- Jackson [Aiken County]
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jackson
- Jackson [Aiken County] lies 16 miles [25.7 km]<6> to the south of Aiken
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,815 people
- Jump to Google Maps centered on Jackson
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Jackson<7>
- Ridge Spring [Saluda County]
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ridge Spring
- Ridge Spring [Saluda County] lies 19 miles [30.6 km]<6> to the north of Aiken
- Population from the 2020 Census: 738 people
- Jump to Google Maps centered on Ridge Spring
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ridge Spring<7>
- Trenton [Edgefield County]
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trenton
- Trenton [Edgefield County] lies 14 miles [22.5 km]<6> to the northwest of Aiken
- Population from the 2020 Census: 200 people
- Jump to Google Maps centered on Trenton
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Trenton<7>
- Burnettown [Aiken County]
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.
In addition, our notes show that the earliest dated mention that we've found for Aiken was in the Business Atlas and Shippers' Guide (1895).
We also found Aiken on a map titled Rand McNally Map of South Carolina (1911).
For more details about the above, see References and Mentions for Aiken on our Genealogy Page.
Other Roadside Stops ...
Find a Community in South Carolina
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> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' (or point-to-point) distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Aiken) to Point B.If you need the driving distance (or directions), we recommend that you use one of the Mapping Services listed on our Map Page for Aiken. Since we usually use Google Maps for our own planning, we've provided the following link: Google Map and Driving Directions starting from AikenOur distance measurements begin at a specific point in Aiken. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 33.5618, Longitude: -81.7225 |
| <7> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
| <8> | 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 have found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required. |