ABSTRACT
This chapter traces the changes that have occurred in South Carolina’s economy and focuses on the trends in non-agricultural employment. It considers the economic developments that have been instrumental in altering the appearance of the state’s landscape since 1950 and looks especially at the forestry industry and at transportation and energy. Continued economic development of the state at the pace maintained during the 1960s and 1970s may be difficult, but the remarkable growth of manufacturing since World War II has placed South Carolina in a much stronger position to deal with the challenges of the future. The economic geography of the pulp and paper industry is tied closely to railroads, and the companies have located their wood-yards or pulp collection stations along railway lines in various parts of the state. Paralleling the many changes in the state’s economic structure has been a considerable improvement in the standard of living of most South Carolinians.
