Ridgeville, SC

Ridgeville sits near the center of Dorchester County, on a ridge between Four Holes Swamp and Cypress Swamp. The 2020 census counted 1,672 residents. The name is literal geography, but the town's development was tied to the railroad: Ridgeville became one of the early stations on the South Carolina Railroad, and the line helped turn the small settlement into a shipping point for the surrounding Lowcountry.

The local landmark with the strongest pull is Cypress Methodist Camp Ground, established in 1794 and listed on the National Register. It is a ring of cabins, traditionally called tents, around an open-air tabernacle, and week-long camp meetings still keep the place in use. The camp ground still brings people back for a week each year. Ridgeville is part of the Charleston-North Charleston-Summerville metro, but the swamps, the railroad history, and the camp ground give it a distinct center of gravity. Interstate 26 is close enough to connect the larger region without defining the town's story.