History of Georgetown, SC

nkrupt early in the depression, putting almost everyone out of work. In 1936 help arrived. In that year the Southern Kraft Division of International Paper opened a mill; by 1944 it was the largest in the world.

A major disaster struck the area in September 1989: Hurricane Hugo struck south of Georgetown, but with extremely hard winds and an intense storm surge that damaged Georgetown along with nearby areas. As Georgetown was under Hugo's northern eyewall, it suffered winds more severe and damaging than in Charleston, which was in the hurricane's weak corridor.

Recent years

In recent years, the economy has become more diversified. A steel mill has located here by the Korf company of Germany in 1973. The steel mill was financed in 1993 by Mitt Romney's Bain Capital and was called Georgetown Steel which became GST Steel Company with its sister plant Kansas City Bolt and Nut Company plant in Kansas City, Missouri. The company declared bankruptcy in 2001 closing the Kansas City plant and then closing the South Carolina plant in 2003. The Georgetown plant has subsequently reopened under ownership of ArcelorMittal.O Heritage tourism has become a booming business. In addition, many retirees have chosen to settle in this area of beaches, plantations redeveloped as residential communities, and pleasant climate