On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Oak Grove is more historic than 4% of U.S. towns, #150 of 169 in South Carolina. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
D−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Oak Grove’s overall grade.
South Carolina towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical South Carolina town has 3.2 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Oak Grove’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (23% of South Carolina towns have fewer) while its 0 listings outnumber those of 23% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on two of the three inputs, so a change in either one moves the letter more than it would with three. The pre-1940 share (±0.3 points) is firm at this size.
Founding year: our sources. Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →
What stands out about Oak Grove’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Lost post offices, old corners and burying grounds
Another post office, Arthur's, opened and closed inside today’s town.
Hamlets and corners on the map
ArthurGreyland ForestIndian PinesKings GrantLakeview TerraceOak CrestOak Grove EstatesOakwoodParkwoodPeachtree AcresRose GardensWoodsen
1cemetery inside Oak Grove
Mount Hermon
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
The story so far
Oak Grove, in brief
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Oak Grove yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Oak Grove is a census-designated place (CDP) in Lexington County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 10,291 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Columbia Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 10,291 to 12,899 (+25%).
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
Timeline
Oak Grove, 1889 to 1944
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
Oak Grove is more historic than 4% of U.S. towns, #150 of 169 in South Carolina. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
How old are the homes in Oak Grove?
0.2% of Oak Grove’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate), against a typical 3.5% for a South Carolina town; the median home was built in 1991.
Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
From U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
