NEWBERRY

county, central South Carolina, U.S., a hilly region of the Piedmont. The Broad River and its Parr Reservoir impoundment form part of the eastern border, and the Saluda River forms the southern border. In the southeastern corner is Dreher Island State Park, on the Lake Murray impoundment of the Saluda. Sumter National Forest covers most of northern Newberry county. Cherokee Indians inhabited the region in the colonial period. Newberry county was organized in 1785 and probably named for an early settler. During the 19th and much of the 20th centuries it was a cotton-growing region, but, like other lower Piedmont counties, it suffered from soil exhaustion and erosion, boll weevil damage, and other economic factors. After World War II it became largely an area of pine woods. Agriculture remains central to the economy, but the production of turkeys and cattle, and especially of eggs and milk, became far more important than field crops. Poultry processing, lumbering, and the manufacture of textile products also contribute to the economy. The city of Newberry is the county seat. Area 631 square miles (1,634 square km). Pop. (1990) 33,172; (1998 est.) 34,462.