South Carolina is the first predominantly rural, the first reliably red state I’ve discussed in this series, and the most Republican-leaning state on the entire east coast. It’s the first state in the US Explained that has a national park, and one of the first whose population is not centered around one or two major urban areas, but is instead spread out between several smaller, similar-sized cities. It has one of the most challenging histories of any US state, and by most definitions, is one of the poorest in the country, yet it brings in more tourists each year than all but 6 other states. This is episode 8 - South Carolina.