From this beginning 65-70 manufacturing concerns have settled near the city, manufacturing a wide range of products. Supporting the industrial sector are many fine retail, commercial and service companies. Schools, churches, utilities and businesses have expanded. A Technical College, specializing in the job needs of the Aiken area, and the regional campus of the University of South Carolina, a fully accredited four-year University, are located here. The center of medical care in Aiken is the HCA Aiken Regional Medical Centers, multi-million dollar hospital that was completed in 1976.
Recreational activities abound.
The Recreation and Parks Department covers over 200 acres of parks, playgrounds, athletic fields and courts and indoor facilities open to the public. More than 70 instructional programs and special events are planned each year. In Aiken, golf rivals riding as the favorite sport. The Palmetto Golf Course, founded in 1893, is almost as old as golf in America. The Highland Park Country Club course was designed and opened in 1903.