Camden, the oldest existing inland town in the state of South Carolina, was part of a township plan ordered by King George II in 1730.  Rich in heritage, Camden is a place where the strength of tradition and history mingle with the excitement of the present.  The 2000 Census highlights that the total population of Camden is 21,475.  Sixty-two percent of the population is Caucasian and thirty-seven percent is African-American, leaving only one percent of the population as another race.  The median age is 41 years and 18 percent of the population is over the age of 65.  Fourteen percent of the adults living in Camden are civilian veterans.  Twenty-seven percent of residents are qualified as disabled.  Many people choose Camden as their retirement home because of the slow-paced lifestyle, yet close proximity to cultural and recreational amenities.  However, with the large number of seniors and disabled residents, mobility and access to services are important issues.   

The median household income in 1999 was a little more than $36,000.  Sixteen percent of the residents in Camden live below the poverty level.  Seventy-four percent of residents have graduated from high school and twenty percent have a bachelor’s degree or higher.  Although city-level health data is not available, Kershaw County has prevalence rates of sedentary lifestyle, hypertension, heart disease, and stroke similar to state rates.  Hospitalization, emergency department visits, obesity, and diabetes rates are higher in Kershaw County than for the state of South Carolina as a whole.  These statistics point out that residents of Kershaw County are not taking steps to prevent or manage chronic conditions as well as they could.