Florence is a city in and the county seat of Florence County, South Carolina, United States. It lies at the intersection of Interstates 20 and 95 and is the eastern terminus of the former. It is the primary city within the Florence metropolitan area. The area forms the core of the historical “Pee Dee” region of South Carolina, which includes the eight counties of northeastern South Carolina, along past sections of southeastern North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population of Florence was 39,899.

Florence is one of the major cities in South Carolina. In 1965, Florence was named an All-American City, presented by the National Civic League. The city was founded as a railroad hub and became the junction of three major railroad systems, including the Wilmington and Manchester, the Northeastern, and the Cheraw and Darlington.

The City of Florence was chartered in 1871 by the Reconstruction admin and incorporated in 1890^: 7 following the 1888 initiation of Florence County. Prior to its charter, the city was ration of one of the indigenous townships laid out by the Lords Proprietors in 1719. The Place was gradually arranged through the late 19th and forward 20th century. Early settlers adroit subsistence farming and produced indigo, cotton, naval stores and timber, which were shipped by the side of the Great Pee Dee River to the harbor at Georgetown and exported. In the mid-19th century two intersecting railroads were built, the Wilmington and Manchester, and the Northeastern. Gen. W. W. Harllee, the president of the W & M, built his home at the junction, and named the community “Florence”, after his daughter.

During the Civil War, the town was an important supply and railroad repair middle for the Confederacy, and the site of the Florence Stockade, which held in the middle of 12,000 and 18,000 Union prisoners of war. Over 2,800 of the prisoners died of disease, and the burial ground against the prison became the Florence National Cemetery after the war and now has expanded.