(Camden) Aug. 8, 2003 - In June South Carolina's unemployment rate climbed to 6.6 percent, the highest level in ten years. The level was even higher, at eight percent, for Kershaw County.

On Friday the county got some relief with the opening of a new, $85 million facility in Camden. The 1.35 million square foot Target Distribution Center will be the hub for products sent to about 50 Target stores throughout the Southeast.

The center is has already hired about 600 people from approximately10,000 applicants. They are expected to bring about 800 jobs to the area this year, and that number is expected to rise to over 1000 new jobs in Kershaw County next year.

On Friday Governor Mark Sanford congratulated the county and the newly employed, "Target chose this location because of the quality of the workforce in South Carolina."

The distribution center is in the Heritage Industrial Park near the intersection of Interstate 20 and Highway 601. It stands on 186 acres, the size of more than 18 Williams-Brice Stadiums and bigger even than Wal-Mart's distribution center on Interstate 385 in the Upstate.

By Megan Hughes

Updated 4:35pm by Eva Pilgrim