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Myrtle Beach is a
resort city A resort town, resort city or resort destination is an urban area where tourism or vacationing is the primary component of the local culture and economy. A typical resort town has one or more actual resorts in the surrounding area. Sometimes ...
on the
East Coast of the United States The East Coast of the United States, also known as the Eastern Seaboard, the Atlantic Coast, and the Atlantic Seaboard, is the region encompassing the coast, coastline where the Eastern United States meets the Atlantic Ocean; it has always pla ...
in
Horry County, South Carolina Horry County ( ) is the easternmost county in the U.S. state of South Carolina. As of the 2020 census, its population was 351,029. It is the fourth-most populous county in South Carolina. The county seat is Conway. Horry County is the centra ...
. It is located in the center of a long and continuous stretch of beach known as the "
Grand Strand The Grand Strand is an arc of beach land on the Atlantic Ocean in South Carolina, United States, extending more than from Little River to Winyah Bay. It is located in Horry and Georgetown Counties on the northeastern South Carolina coast. Th ...
” in the northeastern part of the state. Its year-round population was 35,682 as of the 2020 census, making it the 13th-most populous city in South Carolina. Myrtle Beach is one of the major centers of tourism in
South Carolina South Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders North Carolina to the north and northeast, the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, and Georgia (U.S. state), Georg ...
and the
United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
. The city's warm
subtropical climate The subtropical zones or subtropics are geographical and climate zones immediately to the north and south of the tropics. Geographically part of the temperate zones of both hemispheres, they cover the middle latitudes from to approximately 3 ...
, miles of beaches, 86 golf courses, and 1,800 restaurants attract over 20 million visitors each year, making Myrtle Beach one of the most visited destinations in the country. Located along the historic King's Highway (modern day
U.S. Route 17 U.S. Route 17 or U.S. Highway 17 (US 17), also known as the Coastal Highway, is a north–south United States Numbered Highway that spans in the Southeastern United States. It runs close to the East Coast of the United States, At ...
), the region was once home to the
Waccamaw The Waccamaw people were an Indigenous people of the Southeastern Woodlands, who lived in villages along the Waccamaw and Pee Dee rivers in North and South Carolina in the 18th century.Lerch 328 Name The meaning of the name ''Waccamaw'' is ...
people. During the colonial period, the Whither family settled in the area, and a prominent local waterway, Wither's Swash, is named in their honor. Originally called alternately "New Town" or "Withers", the area was targeted for development as a resort community by Franklin Burroughs, whose sons completed a railroad to the beach and the first inn, Seaside Inn. His widow named the new community Myrtle Beach after the local wax-myrtle shrubs. The Myrtle Beach Metro Area is one of the fastest growing
metropolitan areas A metropolitan area or metro is a region consisting of a densely populated urban agglomeration and its surrounding territories which share industries, commercial areas, transport network, infrastructures and housing. A metropolitan area usually ...
in the country, with an estimated population of 397,478 in 2023. More than 104,000 people moved to the area over eight years, representing a nearly 28% growth in population.


History

Prior to the arrival of Europeans, the Long Bay area was inhabited by the historic
Waccamaw The Waccamaw people were an Indigenous people of the Southeastern Woodlands, who lived in villages along the Waccamaw and Pee Dee rivers in North and South Carolina in the 18th century.Lerch 328 Name The meaning of the name ''Waccamaw'' is ...
tribe. The Waccamaw used the river for travel and fished along the shore around
Little River Little River may refer to several places: Australia Streams New South Wales *Little River (Dubbo), source in the Dubbo region, a tributary of the Macquarie River * Little River (Oberon), source in the Oberon Shire, a tributary of Coxs River (Haw ...
. Waties Island, the primary
barrier island Barrier islands are a Coast#Landforms, coastal landform, a type of dune, dune system and sand island, where an area of sand has been formed by wave and tidal action parallel to the mainland coast. They usually occur in chains, consisting of an ...
along Long Bay, has evidence of burial and shell mounds, remains of the visiting Waccamaw. The first European settlers along Long Bay arrived in the late 18th century, attempting to extend the plantation system outward toward the ocean. Records are sparse from this period, with most of the recorded history pieced together from English colonial
land grant A land grant is a gift of real estate—land or its use privileges—made by a government or other authority as an incentive, means of enabling works, or as a reward for services to an individual, especially in return for military service. Grants ...
documents. These settlers gained mixed results, producing unremarkable quantities of
indigo InterGlobe Aviation Limited (d/b/a IndiGo), is an India, Indian airline headquartered in Gurgaon, Haryana, India. It is the largest List of airlines of India, airline in India by passengers carried and fleet size, with a 64.1% domestic market ...
and tobacco, the two major commodity crops. The coast's soil was sandy and most of the crop yields were of inferior quality. Prior to the
American Revolution The American Revolution (1765–1783) was a colonial rebellion and war of independence in which the Thirteen Colonies broke from British America, British rule to form the United States of America. The revolution culminated in the American ...
, the area along the future Grand Strand was essentially uninhabited. Several families received land grants along the coast, including the Witherses: John, Richard, William, and Mary. This family received an area around present-day Wither's Swash, also known as Myrtle Swash or the Eight-Mile Swash. A separate grant was granted to James Minor, including a barrier island named Minor Island, now Waties Island, off the coast near Little River.A. Geff Bedford: ''The Independent Republic, a Survey History of Horry County, South Carolina'', 2nd edition, 1989 Mary Withers's gravestone at Prince George Winyah Parish Church speaks to the remoteness of the former Strand: "She gave up the pleasures of Society and retired to Long Bay, where she resided a great part of her life devoted to the welfare of her children." As the American colonies gained independence, the area remained essentially unchanged, and the coast remained barren.
George Washington George Washington (, 1799) was a Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the first president of the United States, serving from 1789 to 1797. As commander of the Continental Army, Washington led Patriot (American Revoluti ...
scouted out the Southern states during his term, traveling down the King's Highway. He stayed a night at Windy Hill (part of present-day
North Myrtle Beach North Myrtle Beach is a city in Horry County, South Carolina, United States. It was created in 1968 from four existing municipalities, and is located about northeast of Myrtle Beach. It serves as one of the primary tourist destinations along t ...
) and was led across Wither's Swash to Georgetown by Jeremiah Vereen. The Withers family remained one of the few settlers around Myrtle Beach for the next half-century. In 1822, a strong
hurricane A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system with a low-pressure area, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depending on its ...
swept the house of R. F. Withers into the ocean, drowning 18 people inside. The tragedy made the Withers family decide to abandon their plots along the coast. Left unattended, the area began to return to forest. The Burroughs and Collins Company of
Conway Conway may refer to: Places United States * Conway, Arkansas * Conway County, Arkansas * Lake Conway, Arkansas * Conway, Florida * Conway, Iowa * Conway, Kansas * Conway, Louisiana * Conway, Massachusetts * Conway, Michigan * Conway Townshi ...
, predecessor of modern-day Burroughs & Chapin, purchased much of the Withers family's land in 1881. The growing community was called "New Town" around the start of the 20th century. A
post office A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail services, such as accepting letter (message), letters and parcel (package), parcels, providing post office boxes, and selling postage stamps, packaging, and stationery. Post o ...
named "Withers" was established to serve the site of the old Swash in 1888. On 28 February 1899, Burroughs and Collins received a charter to build the Conway & Seashore Railroad to transport timber from the coast to inland customers. The railroad began daily service on 1 May 1900, with two wood-burning locomotives. One of the engines was dubbed ''The Black Maria'' and came second-hand from a
North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...
logging operation. After the railroad was finished, employees of the lumber and railroad company would take train
flatcar A flatcar (US) (also flat car, or flatbed) is a piece of rolling stock that consists of an open, flat deck mounted on trucks (US) or bogies (UK) at each end. Occasionally, flat cars designed to carry extra heavy or extra large loads are mounted ...
s down to the beach area on their free weekends, becoming the first Grand Strand tourists. The railroad terminus was nicknamed "New Town", contrasting it with the "Old Town", or
Conway Conway may refer to: Places United States * Conway, Arkansas * Conway County, Arkansas * Lake Conway, Arkansas * Conway, Florida * Conway, Iowa * Conway, Kansas * Conway, Louisiana * Conway, Massachusetts * Conway, Michigan * Conway Townshi ...
. Around the start of the 20th century, Franklin Burroughs envisioned turning New Town into a tourist destination rivaling the Florida and northeastern beaches. Burroughs died in 1897, but his sons completed the railroad's expansion to the beach and opened the Seaside Inn in 1901. Around 1900, a contest was held to name the area, and Burroughs's wife suggested honoring the locally abundant shrub, the southern wax myrtle (''
Myrica cerifera ''Myrica cerifera'' is an evergreen tree or large shrub native to North and Central America and the Caribbean. Its common names include southern wax myrtle, southern bayberry, candleberry, bayberry tree, and tallow shrub. It has uses in the garde ...
''). The Withers post office changed its name to "Myrtle Beach" soon afterward. It incorporated as a town in 1938 and as a city in 1957. In 1937, Myrtle Beach Municipal Airport was built. It was taken over by the
U.S. Army Air Corps The United States Army Air Corps (USAAC) was the aerial warfare service component of the United States Army between 1926 and 1941. After World War I, as early aviation became an increasingly important part of modern warfare, a philosophical ri ...
in 1940 and converted into a
military base A military base is a facility directly owned and operated by or for the military or one of its branches that shelters military equipment and personnel, and facilitates training and operations. A military base always provides accommodations for ...
. Commercial flights began in 1976 and shared the runway for over 15 years until the air base closed in 1993. Since then the airport has been named
Myrtle Beach International Airport Myrtle Beach International Airport is a county-owned public-use airport. It is located southwest of the central business district of Myrtle Beach, in Horry County, South Carolina, United States. It was formerly known as Myrtle Beach Jetpor ...
. In 2010 plans to build a new terminal were approved. In 1940, Kings Highway was finally paved, giving Myrtle Beach its first primary highway. The Myrtle Heights-Oak Park Historic District, Myrtle Beach Atlantic Coast Line Railroad Station,
Ocean Forest Country Club Ocean Forest Country Club, previously known as Ocean Forest Hotel and Country Club, and called Pine Lakes Country Club since 1946, is a historic country club and hotel located at Myrtle Beach in Horry County, South Carolina. The club and hotel w ...
and Pleasant Inn are listed on the
National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...
. Also listed were the Chesterfield Inn, Rainbow Court and the
Myrtle Beach Pavilion The Myrtle Beach Pavilion was a historic pay-per-ride, no parking fee, 11-acre amusement park that was located in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina at the corner of 9th Avenue North and Ocean Boulevard. It was just a few blocks down from another Myrtl ...
, all now demolished. The Gay Dolphin Gift Cove on the
Boardwalk A boardwalk (alternatively board walk, boarded path, or promenade) is an elevated footpath, walkway, or causeway typically built with wooden planks, which functions as a type of low water bridge or small viaduct that enables pedestrians to ...
was built in 1946 and sells seashells and Myrtle Beach souvenirs. It claims to be the "nation's largest gift shop".


Geography

Myrtle Beach has been separated from the continental United States since 1936 by the
Intracoastal Waterway The Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) is a Navigability, inland waterway along the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico coasts of the United States, running from Massachusetts southward along the Atlantic Seaboard and around the southern tip of Florida, the ...
, forcing the city and area in general to develop within a small distance from the coast. In part due to this separation, the area directly northwest of Myrtle Beach, across the waterway, remained primarily rural for a while, whereas its northeastern and southwestern ends were bordered by other developed tourist towns,
North Myrtle Beach North Myrtle Beach is a city in Horry County, South Carolina, United States. It was created in 1968 from four existing municipalities, and is located about northeast of Myrtle Beach. It serves as one of the primary tourist destinations along t ...
and Surfside Beach. Since then, the inland portion of the Myrtle Beach area has developed dramatically. Myrtle Beach is by highway southeast of
Florence, South Carolina 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 metropol ...
, northeast of
Charleston, South Carolina Charleston is the List of municipalities in South Carolina, most populous city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The city lies just south of the geographical midpoint of South Carolina's coastline on Charleston Harbor, an inlet of the Atla ...
, and southwest of
Wilmington, North Carolina Wilmington is a port city in New Hanover County, North Carolina, United States. With a population of 115,451 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, eighth-most populous city in the st ...
. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and (1.14%) is water.


Neighborhoods

* Arcadian Shores * Benton Park * Booker T. Washington * Carrie May Johnson * Carver * Chestnut Hill * Dogwood * Dunes Cove * East Chester * Fantasy Harbour * Forest Acres * Forest Dunes * Futrell Park * Grande Dunes * Green Bay Park * Harlem * Highlands * Hurl Rocks * Konig * Market Common * Myrtlewood * Myrtle Heights * Northwood * Ocean Forest * Ocean View * Old Pine Lakes * Owens * Pebble Beach * Pine Lake Estates * Pine Lakes * Plantation Point * Racepath * Ramsey Acres * Seagate Village * Springmaid Beach * The Dunes * Washington Park * Withers Preserve * Withers Swash * Yaupon Circle


Climate

According to the
Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...
, Myrtle Beach has a
humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a subtropical -temperate climate type, characterized by long and hot summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between ...
or Cfa – typical of the Gulf and South Atlantic states. The city enjoys abundant sunshine year-round with more than 2800 hours annually. The summer season is long, hot, and humid in Myrtle Beach. Average daytime highs are from and average night-time lows are near . The coastal location of Myrtle Beach mitigates daytime summer heat ''somewhat'' compared to inland areas of South Carolina: Thus, while nearby
Florence Florence ( ; ) is the capital city of the Italy, Italian region of Tuscany. It is also the most populated city in Tuscany, with 362,353 inhabitants, and 989,460 in Metropolitan City of Florence, its metropolitan province as of 2025. Florence ...
averages 65 days annually with high temperatures of or higher – Myrtle Beach averages only 21. The
Bermuda High The Azores High also known as North Atlantic (Subtropical) High/Anticyclone or the Bermuda- High, is a large subtropical semi-permanent centre of high atmospheric pressure typically found south of the Azores in the Atlantic Ocean, at the Horse lat ...
pumps in humidity from the tropical Atlantic toward Myrtle Beach, giving summers a near-tropical feel in the city. The warm Atlantic Ocean reaches or higher in the summer months off Myrtle Beach, making for warm and sultry summer nights. Summer thunderstorms are common in the hot season in Myrtle Beach, and the summer months from June through September have the most
precipitation In meteorology, precipitation is any product of the condensation of atmospheric water vapor that falls from clouds due to gravitational pull. The main forms of precipitation include drizzle, rain, rain and snow mixed ("sleet" in Commonwe ...
. In summer, thunderstorms normally build during the heat of the day – followed by brief and intense downpours. On average, September is the wettest month, with August close behind, due to the combination of thunderstorms and tropical weather systems that peaks these months. Myrtle Beach has mostly mild winters of short duration: Average daytime highs range from and nighttime lows are in the from December through February. Winter temperatures vary more than summer temperatures in Myrtle Beach: Some winters can see several cold days with highs only in the upper 40s F (7–9 °C), while other winter days can see highs in the upper 60s and low 70s F (19–23 °C). Myrtle Beach averages 33 days annually with
frost Frost is a thin layer of ice on a solid surface, which forms from water vapor that deposits onto a freezing surface. Frost forms when the air contains more water vapor than it can normally hold at a specific temperature. The process is simila ...
, though in some years less than 15 days will see frost. Snowfall is very rare in Myrtle Beach; however, at least a trace of snow falls a few times each decade. In February 2010, a rare of snow fell in Myrtle Beach. The spring (March, April and May) and fall (September, October and November) months are normally mild and sunny in Myrtle Beach, with high temperatures in the 60s and 70s. The beach season in Myrtle Beach normally runs from late April through late October.
Sea surface temperatures Sea surface temperature (or ocean surface temperature) is the ocean temperature, temperature of ocean water close to the surface. The exact meaning of ''surface'' varies in the literature and in practice. It is usually between and below the sea ...
are often in the lower 80's (26–28 °C) off South Carolina in summer and early fall. The temperature range measured in Myrtle Beach has historically ranged from a record high of on June 26, 1952 and August 5, 1954 to the record winter cold of on February 18, 1958. In spite of the mild winter averages, ice days have been recorded, albeit rarely. The coldest daily maximum was in January 11, 1962 whereas the normal year between 1991 and 2020 had the coldest maximum average of . Overnight lows can be extremely hot and muggy, although the record warm low of on July 12, 1942 is some way above the means of for the warmest annual minimum. Summer thunderstorms are typically brief, but severe thunderstorms do occur on occasion. Tornadoes are rare, with the most significant event occurring in
2001 The year's most prominent event was the September 11 attacks against the United States by al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror. The United States led a Participan ...
when multiple tornadoes touched down in the area.
Tropical cyclones A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system with a low-pressure area, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depending on its ...
occasionally impact Myrtle Beach, though weaker tropical storms and weak tropical lows are more common. Like most areas prone to tropical cyclones, a direct hit by a major hurricane is infrequent in Myrtle Beach. The last hurricane to cause significant damage in Myrtle Beach was
Hurricane Hugo Hurricane Hugo was a powerful tropical cyclone that inflicted widespread destruction across the northeastern Caribbean and the Southeastern United States in September 1989. The eleventh tropical cyclone, eighth Tropical cyclone naming, named st ...
in 1989. The worst hurricane in Myrtle Beach's history was
Hurricane Hazel Hurricane Hazel was the deadliest, second-costliest, and most intense hurricane of the 1954 Atlantic hurricane season. The storm killed at least 469 people in Haiti before it struck the United States near the border between North and Sou ...
in 1954.


Demographics

Myrtle Beach is the largest principal city of the Myrtle Beach-Conway, SC Combined Statistical Area, which had an estimated population of 463,209 in 2023, and includes the Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach, SC Metropolitan Statistical Area (Horry County) and the Murrells Inlet, SC Micropolitan Statistical Area (Georgetown County).


2020 census

As of the 2020 census, there were 35,682 people, 13,817 households, and 7,678 families residing in the city.


2010/2000 census

At the 2010 census, the population of Myrtle Beach was 27,109. At the 2000 census, there were 22,759 permanent residents in Myrtle Beach, 10,413 households, 5,414 families, , with 14,658 housing units at an average density of .


Ethnicities

The city's racial makeup was: * 72.3%
White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...
* 13.9%
Black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...
* 0.7% Native American * 1.5% Asian * 0.3%
Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...
* 8.7% from other races * 2.7% from two or more races.
Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...
or Latino residents, of any race, were 13.7% of the population.


Age

Of the total Myrtle Beach population: * 18.0% were 1–17 * 11.0% were between 18 and 24 * 33.6% were between 25 and 44 * 22.5% were between 45 and 64 * 15.0% were 65 or older * Median age was 37 years * 103 males per 100 females overall * 101 males per 100 females age 18 and over


Income

* Overall median income for a household in the city was $50,173 * Median income for a family was $43,900 * Males had a median income of $26,039 * Females had a median income of $22,473 * The per capita income for the city was $23,214. * About 7.6% of families and 12.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.1% of those under age 18 and 6.6% of those age 65 or over.


Crime rate

Crime rate levels in Myrtle Beach are high compared to the rest of South Carolina. The FBI reported 583 cases of violent crime in the year 2016, of which 5 were murder, 46 were rape and 139 were robbery. Aggravated assault 348, property crime 4395, burglary 469, larceny theft 3555, motor vehicle theft 371, and arson 10 were also reported. The average number of crimes per thousand population is 0.16 murders, 1.43 rapes, 4.31 robberies and 10.83 assaults. The FBI reported 483 violent crimes in 2000, of which 1 was murder and 39 were rapes.


Economy

Myrtle Beach's economy is dominated by the tourist industry; hotels, motels, resorts, restaurants, attractions, and retail developments exist in abundance to serve visitors.


Tourism

Hosting over 20 million visitors annually, the Grand Strand is home to an array of tourist attractions, and the area receives a large influx of visitors during all seasons. It is estimated that nearly 100,000 visitors a year are international travelers, including tourists from Canada, Germany and the United Kingdom. Myrtle Beach hosts a variety of special conventions, events, and musical concerts. The area's attractions include its beaches and courses, amusement parks, an aquarium, Legends in Concert, retail developments, shopping complexes and over 1,900 restaurants including seafood restaurants. The area also has dinner theaters, nightclubs, and many tourist shops. Myrtle Beach has approximately 425 hotels, with many on the beachfront, and approximately 157 accommodation units in total. The area is also home to over 80 golf courses and over 30 miniature golf courses. Live shows are offered year round at theaters including the
Alabama Theatre The Alabama Theatre is a movie palace in Birmingham, Alabama, United States. It was built in 1927 by Paramount Pictures, Paramount's Publix Theatres chain as its flagship theater for the Southeastern United States, southeastern region of the Un ...
,
Carolina Opry The Carolina Opry is a musical variety show located in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. History The Carolina Opry opened in Surfside Beach, South Carolina in 1986 and was founded by singer, producer and entrepreneur, Calvin Gilmore. The original ...
, Asher Theater, Calvin Gilmore Theater, Legends in Concert, and
Medieval Times In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and t ...
Family Dinner Theater. Several shows offer special holiday themed shows. The
Myrtle Beach Boardwalk The Myrtle Beach Boardwalk & Promenade, located in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, runs along the oceanfront from the Pier 14 at 14th Avenue North to the 2nd Avenue Pier at 2nd Avenue North. The promenade officially opened in May 2010 at a cost of ...
opened in 2010 and has been recognized as the nation's #3 boardwalk by ''
National Geographic ''National Geographic'' (formerly ''The National Geographic Magazine'', sometimes branded as ''Nat Geo'') is an American monthly magazine published by National Geographic Partners. The magazine was founded in 1888 as a scholarly journal, nine ...
'' and one of the best US boardwalks by
Travel + Leisure Travel + Leisure Co. (formerly Wyndham Destinations, Inc., and Wyndham Worldwide Corporation) is an American timeshare company headquartered in Orlando, Florida. It develops, sells, and manages timeshare properties under several vacation owners ...
magazine. The Myrtle Beach Skywheel opened at the boardwalk in May 2011, and is a observation wheel, similar to a ferris wheel, with glass gondolas that look over the Atlantic Ocean. This is the first wheel of its kind in the U.S. Myrtle Beach State Park, established in 1935, has just under a mile of Grand Strand beach and is a prime location for camping, swimming, hiking, biking, and fishing.
Pier 14 Pier 14 is a restaurant, lounge, and fishing pier in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Sandwiched between a strip of hotels and the Myrtle Beach Boardwalk and Promenade, the pier thrives on tourists and vacationers. Pier 14 is a sufficient example of ...
by the Boardwalk. The
Myrtle Beach Convention Center Myrtle Beach Convention Center is an 8,000-seat multi-purpose arena in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. It hosts various local concerts, conventions, and sporting events for the Myrtle Beach area. History The original facility opened in October 196 ...
is a large facility that hosts a variety of meetings, conferences, exhibits, and special events every year. The expansive center, which opened in 2003, has a Sheraton hotel and resort.


Annual events

Each March since 1951 during
Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...
's
spring break Spring break is a vacation period at universities and schools that includes the Easter holiday, and takes place in early Northern Hemisphere spring. Introduced in the U.S. during the 1930s, spring break has been observed in Europe since t ...
, Myrtle Beach has hosted Canadian-American Days, also known as Can-Am Days. Tens of thousands of tourists flock to the area for a week's worth of special events. Myrtle Beach is also home to Coastal Uncorked, a food and wine festival held in the late spring annually. The city hosts Sun Fun Festival early each June. Later in June, Myrtle Beach is a popular destination for recently graduated high school seniors for
Senior Week Senior Week (also known as Beach Week, Senior Trip, Sweek, or Grad Week) is a week where recently graduated high school and college seniors in the United States, mainly from the East Coast and the South go to the beach to spend time with their fri ...
. Carolina Country Music Fest (CCMF) is an outdoor country music festival that takes place in June of each year and was founded in 2015 by Charlotte-based company Full House Productions. Due to concerns surrounding the coronavirus pandemic the festival wasn't held in 2020, but is scheduled to return in 2021 and take place on 10–13 June 2021.
Myrtle Beach International Airport Myrtle Beach International Airport is a county-owned public-use airport. It is located southwest of the central business district of Myrtle Beach, in Horry County, South Carolina, United States. It was formerly known as Myrtle Beach Jetpor ...
serves the city and surrounding area. With regular flights to and from destinations such as Atlanta, Boston, Detroit, Fort Lauderdale, New York and Washington, the airport is well connected for both domestic and international tourists. It also serves as a seasonal gateway to and from the likes of Chicago, Dallas and Toronto. The city is between
Wilmington, North Carolina Wilmington is a port city in New Hanover County, North Carolina, United States. With a population of 115,451 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, eighth-most populous city in the st ...
and
Charleston, South Carolina Charleston is the List of municipalities in South Carolina, most populous city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The city lies just south of the geographical midpoint of South Carolina's coastline on Charleston Harbor, an inlet of the Atla ...
with
U.S. Route 17 U.S. Route 17 or U.S. Highway 17 (US 17), also known as the Coastal Highway, is a north–south United States Numbered Highway that spans in the Southeastern United States. It runs close to the East Coast of the United States, At ...
serving as the main transport link for those journeying between those cities.


Thong bikini ban

Thong The thong is a Clothing, garment generally used as either underwear or in some countries, as a swimsuit. It may also be worn for traditional Ceremony, ceremonies or Sport, competitions. Viewed from the front, the thong typically resembles a b ...
s (or any swimwear revealing any portion of the
buttocks The buttocks (: buttock) are two rounded portions of the exterior anatomy of most mammals, located on the posterior of the pelvic region. In humans, the buttocks are located between the lower back and the perineum. They are composed of a lay ...
) are not permitted in public in Myrtle Beach, including all beaches. Violators of the ban may be arrested, jailed, or fined. The city's "thong ordinance" has been in effect since the 1990s.


=Motorcycle rallies

= Myrtle Beach Bike Week, also called "Harley Bike Week", is a week-long
motorcycle rally A motorcycle rally is a gathering of motorcycle enthusiasts. Rallies can be large or small, and one-time or recurring. Some rallies are ride-in events, whereas some like the Iron Butt Rally involve days of riding and an actual gathering only at t ...
first held in 1940, the same year Kings Highway was paved. The event has attracted as many as 200,000 visitors to the city every May.
Black Bike Week Black Bike Week, also called Atlantic Beach Bikefest, Black Bikers Week, and The Black Pearl Cultural Heritage and Bike Festival, is an annual motorcycle rally in the Myrtle Beach, South Carolina area, held on Memorial Day weekend. Called a "one- ...
, founded in 1980, takes place the weekend around Memorial Day Weekend and is the largest African American motorcycle rally in the US and attracts as many as 400,000 visitors. The event was created in response to a history of discrimination against African-American visitors and riders to Myrtle Beach and the Grand Strand Area. The Myrtle Beach government created 15 new laws aimed at preventing all sanctioned motorcycle events within the city in response to controversy including accusations of racism by African-American riders during their event and complaints of lawlessness and poor behavior during all highly attended events. Several lawsuits by the
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is an American civil rights organization formed in 1909 as an interracial endeavor to advance justice for African Americans by a group including W. E. B. Du&nbs ...
(NAACP) against Myrtle Beach businesses were settled with agreements that discrimination cease, compensation be given to some plaintiffs, and employees be given diversity training. The NAACP suit against the City of Myrtle Beach was settled in 2006 without the city paying damages, but with the agreement police would use the same traffic control rules during both the black and the white motorcycle rallies. The
South Carolina Supreme Court The Supreme Court of South Carolina is the highest court in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The court is composed of a chief justice and four associate justices.
in June 2010 unanimously overturned one of the 15 ordinances, which had required all motorcyclists to wear
helmets A helmet is a form of protective gear worn to protect the Human head, head. More specifically, a helmet complements the skull in protecting the human brain. Ceremonial or symbolic helmets (e.g., a Custodian helmet, policeman's helmet in the Unite ...
, on the grounds that the state law, requiring helmets only for riders under age 21, cannot be preempted by a city ordinance. In addition, the Court ruled that the ordinance created undue confusion, and that the city itself had invalidated their own helmet law and some other ordinances in a subsequent amendment. The law had been challenged by a group of motorcyclists and a group of Myrtle Beach businesses called BOOST, Business Owners Organized to Support Tourism, who opposed the city's anti-motorcycle tourism policy.


Shopping

Major shopping malls in Myrtle Beach include: * Barefoot Landing is an outdoor shopping complex that consists of several divided sections on filled land over top of Louis Lake, next to the Intracoastal Waterway. It contains many stores and attractions such as
House of Blues House of Blues is an American chain of live music concert halls and restaurants. It was founded by Isaac Tigrett, the co-founder of Hard Rock Cafe, and Dan Aykroyd, co-star of the 1980 film ''The Blues Brothers (film), The Blues Brothers''. The ...
(opened in 1997) and the
Alabama Theatre The Alabama Theatre is a movie palace in Birmingham, Alabama, United States. It was built in 1927 by Paramount Pictures, Paramount's Publix Theatres chain as its flagship theater for the Southeastern United States, southeastern region of the Un ...
. Opened in 1988. *
Broadway at the Beach __NOTOC__ Broadway at the Beach is a shopping center and entertainment complex located in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Broadway at the Beach is owned and operated by Burroughs & Chapin. The $250 million attraction is set on in the heart of Myrt ...
is a shopping complex set on along the U.S. 17 Bypass surrounding the Lake Broadway. It is the largest festival entertainment complex in South Carolina. * Coastal Grand Mall opened in 2004 and is the second largest indoor malls in the state. The mall, which has indoor and outdoor shopping areas, has a gross leasable area of . The single-story facility has five anchor stores (including
Sears Sears, Roebuck and Co., commonly known as Sears ( ), is an American chain of department stores and online retailer founded in 1892 by Richard Warren Sears and Alvah Curtis Roebuck and reincorporated in 1906 by Richard Sears and Julius Rosen ...
,
Belk Belk, Inc. is an American department store chain founded in 1888 by William Henry Belk in Monroe, North Carolina, with nearly 300 locations in 16 states. Belk stores and Belk.com offer apparel, shoes, accessories, cosmetics, home furnishings, a ...
,
JCPenney Penney OpCo LLC , Trade name, doing business as JCPenney (colloquially Penney's and abbreviated JCP) is an American department store chain store, chain with 649 stores across 49 U.S. states and Puerto Rico. It is managed as part of the Catalys ...
, and
Dillard's Dillard's, Inc. is an American department store chain with approximately 267 stores in 29 states and headquartered in Little Rock, Arkansas. Currently, the largest number of stores are located in Texas with 57 and Florida with 42. The company a ...
), a 14-screen movie theater, a food court, and roughly 170 stores in total. * The Market Common is a lifestyle district housing several upscale retail and apartments. It is on the site of the former Myrtle Beach Air Force Base. * Myrtle Beach Mall is , and has three anchor stores,
Bass Pro Shops BPS Direct, LLC, trade name, doing business as Bass Pro Shops, is an American privately held sporting goods retailer that offers hunting, fishing, camping, and other related outdoor recreation equipment, marine manufacturing and sales, and outd ...
,
Belk Belk, Inc. is an American department store chain founded in 1888 by William Henry Belk in Monroe, North Carolina, with nearly 300 locations in 16 states. Belk stores and Belk.com offer apparel, shoes, accessories, cosmetics, home furnishings, a ...
and
JCPenney Penney OpCo LLC , Trade name, doing business as JCPenney (colloquially Penney's and abbreviated JCP) is an American department store chain store, chain with 649 stores across 49 U.S. states and Puerto Rico. It is managed as part of the Catalys ...
. The single-story mall also has a 12-screen movie theater, a food court, and other specialty stores. It used to be known as Colonial Mall, and was built as Briarcliffe Mall. *
Tanger Outlets Tanger Inc. is a real estate investment trust headquartered in Greensboro, North Carolina, that invests in open air outlet and lifestyle shopping centers in the United States and Canada. As of March 31, 2025, the company owns and manages 37 o ...
is a shopping outlet center. There are two locations, one near Briarcliffe Acres and one near Carolina Forest.


Sports


Golf

The area is home to numerous golf courses and mini-golf courses along the Grand Strand and further inland. Myrtle Beach has been called the "Golf Capital of the World" because of the roughly 100 golf courses there, the record 4.2 million rounds played, and many miniature golf courses. 3.2 million total rounds of golf were played in 2017, down a "few hundred rounds" from a decade earlier. The number of golf courses more than doubled to over 120 over a 20-year period before declining late in the first decade of the 21st century.
Tiger Woods Eldrick Tont "Tiger" Woods (born December 30, 1975) is an American professional golfer. He is tied for first in List of golfers with most PGA Tour wins, PGA Tour wins, ranks second in List of men's major championships winning golfers, men's m ...
declared Myrtle Beach "the mecca of golf" when visiting in 1997. The majority of the area's golf courses are public. The Grand Strand is home of " Hootie and the Blowfish Day After the Masters Tournament". Extensive Chinese investment to the Myrtle Beach area golf market has resulted in a significant surge of Chinese tourists to the area and also resulted in 25+ golf courses being owned and/or operated by Chinese nationals. Some of the notable golf courses and/or resorts include Barefoot Resort & Golf and TPC of Myrtle Beach.


Long-distance running events

From 1998 to 2009 and again starting in 2011 (no Saturday races were held in 2010 due to snow), the area hosted the '' Bi-Lo Myrtle Beach Marathon presented by
Chick-Fil-A Chick-fil-A, Inc. ( , a Word play, play on the American English pronunciation of "wikt:filet#Pronunciation, filet") is an American fast food restaurant chain and the largest chain specializing in Chicken burger, chicken sandwiches. Headquarter ...
'', every February featuring (since 2004) the Friday night
Royal Bank of Canada Royal Bank of Canada (RBC; ) is a Canadian multinational Financial institution, financial services company and the Big Five (banks), largest bank in Canada by market capitalization. The bank serves over 20 million clients and has more than ...
5K and the Saturday Dasani Half Marathon and Bi-Lo Marathon (from 1998 until 2008, a relay was held but dropped because of the popularity of the other events). Marathon day draws the limit of 6,000 runners annually (2,500 full, 3,500 half) and results usually in an unusual dawn as the race starts before dawn (6:30 am) in order to finish by 2:30 pm.


Athletic teams and facilities

Myrtle Beach is home to the
Myrtle Beach Pelicans The Myrtle Beach Pelicans are a Minor League Baseball team in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, and the Single-A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs of the National League in Major League Baseball. The Pelicans compete in the Carolina League. Home games a ...
, a
Carolina League The Carolina League is a Minor League Baseball league which has operated along the Atlantic Coast of the United States since 1945. Having been classified at various levels throughout its existence, it operated at Class A-Advanced from 1990 unti ...
baseball team and a
Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Division. Th ...
farm franchise. It was also home to the Myrtle Beach Mutiny, a pro soccer team playing in the
Premier Development League USL League Two (USL2), formerly the Premier Development League (PDL), is a semi-professional soccer league sponsored by United Soccer Leagues in the United States, forming part of the United States soccer league system. The league will featu ...
until 2018. Pelicans Ballpark is the home field of the Myrtle Beach Pelicans. It opened in 1999. It is the finish point of the Bi-Lo Myrtle Beach Marathon. Pelicans Ballpark is also home of the annual "Baseball at the Beach" collegiate baseball tournament. Hosted by
Coastal Carolina University Coastal Carolina University (CCU or Coastal) is a public university in Conway, South Carolina, United States. Founded in 1954 as Coastal Carolina Junior College, and later joining the University of South Carolina System as USC Coastal Carolina, ...
each year, the tournament pits participating NCAA Division I baseball programs in the United States.


NASCAR

NASCAR The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. It is considered to be one of the top ranked motorsports organizations in ...
-sanctioned
Stock car racing Stock car racing is a form of Auto racing, automobile racing run on oval track racing, oval tracks and road courses. It originally used Production vehicle, production-model cars, hence the name "stock car", but is now run using cars specifical ...
was held at
Myrtle Beach Speedway Myrtle Beach Speedway (originally named Rambi Raceway) was a Short track motor racing, short track located on U.S. Route 501 near Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. The track was built in 1958. The speedway was a semi-banked Asphalt concrete, asphalt ...
, a , semi-banked, asphalt-paved oval track lon US 501. Drivers in the Late Model classes will compete (against those of
Greenville-Pickens Speedway Greenville-Pickens Speedway is a race track located in Easley, South Carolina, just west of Greenville, South Carolina. The track hosted weekly NASCAR sanctioned races. Several NASCAR touring series have raced at the track in prior years, includ ...
) for the South Carolina Championship in the
NASCAR Whelen All-American Series The NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series (formerly the Whelen All-American Series, Winston Racing Series and the Dodge Weekly Series) is a points championship for NASCAR-sanctioned local short-track motor racing in the United States and Canad ...
. South Carolina Champions' scores will be calculated against other state and provincial champions for a continental championship. It hosted the 2010 UOA Nationals where 8 collegiate ultimate teams from 5 conferences will be represented.


Government

The city of Myrtle Beach has a council-manager government. The Mayor sits as a Council member-at-large and presides over
City council A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, borough counc ...
meetings. If the Mayor cannot preside over a City Council meeting, the Mayor Pro-Tem is the presiding officer of the meeting until such time as the Mayor returns to the seat. The City Manager is responsible for the administration and the day-to-day operation of all of the
municipal services Municipal services or city services refer to basic services that residents of a city expect the local government to provide in exchange for the taxes which citizens pay. Basic city services may include sanitation (both sewer and refuse), wa ...
and city departments. The City Manager also maintains intergovernmental relationships with federal, state, county and other local governments. The city of Myrtle Beach reformed into a council-manager government system in 1974 under the administration of Mayor Bob Hirsch and city manager David Stradinger, who moved away from the city's former strong-mayor form of government.


Mayors

Brenda Bethune is the mayor of Myrtle Beach. She has served since 2018.


Education


Primary and secondary education


Public schools

Myrtle Beach is served by a single public school district. Horry County Schools educates around 40,000 students and is the third largest school district in South Carolina.


Private and charter schools

Below is a list of private schools and charter schools within or near the city of Myrtle Beach. * Bridgewater Academy (K–8) * Coastal Leadership Academy (9–12) * Calvary Christian School (PK–12) * Chabad Academy (PK–7) * Christian Academy of Myrtle Beach (K–12) * Holy Trinity Catholic School (PK–5) * Myrtle Beach Seventh-Day Adventist Christian School (K–8) * North Myrtle Beach Christian School (PK–12) * Risen Christ Christian Academy (PK–12) * St. Andrew Catholic School (K–8) * St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic High School (6–12) * St. Michael Catholic School (K–8) * Valorous Academy (PK–12)


Higher education

Myrtle Beach has the following college and post-secondary schools: * Golf Academy of America * Palmetto School of Career Development – Myrtle Beach campus * Horry-Georgetown Technical College – Myrtle Beach campus (main campus in
Conway Conway may refer to: Places United States * Conway, Arkansas * Conway County, Arkansas * Lake Conway, Arkansas * Conway, Florida * Conway, Iowa * Conway, Kansas * Conway, Louisiana * Conway, Massachusetts * Conway, Michigan * Conway Townshi ...
) *
Webster University Webster University is a private university with its main campus in Webster Groves, Missouri, United States. It has multiple branch locations across the United States and countries across Europe, Asia, and Africa. The university has an alumni net ...
– Myrtle Beach campus


Media


Television

The Grand Strand and
Florence, South Carolina 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 metropol ...
, share a common defined market by
Nielsen Media Research Nielsen Media Research (NMR) is an American firm that measures media audiences, including television, radio, theatre, films (via the AMC Theatres MAP program), and newspapers. Headquartered in New York City, it is best known for the Nielsen rat ...
in Horry,
Marion Marion or MARION may refer to: Arts and entertainment *Marion (band), a British alternative rock group * ''Marion'' (miniseries), a 1974 miniseries * ''Marion'' (1920 film), an Italian silent film * ''Marion'' (2024 film), a UK short People a ...
,
Dillon Dillon may refer to: People *Dillon (surname) * Dillon (given name) *Dillon (singer) (born 1988), Brazilian singer * J. J. Dillon, primary ring name of American professional wrestler James Morrison (born 1942) Places Canada * Dillon, Saskatchewa ...
,
Darlington Darlington is a market town in the Borough of Darlington, County Durham, England. It lies on the River Skerne, west of Middlesbrough and south of Durham. Darlington had a population of 107,800 at the 2021 Census, making it a "large town" ...
,
Marlboro Marlboro (, ) is an American brand of cigarettes owned and manufactured by Philip Morris USA (a branch of Altria) within the United States and by Philip Morris International (PMI, now separate from Altria) in most global territories outside the ...
,
Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...
, Robeson, and
Florence Florence ( ; ) is the capital city of the Italy, Italian region of Tuscany. It is also the most populated city in Tuscany, with 362,353 inhabitants, and 989,460 in Metropolitan City of Florence, its metropolitan province as of 2025. Florence ...
counties. Two major stations are licensed to Myrtle Beach:
NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...
affiliate WMBF-TV 32 and
Fox Foxes are small-to-medium-sized omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull; upright, triangular ears; a pointed, slightly upturned snout; and a long, bushy tail ("brush"). Twelve species ...
affiliate WFXB 43. Myrtle Beach is also served by
PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educat ...
member stations WHMC/WJPM-TV 23/33, licensed respectively to
Conway Conway may refer to: Places United States * Conway, Arkansas * Conway County, Arkansas * Lake Conway, Arkansas * Conway, Florida * Conway, Iowa * Conway, Kansas * Conway, Louisiana * Conway, Massachusetts * Conway, Michigan * Conway Townshi ...
and Florence, and two commercial stations licensed to Florence:
CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS (an abbreviation of its original name, Columbia Broadcasting System), is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainme ...
affiliate
WBTW WBTW (channel 13) is a television station licensed to Florence, South Carolina, United States, serving the Pee Dee and Grand Strand regions of South Carolina as an affiliate of CBS. The station is owned by Nexstar Media Group, and maintains ...
13 (with
MyNetworkTV MyNetworkTV (stylized as mynetworkTV; unofficially abbreviated MNT or MNTV) is an American commercial broadcast television syndication service and former television network owned by Fox Corporation, operated by its Fox Television Stations ...
on DT2) and
ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Broadcasting * Aliw Broadcasting Corporation, Philippine broadcast company * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial American ...
affiliate
WPDE-TV WPDE-TV (channel 15) is a television station licensed to Florence, South Carolina, United States, serving the Pee Dee and Grand Strand regions of South Carolina as an affiliate of ABC and The CW. It is owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group, which ...
15, (with
The CW The CW Network, LLC (commonly referred to as The CW or simply CW) is an American commercial broadcast television network which is controlled by Nexstar Media Group through a 75% ownership interest. The network's name is derived from the firs ...
on 15.2). WBTW has moved most of its operations to Myrtle Beach, while WPDE is now based in Conway.


Radio

The Myrtle Beach area is served by the following full power FM radio stations: Weather Radio Frequencies: 162.4, 162.5, 162.55
AM Radio Rrequencies:
900 __NOTOC__ Year 900 ( CM) was a leap year starting on Tuesday of the Julian calendar. Events By place Abbasid Caliphate * Spring – Forces under the Transoxianian emir Isma'il ibn Ahmad are victorious at Balkh (Northern Afghan ...
, 1050,
1200 The Proleptic Gregorian calendar called it a century leap year. Events By place Europe * Spring – Boniface I, Marquis of Montferrat, sends envoys to Venice, Genoa and other city-states to negotiate a contract for transport to t ...


Newspapers

''
The Sun News ''The Sun News'' is a daily newspaper published in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, in the United States. It serves the Grand Strand region of South Carolina. History The ''Myrtle Beach News'' was founded as a weekly in 1935 by brothers-in-law ...
'' has traditionally been the largest daily paper published along the
Grand Strand The Grand Strand is an arc of beach land on the Atlantic Ocean in South Carolina, United States, extending more than from Little River to Winyah Bay. It is located in Horry and Georgetown Counties on the northeastern South Carolina coast. Th ...
, with a readership base extending from
Georgetown, South Carolina Georgetown is the third oldest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina and the county seat of Georgetown County, South Carolina, Georgetown County, in the South Carolina Lowcountry, Lowcountry. As of the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census ...
, to Sunset Beach, North Carolina. The paper has been in existence since the 1930s and was formerly published by
Knight Ridder Knight Ridder was an American media company, specializing in newspaper and Internet publishing. It was bought by McClatchy on June 27, 2006, allowing the latter to become the second largest newspaper publisher in the United States at the time ...
before that company was bought by
The McClatchy Company McClatchy Media Company, or simply McClatchy and MCC, is an American publishing company incorporated under Delaware's General Corporation Law. Originally based in Sacramento, California, United States, and known as The McClatchy Company, it b ...
. Like many newspapers, the paper has declined in recent years due to shifts in readership and financial pressures at its parent company. It stopped local printing operations and downsized its newsroom in May 2020. Myrtle Beach is also served by '' The Myrtle Beach Herald'', a weekly newspaper that is part of the Waccamaw Publishers group. ''The Herald'' also produces a newspaper targeted at tourists called '' Visit!''. In 2020, Charleston-based ''
The Post and Courier ''The Post and Courier'' is the main daily newspaper in Charleston, South Carolina. It traces its ancestry to three newspapers, the ''Charleston Courier'', founded in 1803, the ''Charleston Daily News'', founded 1865, and ''The Evening Post'', f ...
'' set up an official bureau in Myrtle Beach, after years of attempting to move into the market and purchasing ''The Georgetown Times'', which it merged with the new operation.


Infrastructure


Healthcare

Grand Strand Medical Center (GSMC) is a 369-bed acute care hospital and Level 1 Adult Trauma Center known for its programs in
cardiology Cardiology () is the study of the heart. Cardiology is a branch of medicine that deals with disorders of the heart and the cardiovascular system. The field includes medical diagnosis and treatment of congenital heart defects, coronary artery di ...
, heart surgery, and stroke treatment. It was opened on 21 April 1978 to succeed the former Ocean View Memorial Hospital (1958-1978), the first major hospital in Myrtle Beach. GSMC contains the only cardiac surgery and
neurosurgery Neurosurgery or neurological surgery, known in common parlance as brain surgery, is the specialty (medicine), medical specialty that focuses on the surgical treatment or rehabilitation of disorders which affect any portion of the nervous system ...
programs in the greater Myrtle Beach area and was a recipient of the Healthgrades 100 Best Hospitals for Cardiac Surgery in 2012 and 2013. As a teaching hospital, Grand Strand Medical Center is the home of
ACGME The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) is the body responsible for accrediting all graduate medical training programs —internships, residencies, and fellowships (subspecialty programs) — for physicians in the United ...
accredited residency training programs (
internal medicine Internal medicine, also known as general medicine in Commonwealth nations, is a medical specialty for medical doctors focused on the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of diseases in adults. Its namesake stems from "treatment of diseases of ...
,
general surgery General surgery is a Surgical specialties, surgical specialty that focuses on alimentary canal and Abdomen, abdominal contents including the esophagus, stomach, small intestine, large intestine, liver, pancreas, gallbladder, Appendix (anatomy ...
,
emergency medicine Emergency medicine is the medical specialty concerned with the care of illnesses or injuries requiring immediate medical attention. Emergency physicians (or "ER doctors") specialize in providing care for unscheduled and undifferentiated pa ...
, and
family medicine Family medicine is a medical specialty that provides continuing and comprehensive health care for the individual and family across all ages, genders, diseases, and parts of the body. The specialist, who is usually a primary care physician, is ...
), and hosts rotating medical students from the
University of South Carolina The University of South Carolina (USC, SC, or Carolina) is a Public university, public research university in Columbia, South Carolina, United States. Founded in 1801 as South Carolina College, It is the flagship of the University of South Car ...
and
Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine The Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine (VCOM) is a private osteopathic medical school on the campus of Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia, with branch campuses in Spartanburg, South Carolina, Auburn, Alabama, and Monroe, Louisiana. ...
(VCOM). Over 270 physicians and 1,400 staff serve at the facility.


Transportation


Air

Myrtle Beach International Airport Myrtle Beach International Airport is a county-owned public-use airport. It is located southwest of the central business district of Myrtle Beach, in Horry County, South Carolina, United States. It was formerly known as Myrtle Beach Jetpor ...
is a county-owned public-use airport southwest of the central business district of Myrtle Beach. It was formerly known as Myrtle Beach Jetport (1974–1989) and is on the site of the former Myrtle Beach Air Force Base. The general aviation terminal, opened in May 2010, is located on the opposite side of the airport on Airdrome Street, near The Market Common. The terminal replaced a building previously used as base operations for the Myrtle Beach Air Force Base.


Rail

The Waccamaw Coast Line Railroad is a
short-line railroad A shortline railroad is a small or mid-sized railroad company that operates over a relatively short distance relative to larger, national railroad networks. The term is used primarily in the United States and Canada. In the former, railroads are ...
division of the Baltimore and Annapolis Railroad, extending from a connection with the Carolina Southern Railroad, another division of that company, at Conway to Myrtle Beach. The line was opened in 1900 by the Conway Coast and Western Railroad, a predecessor of the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad. The Seaboard System Railroad sold the line to Horry County, South Carolina, Horry County in November 1985, and it was operated by the Horry County Railway until October 1987, when the WCLR took over.Edward A. Lewis, American Shortline Railway Guide, 5th Edition, Kalmbach Publishing, 1996, pp. 324, 357 The Carolina Southern Railroad acquired the WCLR in September 1995, and since then it has been a division of the Baltimore and Annapolis Railroad. Horry County owns the line but leased it to the Carolina Southern Railroad in 2000. Carolina Southern Railroad is a short line rail operator running on less than of rail at a maximum speed of . It transports mostly freight brought to it from national rail operators. The company makes one scheduled delivery per month into the City of Myrtle Beach. It is off of Main Street in Conway, South Carolina, and is one of the few remaining train depots in South Carolina. It has been painstakingly restored to its former glory and the Carolina Southern Railroad has become one of the frequent destinations for freight services as well as passenger cars and observational locomotives. The railroad was originally erected in late 1886 and the first train steamed into the Conway Depot in December 1887. The Carolina Southern Railroad stands as a permanent landmark in Southern History. Carolina Southern Railroad is a member of the Carolina Rails system with connections that run from Whiteville, North Carolina, to Mullins, South Carolina, and also from Chadbourn, North Carolina, to Conway. Carolina Southern railroad is also responsible for operation of the Waccamaw Coast Line Railroad, which is a railway that runs from Conway to Myrtle Beach. On August 30, 2011, Carolina Southern Railroad voluntary shut down because several bridges along the rail were overdue for maintenance. The shutdown caused Carolina Southern Railroad to lay off nearly all of its employees. On May 24, 2012, the Federal Railroad Administration commenced a bridge inspection on the CSR and the Waccamaw Coastline Railroad (the Horry County portion of rail). Fifty-two of 187 bridges were inspected and seven had critical defects. On May 26, 2011, the CSR voluntarily ceased operation, so that they could bring in a certified bridge engineer to inspect the seven critical bridges and prepare a plan for their repairs. Based on the engineer's recommendations, CSR made the necessary repairs on the bridges and CSR resumed operations August 8, 2011. The FRA returned to inspect the bridges and made a recommendation that CSR cease operations until all bridge repairs were completed. There are efforts to bring the railroad back online. In 2015, railroad operator RJ Corman acquired the former CSR line and re-opened it freight service in early April 2016. Until 1955 the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad ran passenger rail service from the Myrtle Beach Station to Chadbourn, where a connection could be made to interstate ACL train service.


Roads

* * * * * * * Farrow Parkway * Robert Grissom Parkway, Grissom Parkway * Harrelson Boulevard * South Carolina Highway 73, Ocean Boulevard Within the last decade, new roads have been created to ease congestion caused by the yearly influx of visitors. Most of these roads follow the Metro Loop Road Plan, organized in 1997 to improve the traffic flow of Myrtle Beach. Some of the roads included have either been funded through Road Improvement Development Effort (RIDE I) funding or through the City of Myrtle Beach. RIDE II plans include the third phase of South Carolina Highway 31, SC 31, a graded separation of Farrow Parkway and US 17 Bypass at the back gate of the former Air Force base, and many other projects. The county is debating where to allocate the $400 million generated through a proposed 1-cent sales tax. Other road projects in Horry County, including some in Aynor, South Carolina, Aynor and Conway, will be included when voted upon. Plans exist for Myrtle Beach to be served by two interstates, Interstate 73, I-73 and Interstate 74, I-74. The Robert Edge Parkway will connect I-74 to downtown
North Myrtle Beach North Myrtle Beach is a city in Horry County, South Carolina, United States. It was created in 1968 from four existing municipalities, and is located about northeast of Myrtle Beach. It serves as one of the primary tourist destinations along t ...
.


Mass transit

Myrtle Beach is served by the Coast RTA and the Pee Dee Regional Transportation Authority.


Notable people

* Sigmund Abeles, American figurative artist * Ryan Arambula, soccer player * Meher Baba, Spirituality, spiritual master who said he was the Avatar of the age and established the Meher Spiritual Center near Myrtle Beach. He remained silent from 1925 until his death in 1969. * Steve Bailey, bassist * Madison Iseman, actress * Robert H. Brooks, founder of Naturally Fresh, Inc. and Hooters of America chains * Dusty Button, ballet dancer * Shane Carruth, filmmaker * Brandon Frye, former NFL player, drafted by the Houston Texans * Everett Golson, active Canadian Football League, CFL quarterback and starting quarterback for Notre Dame team that played in the 2013 BCS National Championship Game * Anthony James (actor), Anthony James, character actor in films and television * Dustin Johnson, PGA Tour player (attended Coastal Carolina University) * Ewa Laurance, professional billiards player * Elliot Levine, keyboardist and member of Heatwave (band), Heatwave * Clint Newton, rugby league player for the Penrith Panthers * Nancy O'Dell, television Personality * Hunter Renfrow, NFL wide receiver and return specialist for the Las Vegas Raiders * Brian Rutenberg, American painter * Ramon Sessions, NBA player for the Washington Wizards * Kelly Wearstler, interior designer and judge on Bravo (American TV network), Bravo's ''Top Design''


Sister cities

* Burlington, Ontario, Burlington, Ontario, Canada * Keighley, West Yorkshire, United Kingdom * Pinamar, Argentina * Killarney, County Kerry, Ireland * Tiberias, Israel


See also

* List of municipalities in South Carolina


References


External links

* * {{Authority control Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, Cities in South Carolina Myrtle Beach metropolitan area Seaside resorts in the United States Populated coastal places in South Carolina Cities in Horry County, South Carolina Beaches of South Carolina