 Myrtle Beach was incorporated as a town in 1938 and became a city in 1957. Its name comes from the wax myrtle, a shrub that grows abundantly in the area. Our 25,000 permanent residents welcome millions of visitors to this full-service resort community. Guests come to enjoy the wide beaches, the Atlantic Ocean, and an incredible range of activities, entertainment, golf, shopping and dining.
The Myrtle Beach area, also known as South Carolina’s Grand Strand, is a 60-mile stretch of coastline. The Grand Strand begins at the South Carolina state line at Little River (in Horry County) and stretches south to Pawleys Island (inside Georgetown County). Considered one of the nation’s top vacation destinations, the Grand Strand hosts nearly 13 million visitors annually. The increasing number of attractions, live-music theaters, shopping centers, and golf courses attracts visitors throughout the year.
Today, Myrtle Beach is a well known destination for vacationers from around the country, Canada and abroad. According to the 2000 Census, the city is at the heart of the 13th fastest growing metropolitan area in the U.S. Our 800 staff members are dedicated to being "First in Service" and are ready to provide assistance and answer your questions at any time.
 The North Myrtle Beach community is one of strength and character. It was originally inhabited by the Winyah and Waccamaw Indians. These Indians called the area “Chicora,” meaning “the land.” The Spanish were next to explore the North Myrtle Beach area as early as 1514, with Blackbeard’s pirates inhabiting the bays and inlets in the 1700s. The Cherry Grove Beach area used to house flourishing indigo plantations; however, due to insufficient means to reach the North Myrtle Beach area, most of the beach remained uninhabited until 1900 when the first railroad was created by the Burroughs & Chapin families. The county North Myrtle Beach is located in, Horry County, was named after a wealthy plantation owner and Revolutionary War General, Peter Horry.
The North Myrtle Beach area has a rich heritage and has come a long way in developing itself into a top tourist destination today. As both economic trends and the needs of the North Myrtle Beach area transform and change, you can be certain that the area’s heritage will remain just as important as the future growth of the North Myrtle Beach community. Planned and sustainable growth will make for a community which will remain committed to strong character and increasing profitability.
 Surfside Beach, incorporated in 1964 with 881 residents, is a town of 4,425 located in Horry County. We are located 4 miles South of Myrtle Beach and 85 miles North of Charleston.
First known as Roach's Beach, with only one two story building and several cottages surviving the hurricane of 1893, the region was purchased in the early 1920's. Principal industries were lumber and feed farming for the 30 or so horses and mules in the area. The new owner, Mr. George J. Holiday, renamed the area Floral Beach for his wife, Flora, and daughter, Floramay. In the late 1920's, a group from Columbia purchased and partially developed the land. In 1952, most of the land changed hands again and became known as Surfside Beach. The undeveloped beach area was covered with sand dunes; a one-lane sandy road led from the highway to a quiet, family beach.
 History in our community began writing itself long before this area was officially named Murrells Inlet by the post office in 1913. The origin of this name remains a mystery with theories resting in passed-down legends of pirates and fishermen and incomplete records of landowners, plats and maps.
The pages of Murrells Inlet's past are graced with footprints of Native American tribes, 16th century Spanish explorers and English colonists in the 17th century. In the 1700s and 1800s large land tracts were cultivated into successful rice plantations. By 1850, almost 47 million pounds of rice were produced in the Waccamaw Neck, an area that includes Murrells Inlet. South Carolina rice planters were far wealthier and more powerful than the tobacco, sugar and cotton plantation owners of the southeast. One rice planter, Joseph Alston, even became South Carolina governor. Also in the 1800s, pirates sailed our coastline and hid in the Inlet's winding creeks, waiting to plunder England-bound ships.
People who summered in Murrells Inlet in the 1800s generally traveled to Conway or Georgetown by train, then picked up a steamboat that docked at the Wachesaw river landing. A horse and buggy or oxen cart carried travelers and their belongings to their cottages. The river steamboats were known for serving excellent food. Many of the steamboats' cooks settled in Murrells Inlet and opened their own restaurants, giving the area a reputation for savory cuisine long ago.
 Pawley’s Island, South Carolina, located 70 miles north of Charleston and 25 miles south of Myrtle Beach, is known as one of the oldest summer resorts on the East Coast.
The families of rice planters who owned plantations on the nearby rivers first settled Pawley’s Island in the early 1700's. The planters knew that it was unhealthy for their families to remain on the rivers during the summer and that the seashore was much healthier. Even though they didn't know about malaria in the 1700's, they knew enough to get away! They moved their families, horses, cows, bedding, provisions and furniture to Pawley’s in May of each year, where they remained until the first frost in November!
From this leisurely existence has developed the charm of Pawley’s that still remains. Also still remaining are 12 residences in the historic district, which date from the late 1700's to the mid 1800's. Pawley’s continues to be known for its shoeless, carefree, laid-back life style, which includes crabbing in the adjacent creeks, fishing, the stories of ghosts, the rope hammocks and the unspoiled, unsophisticated, casual,
delightful stretch of wide beach and sand dunes.
 Garden City Beach is just Northeast of Murrells Inlet and South of Surfside Beach. Garden City Beach stretches from the tip of Surfside Beach in Horry County, all the way to the Garden City Point which is in Georgetown County and East of Murrells Inlet. Many families vacation along the sandy beaches of Garden City every year. Garden City Beach offers some of the best Surfing, Fishing and Crabbing along the Grand Strand.
 Conway is a full-service city, originally founded in 1732 as the village of Kingston. Conway is currently home to more than 13,000 residents and is the county seat of Horry County. Conway has been designated as a Tree City USA for 22 consecutive years.
Overlooking the dark waters of the picturesque Waccamaw River, the city of Conway offers an appealing mixture of small-town friendliness, modern conveniences, and Old South charm. It is one of the oldest towns in America, established in 1733, in what was then South Carolina's colonial frontier. A walk along the riverfront is a pleasant reminder that Conway has experienced a great deal of history.
American Indians were here first: the Conway area was home to South Carolina's Waccamaw Indians, whose name now graces our river and our region.
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