 
This area offers an amazing range of choices and a level of affordability in housing that families moving into the area appreciate. The real estate development market here is constantly growing. Myrtle Beach ranked number two on the U.S. Housing Markets Housing Growth Ratio in September, 2000. (This ratio measures the number of housing permits per 1,000 people, and is designed to identify the fastest growing housing markets. Myrtle Beach's ratio was 27.2, compared with the national average of 6). Whether you are interested in a gated golf course community, beach home, country ranch, or the well-tended homes and manicured lawns of our cities, finding the right place to live is sure to be a rewarding experience.
Horry County is the largest county in the state in land area (1,143 sq. miles), and became a full political subdivision of the state in 1785 when the Georgetown district was subdivided into four counties. The county was first called Kingston District. Later, the name was changed to Horry County in honor of Brig. General Peter Horry, a Revolutionary War hero. Here are a few facts about the region:
Kings Highway (one of the main thoroughfares in the area) began as an Indian trail long before Europeans settled along the Grand Strand. Later, this trail became the route from the northern states to Charleston and Savannah.
The area's first inhabitants were the Waccamaw and Winyah Indians who named the region Chicora, meaning "the land". Until the 1900's, the beaches of Horry County were virtually uninhabited due to the country's geographical inaccessibility and sparse economy.
Near the turn of the century, the Burroughs & Collins Company, a timber- turpentine firm with extensive beach front holdings, began developing the resort potential of the Strand. In 1901, the company built the beach's first hotel, the Seaside Inn. At that time, oceanfront lots sold for $25 and buyers received an extra lot free if they built a house valued at $500 or more. The beach community was called New Town until the Horry Herald newspaper held a contest to officially name the area. Mrs. F.E. Burroughs, wife of the founder of Burroughs & Collins Company, won the competition with Myrtle Beach, a name she chose for the many wax myrtle trees growing wild along the shore.
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In the 1920's, a group of businessmen began building an upscale resort called Arcady at the north end of the community. Arcady features the present Pine Lakes International Country Club, the Strand's first golf club and birthplace of the magazine Sports Illustrated, as well as the legendary Ocean Forest Hotel.
Several major developments took place along the Strand during the 1930's and 1940's. In 1936, the Intercoastal Waterway was opened to pleasure boats and commercial shipping. During the 1940's, an Air Force base was established and used for training and coastal patrols during World War II. The base was officially closed in 1993. Myrtle Beach's Pavilion was built in 1949, followed closely by the installation of an organ and the carousel at that site. These unique pieces brought to the Grand Strand in 1954 are still in place.
Myrtle Beach was incorporated in 1938, and became a city in 1957. Hurricane Hazel demolished buildings and trees along the Strand in 1954, ironically clearing the way for new, larger hotels and homes. The golf boom began during the rebuilding phase of the 1960's and has continued with new courses being built each year.
The Myrtle Beach Convention Center, which houses the South Carolina Hall of Fame, was opened in 1970. Throughout the 70's, new construction topped $75 million and the permanent population tripled. In the 1970's and 80's construction of attractions, homes, retail shops, and other amenities increased steadily, introducing another boom in the early 90's that currently attracts millions of visitors and thousands of new residents to the area each year. |
Sources: Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce, U.S. Census Bureau, S.C. Dept. of Parks, Recreation, and Tourism,
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics., Horry County Solid Waste Authority, The Sun News.
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