NORTH MYRTLE BEACH SC

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The City of North Myrtle Beach, S.C.

North Myrtle Beach is a municipality situated within the far most eastern section of Horry County, South Carolina, on the Atlantic coast. North Myrtle Beach is the last municipality before the North Carolina state line. North Myrtle Beach has a city municipal charter. Within Horry County, North Myrtle Beach is the second-largest municipality. The annual climate of Myrtle Beach is subtropical and is considered moderate.

Areas, or Neighborhoods, within North Myrtle Beach

North Myrtle Beach – a municipal city with a 2020 population of 18,790

Cherry Grove Beach – neighborhood or area of North Myrtle Beach

Ocean Drive Beach – neighborhood or area of North Myrtle Beach

Crescent Beach – neighborhood or area of North Myrtle Beach

Windy Hill Beach – neighborhood or area North Myrtle Beach

North Myrtle Beach is located on the northern end of “The Grand Strand” of the coastline of South Carolina. The Grand Strand is a defined area that begins at the North Carolina state line, the Little River area of South Carolina area, and goes south to Winyah Bay, South Carolina, which is more or less 40 miles north of Charleston, South Carolina. The Grand Strand is a little over 60 miles long, and it comprises the eastern ends of Horry County and Georgetown County. The term “Grand Strand” originated from a column on November 19, 1949, The Myrtle Beach Sun, titled “From the Grandstand,” and another column titled “From the Grand Strand” on December 3, 1949, in The Myrtle Beach News. Since the turn of the 20^th century, the Grand Strand has developed into a key east coast tourist destination. The Grand Strand has ample hotels and recreational activities that attract millions each year.

Municipalities and Recognized Unincorporated Areas within the Grand Strand:

Horry County, South Carolina

Little River – an unincorporated area in Horry County with a 2020 population of 11,711

Atlantic Beach – a municipal town with a 2010 population of 334

Briarcliffe Acres – a municipal town with a 2010 population of 470

Myrtle Beach – a municipal city with a 2020 population of 35,682

Springmaid Beach – neighborhood or area of Myrtle Beach)

Pawleys Island – a municipal town with a 2010 population of 103

Garden City – an unincorporated area in Horry County with a 2020 population of 10,235

Litchfield Beach – an unincorporated area in Georgetown County

Murrells Inlet – an unincorporated area in Georgetown County with a 2020 population of 9,740

Georgetown – a municipal city with a 2020 population of 11,916

The History of North Myrtle Beach and the Surrounding Areas

DeBordieu – unincorporated area in Georgetown County

Surfside Beach – a municipal town with a 2010 population of 3,837

Georgetown County, South Carolina

Native Americans have inhabited the region for over 10,000 years, as evidenced by archeological discoveries. The first recorded Native American inhabitants of the future North Myrtle Beach area were the Waccamaw Indians. The Waccamaw people lived and thrived along the banks of the Little River. The area was abundant with fish and other game that provided the Waccamaw a steady diet, as evidenced by archeological investigations in the Little River area. Native American burial mounds are located on Waties Island, a barrier island located in Long Bay.

The first European explorer to set foot on the Grand Strand may have been Italian explorer Giovanni da Verrazano in 1524. He sailed under the French flag, and it is not certain how far south he reached. However, da Verrazano is known to have reached the Cape Fear River in present-day North Carolina, which is around thirty miles from the present-day South Carolina state line and North Myrtle Beach.

The first documented European explorer to set foot on the Grand Strand did so at the very southern end, at Winyah Bay, Lucas Vázquez de Ayllón. On June 24, 1521, Ayllón landed at Winyah Bay, the most southern point of today’s Grand Strand. He performed a cursory exploration of the area and then captured sixty Native Americans. Ayllón departed Winyah Bay soon afterward to Hispaniola to impress the captured Native Americans into slavery.

The first recorded settler of European descent of the future North Myrtle Beach area was William Gause. He received a land grant of 250 acres near the Windy Hill section of present-day North Myrtle Beach in 1737. Gause was a farmer, and he also constructed a tavern along Kings Highway. He probably established a tavern because of the less-than-ideal farming conditions offered by the environment of the coast and sandy soil. Original settlers made an effort to cultivate indigo and tobacco with less than desirable results. The area’s sandy soil and ocean weather were not conducive to high-quality yields of these two crops.

A few more settlers of European descent did arrive in the future North Myrtle Beach area in the late 1700s. However, the area was sparsely populated at best. The family of James Minor received a land grant, including the present-day barrier island named Minor Island or Waties Island, near Little River. These original settlers attempted farming to limited success because of the poor soil conditions and ocean climate conditions.

After the American Revolution and the founding of the United States, the most notable visitor to the future North Myrtle was President George Washington’s Southern Tour 1791. President Washington was traveling down the King’s Highway during his 1791 tour and had breakfast at William Gause’s tavern. President Washington continued on south the following day and was guided across Wither’s Swash, known today as Singleton Swash to Georgetown by Jeremiah Vereen. President Washington spent the night at Jeremiah Vereen’s home at Windy Hill, a section of present-day North Myrtle Beach. Not a great deal happened with regard to population and development in the future North Myrtle Beach area for the next one hundred years.

Horry District was formed out of Georgetown District in 1801. It was named in honor of American Revolutionary War hero Peter Horry. Horry District became Horry County in 1868. The county seat of Horry District would be Kingston, which would later be changed to Conwayborough and formally abbreviated to Conway in 1883.

South, in what would become Myrtle Beach, in 1881, the Burroughs and Collins Company of Conway, the forerunner of present-day Burroughs & Chapin, acquired a large tract of forested land bordering the ocean for timber harvesting. Burroughs and Collins received the state authority to build the Conway & Seashore Railroad to ship timber from the coast inland to Conway on February 28, 1899. The railroad was in daily operations on May 1, 1900.

Franklin Gorham “Frank” Burroughs (1834-1897) of Burroughs and Collins Company is recognized for having the forethought transforming the future Myrtle Beach into a tourist destination akin to Florida’s beaches. Credit for naming Myrtle Beach is given to Adeline Cooper Burroughs (1846-1919), Franklin’s wife. She suggested the locally abundant wax myrtle (Myrica cerifera) bush.

North Myrtle Beach was established in 1968 with the merging of the communities of Cherry Grove Beach, Crescent Beach, Ocean Drive Beach, and Windy Hill Beach.