Horry County, South Carolina

Horry County
	Horry County, South Carolina
	Horry County Government and Justice Center in Conway, South Carolina
	; Seal
	; Seal
	; Location in the state of South Carolina
	; South Carolina's location in the U.S.
Founded	1801
Seat	Conway
Largest city	Myrtle Beach
Area; - Total; - Land; - Water	; 1,255 sq mi (3,250 km²); 1,134 sq mi (2,937 km²); 121 sq mi (313 km²), 9.66%
PopulationEst.; - (2012); - Density	; 282,285; 238/sq mi (91.7/km²)
Website	www.horrycounty.org

Horry County (/ˈɒriː/ ORR-ee) is a county in the Pee Dee region of the U.S. state of South Carolina. It had a population of 269,291 at the 2010 census.^[1]^[2] It is located on approximately 100 miles north of Charleston, South Carolina and is approximately 150 miles east of the State Capital, Columbia, South Carolina. The County has a total area of 1,255 square miles (3,250.4 km²), of which 1,134 square miles (2,937.0 km²) is land and 121 square miles (313.4 km²) (9.66%) is water. The highest point in the county is 124 ft. above sea level.^[3]

History[edit]

Horry County was incorporated in 1801. At that time the county had an estimated population of 550. It was completely surrounded by water, which forced the inhabitants to survive virtually without any assistance from the "outside world". This caused the county residents to become an extremely independent populace, and they named their county "The Independent Republic of Horry". The county was named after, and in honor of, Revolutionary War hero, Peter Horry who was born in South Carolina sometime around 1743. Horry started his military career in 1775 as one of 20 captains, elected by the Provincial Congress of South Carolina, to serve the 1st and 2nd Regiments. In 1790 he was assigned to the South Carolina militia under Brigadier General Francis “Swamp Fox” Marion^[3]^[4]

On October 29, 2012, the county paid homage to the man for whom the county is named by unveiled a bronze sculpture of Peter Horry inside the Horry County Government and Justice Center. The sculpture was designed by Lubbock, Texas artist Garland Weeks designed and stone base that it’s mounted on was created by Coastal Monument of Conway, South Carolina. Located on the base of the sculpture are the names of the 1801 commissioners on one side and the names of 2011 Horry County Council members on the other side a brief bio of Peter Horry on the front. It coasted slightly above $16,200 for both the bust/sculpture and the stone base.^[5] ^[6]

Geography[edit]

Horry County is located in the northeastern corner of South Carolina. It is a diverse land made up of rivers, beaches, forest and swamps. Horry County is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east, the Little Pee Dee River and Drowning Creek (also known as the Lumber River) on Horry's western side, and North Carolina to the north. Waccamaw River, approximately 140 miles (225 km) long, runs through southeastern North Carolina and eastern South Carolina into Horry County. The river runs through the coastal plain, along the eastern border between the two states, and into the Atlantic Ocean.^[7] According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,255 square miles (3,250.4 km²), of which 1,134 square miles (2,937.0 km²) is land and 121 square miles (313.4 km²) (9.66%) is water. The highest point in the county is 124 ft. above sea level.

Adjacent counties[edit]

Columbus County, North Carolina - northeast
Brunswick County, North Carolina - east
Robeson County, North Carolina - northwest
Georgetown County, South Carolina - southwest
Marion County, South Carolina - west
Dillon County, South Carolina - northwest

National protected area[edit]

Waccamaw National Wildlife Refuge (part)

Demographics[edit]

Historical populations
Census	Pop.	%±
1810	4,349	—
1820	5,025	15.5%
1830	5,245	4.4%
1840	5,755	9.7%
1850	7,646	32.9%
1860	7,962	4.1%
1870	10,721	34.7%
1880	15,574	45.3%
1890	19,256	23.6%
1900	23,364	21.3%
1910	26,995	15.5%
1920	32,077	18.8%
1930	39,376	22.8%
1940	51,951	31.9%
1950	59,820	15.1%
1960	68,247	14.1%
1970	69,992	2.6%
1980	101,419	44.9%
1990	144,053	42.0%
2000	196,629	36.5%
2010	269,291	37.0%
Est. 2012	282,285	4.8%
U.S. Decennial Census

As of the census^[8] estimates of 2008, there were 263,868 people, 81,800 households, and 54,478 families residing in the county. Horry is one of South Carolina's fastest growing counties. The population density was 173 people per square mile (67/km²). There were 122,085 housing units at an average density of 108 per square mile (42/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 81.05% White, 15.50% Black or African American, 0.40% Native American, 0.76% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 1.16% from other races, and 1.07% from two or more races. 2.57% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

Horry County Museum, Conway, South Carolina

There were 81,800 households out of which 26.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.40% were married couples living together, 11.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.40% were non-families. 25.80% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 2.84.

In the county, the population was spread out with 21.30% under the age of 18, 9.40% from 18 to 24, 29.30% from 25 to 44, 25.00% from 45 to 64, and 15.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 96.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.10 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $42,515 and the median income for a family was $42,676. Males had a median income of $27,663 versus $21,676 for females. The per capita income for the county was $19,949. About 8.40% of families and 12.00% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.90% of those under age 18 and 8.70% of those age 65 or over.

Cities & towns[edit]

Major cities[edit]

Smaller cities and towns[edit]

CDP's[edit]

Unincorporated communities/neighborhoods[edit]

Allsbrook
Baxter Forks
Bayboro
Brooksville
Bucksville
Burgess
Carolina Forest
Cedar Branch
Cherry Grove
Cool Spring
Crescent Beach
Daisy
Galivants Ferry
Glass Hill
Green Sea
Gurley
Hand
Hickory Grove
Homewood
Ingram Beach
Ketchuptown
Konig
Lakewood
Longs
Loris
Nixonville
Nixons Crossroads
Ocean Drive Beach
Pine Island
Polecat Landing
Poplar
Red Bluff Crossroads
Shell
Springmaid Beach
Toddville
Wampee
Windy Hill

Law and government[edit]

County council[edit]

Republicans hold a 10 to 2 majority on the county council. Terms last four years and are staggered, with half the council up for election every two years.

	Name	Affiliation	District
Chairman	Tom Rice	Republican	At-Large
Vice Chairman	W. Paul Prince	Republican	District 9
Member	Harold G. Worley	Republican	District 1
Member	Brent Schulz	Republican	District 2
Member	Marion D. Foxworth III	Democratic	District 3
Member	Gary Loftus	Republican	District 4
Member	Paul D. Price, Jr.	Republican	District 5
Member	Bob Grabowski	Republican	District 6
Member	James R. Frazier	Democratic	District 7
Member	Carl Schwartzkopf	Republican	District 8
Member	Jody Prince	Republican	District 10
Member	Al Allen	Republican	District 11

Patricia S. Hartley - Clerk to Council

Law enforcement[edit]

Horry County has its own police force the Horry County Police Department which provides 24 hour services to the unicorporated areas of the county with the Horry County Sheriff's Office covering court security and the county jail. The South Carolina Highway Patrol has a Troop 5 barracks located in Conway and they provide services throughout the county^[9] Myrtle Beach, Conway, Briarcliffe Acres, Atlantic Beach, Surfside Beach, Loris, and Aynor all have their own Police Departments which patrol within the town or city's border. North Myrtle Beach has a Public Safety Department which provides police and fire services in the town of North Myrtle Beach.^[10]

Transportation[edit]

Airports[edit]

Myrtle Beach International Airport (MYR)
Grand Strand Airport - North Myrtle Beach (CRE)
Conway-Horry County Airport (HYW)
Twin City Airport - Loris (5J9)
Green Sea Airport (S79)

Mass transit[edit]

The Coast RTA^[11] - Bus system operating seven days a week, 364 days a year. 15 routes throughout the Horry County/Grand Strand area, including Myrtle Beach, North Myrtle Beach, Surfside Beach, Garden City, Conway, Loris, and Aynor.