Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (September 2007) |
Myrtle Beach, South Carolina | |
|---|---|
| Beach Skyline of Myrtle Beach Beach Skyline of Myrtle Beach | |
 Location of Myrtle Beach in South Carolina | |
| Country | United States |
| State | South Carolina |
| County | Horry |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | John Rhodes |
| Area | |
| • Total | 16.8 sq mi (43.5 km2) |
| • Land | 16.8 sq mi (43.5 km2) |
| • Water | 12,359,674 sq mi (0.1 km2) |
| Elevation | 26 ft (8 m) |
| Population (2000) | |
| • Total | 22,759 |
| • Density | 1,356/sq mi (523.7/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (EST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
| Area code | 843 |
| FIPS code | 45-49075Template:GR |
| GNIS feature ID | 1249770Template:GR |
| Website | http://www.cityofmyrtlebeach.com/ |
Myrtle Beach is a city in Horry County, South Carolina, United States. It is part of the Grand Strand, a stretch of beaches along the South Carolina coastline, and the combined Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach MSA.
Founded early in the 20th century, Myrtle Beach is primarily a resort town. It is the primary hub of the Grand Strand, a stretch of beaches along South Carolina's coast, and sees upward of ten million visitors each annual season [citation needed], with a large proportion coming from Ohio, North Carolina, Tennesse, Kentucky, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Georgia, West Virginia, England, and Canada [citation needed]. Visitors are drawn primarily by the coastline, but also by a number of amusement parks, restaurants, festivals, and tourist traps.
As of 2006, the population of the city was 22,759, with the metro area estimated to be at 238,493.[1]
Geography
Myrtle Beach is a city located at 33°42′15″N 78°52′32″W / 33.70417°N 78.87556°WInvalid arguments have been passed to the {{#coordinates:}} function (33.704238, -78.875453).Template:GR It is situated mainly between the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway on the west and the Atlantic Ocean (Long Bay) on the East, although building west of the waterway is rapidly increasing. Much of the area between the coast and the waterway is a slightly elevated sandbar or dune area. West of the waterway the land is mostly pine forest with a normal high water table, in which developers dredge ponds and use the soil to create elevated areas for better drainage around buildings. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 16.8 square miles (43.5 km²), of which, 16.8 square miles (43.5 km²) of it is land and 0.04 square miles (0.1 km²) of it (0.12%) is water.
History
Withers
Prior to the arrival of Europeans, the general area along Long Bay was inhabited by the Waccamaw Indians. The Waccamaw used the river for travel and fished along the shore around Little River. Waties Island, the primary barrier island along Long Bay, has evidence of burial and shell mounds, remains of the visiting Waccamaw.[2]
The first settlers along Long Bay arrived in the late 17th century, attempting to extend the plantation system outward towards the ocean [3]. Records are sparse from this period, with most of the recorded history pieced together from old land grants. They were met with mixed results, producing unremarkable quantities of indigo and tobacco. The coast's soil was sandy and most of the crops yields were of an inferior quality.
Prior to the American Revolution, the area along the future Grand Strand was essentially uninhabited. Several families received land grants along the coast, including most notably the Withers: John, Richard, William and Mary. They received an area around present-day Myrtle Swash, at the time known as Wither's Swash or the 8-Mile Swash. Another grant was given to James Minor, a barrier island named Minor Island, now Waties Island, off of the coast near Little River.[4]
Mary Wither's gravestone at Prince George Winyah Episcopal 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."[5]
As America reached independence, Horry County remained essentially unchanged, and the coast remained barren. George Washington scouted out the Southern states during his term, travelling down the King's Highway. He stayed the night at Windy Hill and was led across Wither's Swash to Georgetown by Jeremiah Vereen.[6]
The Withers family remained one of the few settlers around Myrtle Beach for the next half-century. In 1822, a strong hurricane 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, and the area, left unattended, began to return to forest.[7]
New Town
Following the Civil War, most of the abandoned land along the ocean was purchased by the Conway Lumber Company. The company built the Conway & Seashore Railroad to move chopped timber from the coast inland. A "Withers" post office was established at the site of the old Swash.
After the railroad was finished, employees of the lumber and railroad company would take train flatcars down to the beach on their weekends off, in essence becoming the first Grand Strand tourists [8]. The area where the railroad ended was nicknamed "New Town", contrasting it with the "Old Town", or Conway.
In 1900, a hotel, the Seaside Inn, had been built by the company to handle visitors from the railroad. Around the same time, a contest was held to name New Town. F. G. Burroughs, a member of the Burroughs family, suggested honoring the local abundant shrub, the wax myrtle, and the area was named Myrtle Beach.
Myrtle Beach
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Myrtle Beach began as little more than a resort town for employees of the Conway Lumber Company, now Burroughs & Chapin. It continued to grow for the next couple of decades, and in 1938, it finally incorporated. In 1940, Myrtle Beach Municipal Airport was built, and Kings Highway was finally paved, giving Myrtle Beach its first primary highway..
Demographics
General
As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 22,759 people, 10,413 households, and 5,414 families residing in the city. It has a metropolitan population of about 217,608 which is steadily rising. The population density was 1,356.3 people per square mile (523.7/km²). There were 14,658 housing units at an average density of 873.5/sq mi (337.3/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 81.16% Caucasian, 12.76% African-American, 0.42% Native American, 1.28% Asian, 0.13% Pacific Islander, 2.37% from other races, and 1.88% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.67% of the population.
There were 10,413 households out of which 20.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 36.8% were married couples living together, 11.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 48.0% were non-families. 34.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.17 and the average family size was 2.79.
In the city the population was spread out with 18.0% under the age of 18, 11.0% from 18 to 24, 33.6% from 25 to 44, 22.5% from 45 to 64, and 15.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 103.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 101.0 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $35,498, and the median income for a family was $43,900. Males had a median income of $26,039 versus $22,473 for females. 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
Tourism
General
The general Grand Strand area receives a large influx of visitors during the spring, summer and fall months, with over ten million tourists visiting Myrtle Beach and the surrounding areas.
Golf
Myrtle Beach, South Carolina has been called the "Golf Capital of the World" [who?] because of the 120 golf courses located there, the record of 4.2 million rounds played, and to top it off they have as many as 50 miniature golf courses. The majority of the area's golf courses are open to the public.
Economy
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Myrtle Beach's economy is essentially tourism-based [citation needed], with tourism bringing in millions of dollars each season [citation needed]. Restaurants and golf courses are found across the Grand Strand, with a large number concentrating in the downtown area of the city [citation needed].
Education
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The Myrtle Beach metro area is home to two major institutes of higher learning, Coastal Carolina University and Horry-Georgetown Technical College in Conway. The area is also home to a branch of Webster University, an MBA graduate school, and NAIA, a flight school.
The entire area of Horry County is served by a single public school system, Horry County Schools, and the Myrtle Beach area is dotted with private schools of various sizes and motifs.
Transportation
Roads
The first major route into the Myrtle Beach area, U.S. Route 17, ran from the North Carolina border to the Myrtle Beach area and turned west and north into Conway. The road was named in 1933, and US 17 was extended into South Carolina a year later. The road from Myrtle Beach to Conway was later renamed US 501 in a complicated route that roughly followed the current Broadway Street, Highway 15, Seaboard Street, Robert Grissom Parkway, Highway 544, and Business US 501[citation needed].
The current route of US 501 was created in a more direct path from Aynor, South Carolina into Myrtle Beach. The new four-lane road was built in the 1960s to cover the growing traffic coming into the city, with little development occurring along the new road. The bridge over the Intracoastal Waterway was built in 1962, and the surrounding area has just recently been developed as developments have moved across the Intracoastal Waterway.
By the late 1970s, a bypass roughly paralleling a dirt road was created for bypass traffic for US 17. This original route, named South Carolina Highway 317, was opened in 1975 and allowed traffic to bypass King's Highway from the northern city limits to US 501[citation needed]. By the 1980s, the road was completed to Murrells Inlet and renamed as US 17.
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[citation needed], organized in 1997 to better the traffic flow of Myrtle Beach. Some of the roads included have either been funded through RIDE I funding or through the City of Myrtle Beach.
RIDE II plans include the third phase of the Carolina Bays Parkway, 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 currently debating where to allocate the $400 million generated through a proposed 1-cent sales tax[citation needed]. Other road projects in Horry County, including some in Aynor and Conway, will be included when voted upon.
Interstates
Myrtle Beach will eventually be served by two interstates, Interstate 73 and Interstate 74. The North Myrtle Beach Connector will connect I-74 to downtown North Myrtle Beach.
Air
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The Myrtle Beach area is also served by the Myrtle Beach International Airport, located on the former Myrtle Beach Air Force Base base on the south side of town. The airport opened in 1976 and has served the Myrtle Beach area continuously, even after the Myrtle Beach Air Force Base closed. Hooters Air began operating out of Myrtle Beach in early 2003, only to be closed in early 2006 due to rising airline prices and the airline industry as a whole.
Rail
Myrtle Beach is served by a single rail line which essentially runs parallel to Hwy 501 from Conway ending in downtown Myrtle Beach. The tracks are owned by Horry County, but were leased in 2000 to the Carolina Southern Railroad (CSRR) which operates on the line as the Waccamaw Coastline Railroad.[9] Carolina Southern Railroad is a shortline rail operator running on less than 100 miles of rail at a maximum speed of 10 mph. It transports mostly freight brought to it from national rail operators like CSX. The company makes just one scheduled delivery per month into the City of Myrtle Beach.[10]
Sports
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Myrtle Beach is home to two non-major sports team, the Myrtle Beach Pelicans, a Carolina League baseball team and Atlanta Braves farm franchise, and the Myrtle Beach Thunderboltz, an ECHL hockey team that will eventually play regularly at Coastal Carolina University in nearby Conway.
The area hosts the annual Bi-Lo Myrtle Beach Marathon, a track and field event in February featuring a Friday night 5K and a Saturday half-marathon, marathon, and relay. 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.
The area is home to many golf courses which dot the Strand.
Stock car racing is held at Myrtle Beach Speedway.
Media
Myrtle Beach Broadcast TV Stations
- WFXB FOX http://wfxb.com/
- WBTW CBS http://www.scnow.com/midatlantic/scp/wbtw.html
- WPDE ABC http://wpde.com/
- WMBF NBC (expected to come on air mid 2008)
- WWMB CW
- WHMC PBS
The Grand Strand and Florence, South Carolina share a common defined market by Nielsen Media Research in Horry, Marion, Dillon, Darlington, Marlboro, Scotland, Robeson, and Florence counties. The Myrtle Beach / Florence Market is the 103 largest market in the USA as defined by Nielsen Media Research.
Newspapers
The Sun News is arguably the largest daily paper published along the Grand Strand, with a readership base extending from Georgetown, South Carolina to Sunset Beach, North Carolina. The paper has been in existence since the 1930s and was formerly published by Knight Ridder before being bought out by The McClatchy Company NYSE: MNI
The area is also served by several weekly papers, including The Weekly Surge[1], the Myrtle Beach Herald, and the Horry Independent.
Sister Cities
Myrtle Beach has four sister cities, as designated by Sister Cities International, Inc. (SCI):
See also
References
- ^ "Annual Estimates of the Population of Combined Statistical Areas: April 1, 2000 to July 1, 2006 (CBSA-EST2006-02)" (CSV). 2006 Population Estimates. United States Census Bureau, Population Division. 2007-04-05. Retrieved 2007-04-09.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ http://ww2.coastal.edu/ben/other/IndianMounds.pdf
- ^ Catherine H. Lewis: "Horry County, Mind the H!", page 61, paragraph 7, 1995
- ^ Dr. A. Geff Bedford: "The Independent Republic, a Survey History of Horry County, South Carolina", page 36, paragraph 6, 2nd edition, 1989
- ^ Catherine H. Lewis: "Horry County, Mind the H!", page 61, paragraph 8, 1995
- ^ Dr. A. Geff Bedford: "The Independent Republic, a Survey History of Horry County, South Carolina", page 51, paragraph 2, 2nd edition, 1989
- ^ Dr. A. Geff Bedford: "The Independent Republic, a Survey History of Horry County, South Carolina", page 58, paragraphs 1-3, 2nd edition, 1989.
- ^ Dr. A. Geff Bedford: "The Independent Republic, a Survey History of Horry County, South Carolina", page 128, paragraphs 3, 2nd edition, 1989.
- ^ Carolina Southern
- ^ http://carolinasouthernrailroad.com/sun_news_trains.pdf
External links
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Municipalities and communities of Horry County, South Carolina, United States | ||
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