Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
File:Myrtlebeach.jpg
Location of Myrtle Beach in South Carolina
County	Horry
Government
• Mayor	John Rhodes
Population  (2000)
• City	22,759
• Metro	217,608
Time zone	UTC-5 (EST)
Website	http://www.cityofmyrtlebeach.com/

Myrtle Beach is a city in Horry County, South Carolina, United States. Myrtle Beach is located in a region known as the Grand Strand, that stretches from Georgetown, South Carolina to Calabash, North Carolina. The population was 22,759 at the 2000 census. The metropolitan population is counted at 196,629 in 2000. Combining all three counties (Horry, Georgetown, and Brunswick, North Carolina), the metro population is 346,548. Myrtle Beach is the largest community in The Grand Strand, a major tourist destination along the South Atlantic seaboard of the United States, widely known for its wide beaches, large selection of challenging golf links, excellent seafood restaurants, and outlet-style shopping activities. For this reason, the Myrtle Beach area attracts over 14 million visitors a year. Myrtle Beach kicks off its summer season each year with the Sun Fun Festival at the beginning of June.

Geography

Myrtle Beach is located at 33°42′15″N 78°52′32″W (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 43.5 km² (16.8 mi²). 43.5 km² (16.8 mi²) of it is land and 0.1 km² (0.04 mi²) of it (0.12%) is water.

History

Myrtle Beach was uninhabited until 1908 when a railroad was built between Conway and Myrtle Beach. The railroad ended in 1899 in the locale of Pine Island and was extended four miles into the future city. The Pavilion, as well as the Seaside Inn, were built in today's downtown.

By the 1930s, the city grew to include areas as far north as present-day Ocean Forest. The Ocean Forest Hotel was built about this time (which was to be demolished in 1974). The Intracoastal Waterway began construction several years later. Almost a year later, the city was incorporated as a town in 1938 and became a city in 1957. Its name was derived from the Wax myrtle shrub that grows throughout the area.

In the 1960s, northern development in what was unincorporated Horry County began to develop, with the newly formed communities of North Myrtle Beach and Briarcliffe Acres.

Myrtle Beach continued to grow, and by the 1970s, had become well associated with tourism. Parts of what is now US 17 Bypass were built later in the decade. The building boom along the Grand Strand began in the late 1970s, with many suburbs of Myrtle Beach such as Surfside Beach and North Myrtle Beach.

By the late 1980s and into the early and mid 1990s, Myrtle Beach grew into the county's 18th largest population gain. The community of Carolina Forest eventually would house 56,000 residents. This community would either be annexed into Myrtle Beach at a later date or would become its own community. Carolina Forest has become home to many non-native residents, many of whom come from the Northeast. Because of relatively low cost of living and many amenities, it has attracted many retirees, some of whom became acquainted with the area while vacationing.

Transportation

Myrtle Beach Convention Center

The first major route into the Myrtle Beach area, US Route 117, 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, Grissom Pkwy, Highway 544, and Business US 501.

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 Myrtle Beach.

The Myrtle Beach International Airport terminal was built in 1975 and opened the following year with joint civilian-military use.

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 Kings Highway from the northern city limits to US 501. By the 1980s, the road was completed to Murrell's Inlet and renamed as US 17.

Infrastructure

Education

Colleges and universities

• Horry-Georgetown Technical College is a two-year technical school with locations in Myrtle Beach, on the former Air Force base, and in Conway.
• Coastal Carolina University, a 4-year co-educational institution of higher learning, is located 10 miles outside of town in Conway, South Carolina.
• San Diego Golf Academy, a two year golf school which focuses solely on the business education of golf. Job placement out of the Academy is around 98%.

Private schools

• Saint Andrews Catholic School
• Christian Academy
• Yeshivas Lubavitch (Jewish private school) [1]

Public schools

The Horry County Schools school district is the only public school district in Horry County. Their schools are one of the top districts in the state, with Myrtle Beach High School serving as the best ranking high school in the area. Socastee High School is about five miles west of Myrtle Beach, along with Carolina Forest High School being west of the Intracoastal Waterway. The city is also the home of the Academy for Arts, Science & Technology, which will have a new building in the Carolina Forest area by 2007.

Warbird Park, situated on the former grounds of Myrtle Beach AFB

Transportation

The Myrtle Beach area is 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.

Within the past ten years (and massive growth to the county's population), new roads have been put into place. Most of these roads follow the Metro Loop Road Plan, 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. Other road projects in Horry County, including some in Aynor and Conway, will be included when voted upon.

Roads & Highways

• S.C. Highway 22, which is a bypass around Conway for anyone taking US 501 into North Myrtle Beach. It will eventually be the southern terminus of Interstate 73.
• Harrelson Boulevard, a connector from US 17 to the Myrtle Beach International Airport (will eventually connect to Kings Highway).
• Grissom Parkway, a connector from the airport to the Carolina Forest area, eventually turning into International Drive.
• U.S. Highway 17 Business or Kings Highway, the main highway in Myrtle Beach. Commonly called Kings Highway.
• US 501, a widening and interchange project from US 17 to Tanger Outlet Center, providing a non-stop, no-stoplight trip for three miles (5 km).
• Carolina Forest Boulevard, Carolina Forest's main road.
• Ocean Boulevard, the Myrtle Beach ocean boulevard with resorts and amusements.
• S.C. Highway 31, a north-south bypass from Highway 9 in Little River to Surfside Beach, now in its third phase. It will eventually be the eastern terminus of Interstate 74.
• Farrow Parkway, one of the few connectors between US 17 and US 17 Bypass south of the Myrtle Beach International Airport.

Future roads will include

• Fantasy Harbour Interchange, connecting Harrelson Blvd. to the former Waccamaw Outlet Malls, forming a bypass around the congested US 501.
• North Myrtle Beach Connector, connecting S.C. 31 into the city of North Myrtle Beach around Main Street. It will eventually be Interstate 174. Interstate 73 is proposed to connect SC 22 (Conway Bypass) with I-95 in Dillon County and beyond to North Carolina.

People and culture

Demographics

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 523.7/km² (1,356.3/mi²). There were 14,658 housing units at an average density of 337.3/km² (873.5/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 81.16% White, 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.

Margaritaville at Broadway at the Beach

Shopping

• Coastal Grand Mall — One of the area's most recent retail malls is Coastal Grand Mall, which is located at the intersection of U.S. Highway 17 bypass and Hwy 501. At 1.5 million square feet (140,000 m²), Coastal Grand is supposedly the largest mall in South Carolina.
• Tanger Outlet Center — There are two Tanger Outlet shopping malls, one located off of Hwy 501 and another near the intersection of Hwy 17 and the Veteran's Hwy 22.
• Broadway at the Beach — Located in the center of Myrtle Beach, Broadway at the Beach opened in 1995 and is the hub of Myrtle Beach shopping.
• Barefoot Landing — Located in North Myrtle Beach, this shopping center also includes Barefoot Resorts and residential areas west of the waterway.
• Inlet Square Mall — Located near Murrells Inlet, this shopping mall has a 12 screen movie theater, and a children's play area in the food court
• The Market Common — A new shopping area at the old Myrtle Beach Air Force Base, located on Farrow Parkway. It will open in 2008

Attractions

Broadway at the Beach which is located on the north side of the city is known widely for its restaurants and all kinds of entertainment venues such as Ripley's Aquarium and NASCAR Speedpark. At the heart of downtown located right off of U.S. Route 501 rests the former Myrtle Beach Pavilion which was a major amusement park in the area, drawing locals and tourists alike until its closure in late 2006 for financial reasons.

• Alligator Adventure — A reptile park in North Myrtle Beach (considered part of the Grand Strand)
• Family Kingdom Amusement Park — A sea-side amusement park
• Myrtle Waves — A major South Carolina water park
• The Carolina Opry — a live performance theater with a variety of shows
• House of Blues — Features local and touring bands
• Dolly Parton's Dixie Stampede — A unique mix of civil war pageantry and light entertainment.
• Ripley's Aquarium — Private aquarium owned by Ripley's
• Ripley's Believe It or Not — Displays oddities
• The Medieval Times Restaurant & Tournament — Knights fight for your amusement
• Hard Rock Park — A theme park built around the concept of the Hard Rock Cafe. It is set to open in 2008.
• Magiquest — Real magic adventures.

Restaurants

• Villa Romana Italian Restaurant
• Porky's Pig Food
• Sea Captain's House
• Old World Italian Restaurant
• Original Benjamin's Seafood Buffet
• Pacinos Italian Restaurant
• New York Prime — Upscale steakhouse and bar
• Aspen Grill — Upscale seafood, north of tourist areas
• Chestnut Hill Restaurant — Seafood, veal, chicken, and brunch
• Villa Tuscanna Restaurant — Italian
• Bodo's — Authentic German cuisine

As a center for tourism, Myrtle Beach is the home to many more restaurants than those listed here. A place to find current area restaurant news that is updated daily is (www.myrtlebeachrestaurantnews.com)

Neighborhoods & Places in Myrtle Beach

• Seagate Village
• Grande Dunes
• Springmaid Beach
• Hurl Rock
• Konig
• Myrtlewood
• Covington Lake
• Back Gate
• Coastal Grand
• Center South
• Upper Long Bay Residential Community
• Ocean Forest
• Carolina Forest
• Myrtle Beach Pavilion
• Cimerron Plantation

Music and Dancing

Myrtle Beach has one of the most diverse selections of musical venues on the Grand Strand. Concerts are available nightly at the House of Blues. Small venues for local bands are also common as they are most everywhere on Ocean Boulevard.

The Carolina Shag is a form of dance that originated on The Grand Strand in the 1940s. The 1989 film Shag, starring Bridget Fonda and Phoebe Cates, was filmed in Myrtle Beach and featured this dance form. Annual Shag competitions are held in North Myrtle Beach.

In 1986, a SC resident, businessman and musician, Calvin Gilmore, opened The Carolina Opry musical variety show. With a cast of about 25, the show featured all genres of music and, in recent years, has featured Broadway in its new 2,200 seat auditorium. The show and Gilmore have been widely hailed by the media for turning Myrtle Beach into an entertainment mecca. Since the shows opening, other productions and even stars have made their theatre homes in Myrtle Beach, including The Gatlin Brothers, Dolly Parton, Ronnie Milsap, Legends In Concert, and Alabama, who began their career in the early 1970's playing at a small bar in Myrtle Beach called The Bowery. Other venues, such as The Palace, feature big names in entertainment nightly.

Sports and Leisure

Baseball

The Carolina League's Myrtle Beach Pelicans, a class A farm franchise for the Atlanta Braves major league baseball club, plays its home games at Coastal Federal Field.

Tennis

Myrtle Beach is home to many of the top junior players in the state. With the potential found locally, Myrtle Beach has become a well known name in Junior Tennis.

Myrtle Beach High School is home to the Myrtle Beach Seahawks, which has a highly-regarded tennis team.

Golf

Myrtle Beach has over 120 golf courses on the "Grand Strand" and hosts over 4,000,000 rounds/year. Myrtle Beach claims to have more miniature golf courses than anywhere else in the world.

Hockey

The Myrtle Beach Thunderboltz, an ECHL hockey team relocated from Florence and previously named the Pee Dee Pride, plans to begin play in the Myrtle Beach area upon completion of Coastal Arena on the campus of Coastal Carolina University. Numerous construction delays have pushed this date back to the 2008-2009 season at the earliest.

Television

Myrtle Beach is served by one daily newspaper, The Sun News. The television affiliates serving the area are listed below:

• WBTW Channel 13, CBS affiliate.
• WPDE Channel 15, ABC affiliate.
• WWMB Channel 21, CW affiliate.
• WHMC Channel 23, PBS member station.
• WMBF Channel 32, NBC affiliate.
• WFXB Channel 43, FOX affiliate.
• TV33 "Best of the Beach"- a nonstop 24 hour channel devoted entirely to advertising area restaurants, attractions, shopping, etc...

Time Warner Cable provides most of the cable television service in Myrtle Beach.

Radio

• WKZQ-FM- 101.7 FM WKZQ - Rock
• 1640 AM XSUR - 70s & 80s ("Surfside 1640")
• WDAI- 98.5 FM WDAI- Hip Hop 985 Kiss FM
• WWXM- 97.7 FM WWXM Top 40 Music Mix 97.7 FM
• 99.9 FM WKXB Oldies Jammin 99.9 FM
• 102.7 FM WGNI Best Variety of 80's 90's and Today
• 104.1 FM

Sister cities

Myrtle Beach has three sister cities, as designated by Sister Cities International, Inc. (SCI):

• Pinamar, Argentina
• Keighley, West Yorkshire
• Burlington, Ontario

External links

• The Myrtle Beach Lodging Cooperative Website - VisitMyrtleBeach.com
• City's website - CityofMyrtlebeach.com

Notes

1. ^ City of Myrtle Beach History