Search Myrtle Beach Area Homes
Search By Area MapMyrtle Beach, SC
Geographic Features
Myrtle Beach is a coastal resort city with miles of white sandy beaches along the Atlantic Ocean. It is the central city of the Grand Strand, a string of beach towns and barrier islands that stretch from Little River to Georgetown, South Carolina.
Beautiful weather is one of the main reasons so many people choose to live and vacation in Myrtle Beach. The climate features fairly mild winters, warm summers, and an average of 215 sunny days per year.
Living along the Atlantic Ocean means an occasional threat from a hurricane. Don't worry too much though because Myrtle Beach is one of a handful of communities in the country to receive both StormReady and TsunamiReady certification from the National Weather Service.
Price Range
- $0-$100,000 13.87%
- $100,001-$200,000 34.55%
- $200,001-$398,000 29.26%
- $398,001-$598,000 10.82%
- $598,001-$797,000 4.74%
- $797,001-$997,000 2.77%
- $997,001-$1,495,000 1.94%
- $1,495,001-$1,993,000 1.57%
- > $1,993,000 0.48%
Size of Homes
- Studio 2.02%
- 1 Bedroom 13.75%
- 2 Bedrooms 47.57%
- 3 Bedrooms 29.48%
- 4 Bedrooms 5.07%
- 5+ Bedrooms 2.11%
Year Homes Built
- 1995 to 2010 8.85%
- 1970 to 1994 60.50%
- 1940 to 1969 28.84%
- 1939 or earlier 1.81%
Area History and Culture
Named after the locally abundant sweet myrtle tree, Myrtle Beach has grown into a popular community because of its beautiful weather and sandy beaches. Its historic roots start with the Waccamaw and Winyah tribes calling this place home.
Legend speculates that throughout the 18th century, pirates, including the infamous Blackbeard, frequented these shores. The isolated shores offered the perfect seclusion for hiding treasure; people continue to look for buried riches along the inlet.
This area remained essentially unchanged until Franklin Burroughs claimed 80,000 acres and envisioned creating a popular getaway destination. His company built the Conway & Seashore Railroad in 1900 to bring coastal timber to inland customers. After his death his sons built the first seaside hotel, the Seaside Inn, in 1901. Regional growth continued as visitors fell in love with the area's beachy charm. Seaside cottages quickly began to pop up along the coast; during the turn of the century lots were only $25.
In 1925 the first luxury resort was completed. The Ocean Forest Hotel included sumptuous rooms, an elegant ballroom, horseback ridding, tennis, and the area's first golf course. It was a favorite vacation local of the rich until its closure in 1974.
After Hurricane Hazel destroyed a lot of the town in 1954, Myrtle Beach was rebuilt and further transformed into the vibrant destination it is today.
Daily Life
Living in Myrtle Beach offers residences a respite from the stress of daily life. Not only is the cost of living 3% lower than the national average, but the average daily commute is only 18 minutes.
No one is bored in Myrtle Beach because of the large and varying activities the area has to offer. Local beaches provide ample opportunities to participate in popular water sports including boating, kayaking, jet skiing, fishing, surfing, and parasailing. The area's various parks and gardens provide a lush backdrop for family picnics and relaxing walks. Golf, theme parks, and a vibrant boardwalk all contribute to the buzz of activity. In addition, Myrtle beach is a food lover's paradise. Restaurants serve an array of local seafood and the area is famous for its tantalizing BBQ. Myrtle Beach even boasts one of the largest shopping areas in the southeastern United States.
Golf
Many people refer to Myrtle Beach as the "Golf Capital of the World" because of its 120 golf courses and the record 4.2 million rounds played. World-class golf course architects including Tom Fazio, Pete Dye, the late Robert Trent Jones Sr., and many others have designed courses. There are even courses designed by pros like John Daly, Arnold Palmers, and Jack Nicklaus. Some of the notable golf courses and resorts include:
- Arcadian Shores Golf Club
- Arrowhead Country Club
- Barefoot Resort and Golf Club
- Burning Ridge Golf Course
- Grande Dunes Golf Resort
- Myrtle Beach National Golf Course
- River Oaks Golf Plantation
- Whispering Pines Golf Course
Recreation and Sports
Myrtle Beach's mild weather and close proximity to the Atlantic make it an idea location for abundant recreation and sports activities. Locals enjoy watching Myrtle Beach Pelicans baseball games. They are a Carolina League baseball team and an Atlanta Braves farm franchise.
The Myrtle Beach Speedway showcases NASCAR-sanctioned stock car racing. This .538 mile, semi-banked, asphalt-paved oval track has been the training ground for some of NASCAR's popular stars like Dale Earnhardt Jr.
The ocean shores features an endless array of sporting activities including boating, fishing, surfing, kayaking, jet skiing, windsurfing, and parasailing. Biking, tennis, and horseback riding are also very popular past times.
Every February the area hosts the Bi-Lo Myrtle Beach Marathon. This event draws 6,000 runners and includes a 5K, half-marathon, marathon, and relay.
Night Life
Myrtle Beach has a vibrant nightlife. Whether you're interested in dancing at nightclubs, singing karaoke, watching live concerts, or learning the shag, there is a perfect venue for everyone.
The House of Blues at Barefoot Landing draws internationally known musicians and is one of the areas largest venues. Other popular venues for music include the Palace Theatre, the Alabama Theatre, Calvin Gilmore's Carolina Opry, and Legends in Concert.
There are a multitude of nightclubs in Myrtle Beach, most of which are located at Broadway at the Beach's nightclub district Celebrity Square. It features New Orleans-style boulevard and has 10 clubs perfect for dancing all night long, singing karaoke, or enjoying a relaxing beer.
Shag is the official dance of South Carolina and was created by teens in Myrtle Beach during the 1930's. People flock to Fat Harold's Beach Club to shag late into the evening to classic R&B tunes.
Festivals and Events
It seems there is always a local festival or event in Myrtle Beach. The Boardwalk features events for Oktoberfest, St Patrick's Day, and has free summer concerts every Tuesday and Saturday night.
Myrtle Beach has an annual Spring Bike Week and Bike Rally. It is so popular that it is the largest single motorcycle and Harley rally in the Carolinas.
The Sun Fun Festival is the summertime kickoff for South Carolina's Grand Strand and a beginning of the Sun Fun Summer of Celebration, which runs during the summer from June through September. The Sun Fun Festival includes four days of live entertainment, air shows, professional sand sculpture contest, parade, pageants, sporting events, kids fair, and much, much more.
For over forty years the Cam-Am Festival (also called Canadian-American Days) has brought together our Canadian neighbors and locals to celebrate. For the past 12 years the Southeastern Tourism Society has named this festival one of the Top 20 Events in the Southeast.
Parks
Myrtle Beach boasts gardens, amusement parks, and even wildlife preserves. Myrtle Beach State Park features several miles of forest stretching along the Atlantic Ocean. It features a fishing pier, hiking trails, and a nature center that has educational programs, natural history displays, and saltwater aquariums and reptiles.
Huntington Beach State Park is a small coastal preserve and park near Murrells Inlet. It has a large sandy beach, few beachgoers, and various hiking trails. Several species of birds live in the fresh and saltwater lagoons, making this a great spot for bird watching.
Family Kingdom Amusement Park is a classic seaside amusement park, named the 5th best amusement park in the county. When temperatures rise, thrill seekers go to Myrtle Waves to enjoy one of the largest water parks on the east coast.
Brookgreen Gardens offer visitors a chance to explore over 9,000 acres of lush gardens. They have exhibits about local flora and fauna and have 500 sculptures dotted throughout. Gourmet picnic baskets are on hand to enjoy.
Schools
Myrtle Beach's 19 public schools are part of the Horry County School District, which is rated 96.5% higher than other South Carolina schools and 2.3% higher than the national average. This district has a total of $35,218 students and average 15 children per classroom and 11.3 students per teacher. Horry County spends $4995 per student compared to the national average of $5,678.
Horry County School District's recent honors include:
- Met 92% of Adequate Yearly Progress objectives under No Child Left Behind.
- 47% percent more district students participated in AP courses and took AP exams in 2009.
- The District's performance on the Palmetto Assessment of State Standards (PASS) is higher than the state in 23 out of 24 tests. The percentage of students scoring at the Exemplary level exceeded the state average in all subjects at all grade levels.
- Myrtle Beach High School Girls' Basketball team won the AAA State Championships.
- North Myrtle Beach Primary School was named an Exemplar School for improving discipline, school climate through the Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports Initiative.
Myrtle Beach also has 34 private schools ranging from pre-K to high school education.
Neighborhoods
North Myrtle Beach consists of the communities of Cherry Grove, Crescent Beach, Ocean Drive, and Windy Hill. This area has the wisest beaches along the Grand Strand and is residential and family oriented. North Myrtle features some of the nicer area restaurants.
Central Myrtle Beach is the densest part of the area and has most of the high-rise apartment buildings and hotels.
The Kings Highway (U.S. 17) area encompasses most of the tourist attractions, restaurants, and businesses.
Surfside Beach and Garden City are slower-paced neighborhoods that have a residential atmosphere and pristine beaches without high-rise buildings.
Murrels is a small and quiet neighborhood. It is home to the Brookgreen Gardens and has an abundance of post war architecture and historic.
Type of Homes
- Single-Family Detached 32.51%
- Attached Homes 8.53%
- Small Apartment complex 14.28%
- Large Apartment complex 36.55%
- Mobile Homes 7.78%
- Other 0.35%
