Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce

Myrtle Beach is a coastal city on the east coast of the United States in Horry County, South Carolina. It is located in the center of a long and continuous 60-mile (97 km) stretch of beach known as “The Grand Strand” in northeastern South Carolina.

one of the major centers of tourism in South Carolina and the United States. The city’s warm subtropical climate, miles of beaches, 86 golf courses, and 1,800 restaurants attract over 20 million visitors each year, making Myrtle Beach one of the most visited destinations in the country.

Located along the historic King’s Highway (modern U.S. Route 17), the region was once home to the Waccamaw people. During the colonial period, the Whither family settled in the area, a prominent local waterway, Wither’s Swash, is named in their honor. Originally called alternately “New Town” or “Withers”, the area was targeted for development as a resort community by Franklin Burroughs, whose sons completed a railroad to the beach and the first inn, Seaside Inn. His widow named the new community Myrtle Beach after the local wax-myrtle shrubs.

The Myrtle Beach metropolitan area is the second-fastest-growing metropolitan area in the country, and more than 104,000 people moved to the Myrtle Beach-Conway-North area over eight years, representing in a 27.7% growth in population according to the U.S. Census Bureau.