Communities and Neighborhoods of the Area

For many a neighborhood is equally as important as the home itself. The Myrtle Beach area offers a variety of unique communities, from country living to the beach lifestyle, there is something for everyone. Buying a property is always great, but buying a property in the best community is even better. Check out our 12 unique communities, each with its own individual style.

 

North Myrtle Beach Communities

North Myrtle Beach was founded more than 30 years ago when the communities of Windy Hill, Crescent Beach, Ocean Drive and Cherry Grove united. Each of these communities has its own charm, and generations of vacationers have returned to their favorite spot year after year. The city has around 15,000 residents and is known for its family beach atmosphere, fishing piers and wonderfully wide beaches. Famous as the birth place of the shag, South Carolina's state dance, it's also home to many fine restaurants and family amusements, including Barefoot Landing, a popular waterfront shopping, dining and entertainment destination. 

In the middle of North Myrtle Beach, Atlantic Beach, also known as the “Black Pearl,” is a town molded by the Gullah-Geechee culture and home to several annual festivals. Today, residents of Atlantic Beach are working to preserve the rich heritage and traditions of their community.

Little River is a unique town, offering a slightly slower pace of life than the rest of the Grand Strand. The community, with a population of around 7,000, lies just below the North Carolina border along what is now the Intracoastal Waterway. Because of numerous tidal creeks and the close proximity to the ocean, Little River was a popular refuge for pirates in the 1700s and Civil War blockade-runners in the 1800s. Its most popular event is the Blue Crab Festival held each May.

Located 25 miles northwest of Myrtle Beach, Loris is known for its friendly, small-town atmosphere. A revitalized downtown with colorful storefronts and a historic town clock welcomes locals and visitors alike. Loris was incorporated as a town in 1902 and now has a population of around 2,300. 

 

Central Myrtle Beach Communities

Families began vacationing in Myrtle Beach more than a century ago, traveling by horse, buggy and ferry to spend a day in the sand and sun on the mostly unoccupied beach. Today, the city of Myrtle Beach has a population of approximately 28,500 and is the largest community of the Grand Strand. Favorite landmarks include Coastal Grand Mall, one of the largest in South Carolina, Myrtle Beach State Park, the oldest in the state, Broadway at the Beach, with its assortment of shops, restaurants, nightclubs and attractions, and the Myrtle Beach Convention Center. 

The Little Golden Town, as Aynor has been called, is located in western Horry Country and has about 600 residents. The town got its start in the early 1900s as a terminal for a railroad from Conway that transported turpentine, fertilizer and lumber. The area became a town in 1913 and had a bustling tobacco market, brickyard, cotton gin and several sawmills. 

Picturesque Conway, the seat of government for Horry County, is distinguished by its tree-lined streets, historic homes and churches, and the beautiful Waccamaw River. Its revitalized downtown is filled with antique shops, art galleries and wonderful cafes. Established in 1734 and originally known as Kingston, Conway today is home to approximately 14,000 residents as well as Coastal Carolina University and Horry-Georgetown Technical College. The best ways to learn about this historic town is on a walking tour or narrated riverboat cruise, or by paying a visit to the Horry County Museum.

 

South Myrtle Beach Communities

Proudly calling itself "the family beach," Surfside Beach was incorporated in 1964 and is currently home to around 4,800 residents. Its oceanfront is lined with beach houses, condominiums, hotels, restaurants and a fishing pier, and the town hosts several annual festivals and events. 

Garden City Beach is an unincorporated community that straddles the border between Horry and Georgetown counties. With a population around 9,000, it offers easy access to both the ocean and inlet, so it's very popular with everyone from fishermen and crabbers to water sports enthusiasts.The majority of vacationers stay in beach houses or condominiums, and the community offers a marina, amusements, restaurants, a fishing pier that features live music on summer evenings, and a new Creekwalk that spans the salt marsh.

The historic fishing village of Murrells Inlet has earned the title "seafood capital of South Carolina" because of the extraordinary variety of fresh catches from its waters and the many wonderful restaurants that overlook its waterfront. A sunset stroll along the Marshwalk is the perfect way to enjoy the spectacular beauty of the area. Murrells Inlet offers many recreational activities in a breathtaking inlet setting, including deep sea fishing charters, boat tours, individual boat rentals, scuba diving, kayaking, parasailing and jet skiing. 

A bit farther south are Litchfield Beach and Pawleys Island. Litchfield Beach, a quaint, unincorporated community, was settled by rice planters in early 1700s. The area's name came from Litchfield Plantation, a former rice plantation in the community. Litchfield Beach is beloved for its miles of wide, sandy beaches, spectacular golf courses, village-style shops and fine dining. Only a half-hour drive from Myrtle Beach, it's much more quiet and reserved. While there's one hotel on the beach, many visitors usually stay in rental houses or condominiums.

Pawleys Island, one of the country's oldest beach resorts, is one of the last to be developed on the Grand Strand. With four miles of beach and its classic-style beach homes available for vacation rental, it's referred to by the natives as "arrogantly shabby." It also offers a laid-back atmosphere and attitude benefiting its claim to fame: the original Pawleys Island Hammock. 

 

 

Allston Plantation, Pawleys Island, Andrews, Arcadian Shores, Arrowhead, Avista Ocean Resort, Aynor, Barefoot Landing, Barefoot Resort, Bay Watch Resort, Beach Cove Resort, Beach Club at Windy Hill, Belle Park, Briarcliffe Acres, Briarcliffe West, Bridges at Litchfield, Cameron Village, Carolina Forest in Myrtle Beach, Carolina Waterway Plantation, Carolina Yacht Landing, Charleston Lakes, Charleston Landing, Cherry Grove Beach, Cherry Grove Cottages, Colonial Charters, Conway,Coquina Harbour in Little River, Crescent Beach, Debordieu Colony, Deerfield Plantation, Eastport Golf Villas in Little River,Emmens Preserve, Enclave, Forestbrook,Galivants Ferry, Garden City, Gardens at Cypress Bay, Little River, Georgetown, Grande Dunes, Green Sea, Hagley Estates - Pawleys Island, Heritage Plantation,Ingram Place, Inlet Pointe, Laguana, Keyes, Litchfield by the Sea, Litchfield Plantation, Little River, Little River Inn Resort, Longs Bay Club, Longs, SC, Longs, SC, Loris, Mar Vista Grande, Mariners Pointe in Little River,Murrells Inlet, Myrtle Beach, Myrtle Trace, Nichols, North Beach Plantation, North Litchfield, North Myrtle Beach, North Myrtle Beach Golf and Tennis, North Prestwick, Ocean Creek, Ocean Drive Beach, Ocean Isle Beach, NC, Palmetto Shores, Pawleys Island, Pawleys Plantation - Pawleys, Island, Pawleys Retreat - Pawleys Island, Pelican Bay, Little River, SC, Plantation Harbour, Plantation Lakes, Plantation Point, Prestwick, Prince Creek, Prince George- PawleysIsland, Ricefields Plantation - Pawleys Island, River Club- Litchfield, River Hills in Little River, SC, Salters Cove near Garden City, SC, Sea Garden, Seabrook Plantation, Seaside Plantatio, Shaftesbury Estates, Shaftesbury Glen, Socastee, Sunset Harbour, SC, Surf Estates, Surfside Beach, Surfside Beach Club, The Bluffs on the Waterway, The Cottages at Surf Estates, The Heights at Windy Hill, The Market Common, The Reserve- Litchfield, Tidewater Plantation, Tighman Forest,Tilghman Estates, Tilghman Woods, Tradition - Pawleys Island, True Blue - Pawleys Island,Verandas Beach Complex, Village at Possum Trot, Wachesaw Plantation, Waterfall in Little River, SC, Waterford Plantation, Waterway Palms Plantation, Willowbrook Plantation - Pawleys Island, Windy Hill, Windy Hill Dunes