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 | www.cityofmyrtlebeach.com/ |
Myrtle Beach is a city located in Horry County, South Carolina. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 22,759. The metropolitan population is counted at 196,629 in 2000. Combining all three counties (Horry, Georgetown, and Brunswick, NC), the metro population is 346,548.
Myrtle Beach is 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. In fact, the area is so popular with tourists from West Virginia, many West Virginians jokingly refer to the area as the state's '56th county' or as the southern-most point of West Virginia.
Geography
Myrtle Beach is located at 33°42'15" North, 78°52'32" West (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.
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 is water. The total area is 0.12% water.
Infrastructure
Demographics
As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there are 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 is 523.7/km² (1,356.3/mi²). There are 14,658 housing units at an average density of 337.3/km² (873.5/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 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. 4.67% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 10,413 households out of which 20.3% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 36.8% are married couples living together, 11.1% have a female householder with no husband present, and 48.0% are non-families. 34.1% of all households are made up of individuals and 10.4% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.17 and the average family size is 2.79.
In the city the population is 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 are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 37 years. For every 100 females there are 103.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 101.0 males.
The median income for a household in the city is $35,498, and the median income for a family is $43,900. Males have a median income of $26,039 versus $22,473 for females. The per capita income for the city is $23,214. 12.0% of the population and 7.6% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 17.1% of those under the age of 18 and 6.6% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
Education
Colleges & 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.
Private Schools
Public Schools
Horry County Schools are one of the top districts in the state, with Socastee High School ranking the highest. The city is also the home of the Academy for Arts, Science & Technology.
Transportation
The Myrtle Beach area is served by the Myrtle Beach International Airport, located on the former U.S. Air Force base on the south side of town.
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.
New roads in Horry County include (since 1999):
- S.C. Route 22 (2000), 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 (2003), a connector from US 17 to the Myrtle Beach International Airport (will eventually connect to Kings Highway).
- Grissom Parkway (2004), a connector from the airport to the Carolina Forest area, eventually turning into International Drive.
- US 501 Upgrade (2005), a widening and interchange project from US 17 to Tanger Outlet Center, providing a nonstop, no-stoplight trip for three miles (5 km).
- Carolina Forest Interchange (2004), an interchange connecting Robert Grissom Parkway's northern terminus at S.C. 31 at the intersection of Carolina Forest Blvd.
- S.C. Route 31 (2005), 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.
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.
People & Culture
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.
Attractions
- Alligator Adventure - hailed as the 'reptile capital of the world', this attraction is located in North Myrtle Beach
- Family Kingdom Amusement Park - one of two major waterparks in the Myrtle Beach area, located in Myrtle Beach
- Myrtle Waves - the other major waterpark in Myrtle Beach
- The Carolina Opry
- House of Blues
- Dolly Parton's Dixie Stampede
- Medieval Times
- Ripley's Aquarium
- Ripley's Believe It or Not Museum
Sports & Leisure
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. Myrtle Beach has over 120 golf courses on the "Grand Strand" and claims to have more miniature golf courses than anywhere else in the world.
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. Highway 501 there is the Myrtle Beach Pavilion which is a major amusement park in the area that draws a great number of visitors and locals.
Media
Myrtle Beach is served by one daily newspaper, The Sun News. A digital newspaper is being started, The Horry Weekly. The television affiliates serving the area are listed below:
- WBTW Channel 13, CBS affiliate.
- WPDE Channel 15, ABC affiliate.
- WWMB Channel 21, UPN affiliate.
- WHMC Channel 23, PBS member station.
- WFXB Channel 43, FOX affiliate.
Time Warner Cable provides most of the cable television service in Myrtle Beach.