The North Myrtle Beach community is one of strength and character.  It was originally inhabited by the Winyah and Waccamaw Indians.  These Indians called the area “Chicora,” meaning “the land.”  The Spanish were next to explore the North Myrtle Beach area as early as 1514, with Blackbeard’s pirates inhabiting the bays and inlets in the 1700s.  The Cherry Grove Beach area used to house flourishing indigo plantations; however, due to insufficient means to reach the North Myrtle Beach area, most of the beach remained uninhabited until 1900 when the first railroad was created by the Burroughs & Chapin families.  The county North Myrtle Beach is located in, Horry County, was named after a wealthy plantation owner and Revolutionary War General, Peter Horry.  

The North Myrtle Beach area has a rich heritage and has come a long way in developing itself into a top tourist destination today.  As both economic trends and the needs of the North Myrtle Beach area transform and change, you can be certain that the area’s heritage will remain just as important as the future growth of the North Myrtle Beach community.  Planned and sustainable growth will make for a community which will remain committed to strong character and increasing profitability.

The area is divided into four separate areas based on its former municipalities. These are Windy Hill, Crescent Beach, Ocean Drive, home of the Carolina shag, and Cherry Grove, a spit bordering North Carolina. Atlantic Beach, which lies inside of North Myrtle Beach, chose to remain its own town during the merger. It is serviced by the greater city but is independently run.

Demographics

As of the census^[4] of 2000, there were 10,974 people, 5,406 households, and 3,130 families residing in the city. The population density was 841.6 people per square mile (324.9/km²). There were 18,091 housing units at an average density of 1,387.5/sq mi (535.7/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 94.50% White, 2.31% African American, 0.47% Native American, 0.64% Asian, 0.14% Pacific Islander, 1.06% from other races, and 0.89% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.36% of the population.

There were 5,406 households out of which 15.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.5% were married couples living together, 6.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 42.1% were non-families. 33.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.03 and the average family size was 2.53.

In the city the population was spread out with 13.8% under the age of 18, 6.1% from 18 to 24, 25.9% from 25 to 44, 32.8% from 45 to 64, and 21.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 48 years. For every 100 females there were 99.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.2 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $38,787, and the median income for a family was $46,052. Males had a median income of $30,189 versus $22,119 for females. The per capita income for the city was $27,006. About 5.1% of families and 8.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.8% of those under age 18 and 4.8% of those age 65 or over. A little known fact, Vanna White is from North Myrtle Beach.