If you can believe it, the sands and land of Myrtle Beach was once virtually uninhabited until the early 1900s, when the Burroughs & Collins Company, a timber/turpentine firm, began developing the Myrtle Beach area as a resort. In 1901, the company built the beach’s first hotel, the Seaside Inn. Its birth name was Long Bay or New Town until the Horry Herald sponsored a contest to officially name the area. Mrs. F.E. Burroughs, wife of the founder of Burroughs & Collins, won with the name Myrtle Beach, because of the many wax myrtle trees growing wild along the coastline.
Today, Myrtle Beach has bloomed from its humble beginnings into a busy metropolitan area and business hub of the Grand Strand. With its own baseball team, world-renowned golf courses, and a pulsing cultural scene, Myrtle Beach has everything you would expect from a big city, but with a small town price tag.
The quality of life is high here, while the cost of living is low (about 7 percent lower than the national average), which is nice for those moving here from a big-city lifestyle. With options ranging from oceanfront homes and condos to small, family-focused communities, Myrtle Beach has housing options for everyone. Plus, South Carolina property taxes are some of the lowest in the country.
And let’s not forget, it’s the beach. The resort mecca of Myrtle Beach boasts sand, sun and fun on the water by boat, body or paddleboard or underwater by scuba or snorkel. Cultural theatres and shows for the whole family abound by land, as well as parks, hiking and biking trails. Life here is a beach. Relocation here is a smart investment in a quality of life beyond compare.
