Myrtle Beach tourist information

Myrtle Beach was uninhabited until 1900, when a railroad was built between Conway and Myrtle Beach. The railroad ended in 1899 in the locale of Pine Island and was extended four miles into the future city. The Pavilion, as well as the Seaside Inn, were built in today's downtown.

Ocean Forest
By the 1930s, the city grew to include areas as far north as present-day Ocean Forest. The Ocean Forest Hotel was built about this time (which was to be demolished in 1974). The Intracoastal Waterway began construction several years later. Almost a year later, the city was incorporated as a town in 1938 and became a city in 1957. Its name was derived from the Wax myrtle shrub that grows throughout the area.

1960's Myrtle Beach
In the 1960s, northern development in what was unincorporated Horry County began to develop, with the newly formed communities of North Myrtle Beach and Briarcliffe Acres.

1970's Myrtle Beach
Myrtle Beach continued to grow, and by the 1970s, had become well associated with tourism. Parts of what is now US 17 Bypass were built later in the decade. The building boom along the Grand Strand began in the late 1970s, with many suburbs of Myrtle Beach such as Surfside Beach and North Myrtle Beach.

1980's Myrtle Beach
By the late 1980s and into the early and mid 1990s, Myrtle Beach grew into the county's 18th largest population gain. The community of Carolina Forest eventually would house 56,000 residents. This community would either be annexed into Myrtle Beach at a later date or would become its own community. Carolina Forest has become home to many non-native residents, many of whom come from the Northeast. Because of relatively low cost of living and many amenities, it has attracted many retirees, some of whom became acquainted with the area while vacationing.

Airport
The Myrtle Beach area is served by the Myrtle Beach International Airport, located on the former Myrtle Beach Air Force Base base on the south side of town. The airport opened in 1976 and has served the Myrtle Beach area continuously, even after the Myrtle Beach Air Force Base closed. Hooters Air began operating out of Myrtle Beach in early 2003, only to be closed in early 2006 due to rising airline prices and the airline industry as a whole.

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Highways
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. Some of the roads included have either been funded through RIDE I funding or through the City of Myrtle Beach.

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