Kristi and Jewell Knight

   The City of Myrtle Beach is a full-service resort at the heart of the Grand Strand, a 60-mile stretch of natural beauty on South Carolina's northeastern coast.  Our 30,000 permanent residents and millions of visitors enjoy the wide beaches, the warm weather and an incredible range of entertainment, nightlife, golf, shopping, dining and live theatre. 

Myrtle Beach was incorporated in 1938 and became a city in 1957, when the permanent population first topped 5,000.  By the way, the name "Myrtle Beach" comes from the wax myrtle, an abundant local shrub, and was chosen in a name-the-town contest in 1900.  "Edgewater" finished in second place.  Previously, the area had been known as Long Bay, Withers and New Town.  

For nearly 50 years, Myrtle Beach was a military town, first as home to the U.S. Army Air Corps in the 1940s, and then to the Myrtle Beach Air Force Base beginning in the 1950s.  The base closed in 1993, and the property has since been redeveloped as the Market Common District, complete with an urban town center known as The Market Common, a Grand Park that features open space, recreation fields, a large lake and a 1.1 mile walking and bicycling trail.  

Today, Myrtle Beach is a well known destination for vacationers from around the country, Canada and abroad. The area is an excellent choice as tourism is the largest employer in the region, with an estimated 73,500 jobs in Horry and Georgetown counties related to the industry. Some of these jobs are hourly-wage positions, while others are management and supervisory. But beyond the tourism sector, there are still a multitude of professional positions and support positions in nearly every industry—allowing you the opportunity to work while you play along our shores.                 

  Great communities deserve great schools and the Myrtle Beach area is more than just a great place to live, work, and play—it’s a great place to learn. Our city values public education and provides students with cutting-edge opportunities and learning tools. For students in kindergarten through 12th grade, there are many exceptional choices: a public system (the third largest in the state), private, parochial and charter schools. High school graduates have options for further study right here at home, with associate degree programs at several technical schools and colleges. And two universities, a technical college and several trade schools offer a wide diversity of education choices for all ages.