Myrtle Beach, located on the center of South Carolina's Grand Strand, has become a premier resort destination in the last 25 years. Myrtle Beach has 25,000 permanent residents who enjoy the wide beaches year-round. Myrtle Beach is very welcoming of the tourists which flock to the area each year.
According to history, a party of Spaniards from Hispaniola landed about 50 miles north of present-day Myrtle Beach in 1526 and established the first European settlement in the United States about 30 miles to the south. They name their settlement San Miguel de Caudate; however, it was abandoned the following year and they returned to Hispaniola.
Modern Day Myrtle Beach
Over the next three centuries, the region's population grew very slowly.
With rice as the principal crop, landowners began to develop large plantations
in the area. In the late 1800s and early 1900s, there were a few permanent
residents in modern-day Myrtle Beach; however, houses and camps were sparse.
As the 1900s progressed, more people began to flock to Myrtle Beach. It
was incorporated as a town in 1938 and became a city in 1957. Its name
comes from the wax myrtle, a shrub which grows abundantly in the area.
Today, people are drawn to Myrtle Beach by its beautiful ocean, sand,
and trees. It is a well-known destination for vacationers from all over
the United States, Canada, and abroad. Come and see for yourself all Myrtle
Beach has to offer.