A brief look at our history:

Horry County is the largest county in the state in land area (1,143 sq. miles), and became a full political subdivision of the state in 1785 when the Georgetown district was subdivided into four counties. The county was first called Kingston District but the name was changed to Horry County in honor of General Peter Horry, a Revolutionary War hero. Largely an agricultural area for many years, crops such as tobacco played a major part in shaping the county's history.

Several major developments took place along the coastal region of the county during the 1930's and 1940's. In 1936, the Intracoastal Waterway was opened to pleasure boats and commercial shipping. During the 1940's, an Air Force base was established and used for training and coastal patrols during World War II. (The base was later closed in 1993.) Myrtle Beach was incorporated in 1938, and became a city in 1957. In 1968, the towns of Windy Hill Beach, Crescent Beach, Ocean Drive Beach and Cherry Grove Beach joined to form the City of North Myrtle Beach, which now has a population of over 15,000 residents. Hurricane Hazel had a significant effect on the area, demolished buildings and trees along the Strand (in 1954,) thus clearing the way for new, larger hotels and homes. The region's golf boom began during this rebuilding phase and has continued with new courses being built each year. Throughout the 1970's, new construction topped $75 million and Myrtle Beach's permanent population tripled. In the 1970's and 80's construction of attractions, homes, retail shops, and other amenities increased steadily, bringing another boom in the early 90's that currently attracts millions of visitors and thousands of new residents to the area each year. Horry County is one of the fastest growing regions in the United States, and is consistently ranked among the country's top destinations. Its current population is approx. 300,000 permanent residents.

Myrtle Beach, Conway, North Myrtle Beach, Surfside Beach, Aynor, Loris and Atlantic Beach are all incorporated areas of Horry County. Horry County adheres to a council-administrator form of government. There are 11 districts in Horry County and one council member is elected from each district. The council chairman is elected at large.

The Horry County Government web site contains information on County Council, County Departments and Services, News, Ordinances, and more. Access it at www.horrycounty.org