Horry County, South Carolina

Horry County (/ˈɒriː/ OR-ree, silent "h" like its namesake Peter Horry) is the easternmost county in the U.S. state of South Carolina. As of the 2020 census, its population was 351,029. It is the fourth-most populous county in South Carolina. The county seat is Conway. Horry County is the central county in the Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach, SC Metropolitan Statistical Area. It is in the Pee Dee region of South Carolina, about 90 miles (140 km) north of Charleston, and about 130 miles (210 km) east of the state capital, Columbia.

History

Horry County was created from Georgetown District in 1801. At this time, the county had an estimated population of 550. Isolated by the many rivers and swamps typical of the South Carolina Lowcountry, the area essentially was surrounded by water, forcing its inhabitants to survive without much assistance from the "outside world". This caused the county residents to become an extremely independent populace, and they named their county "The Independent Republic of Horry". The county was named after, and in honor of, Revolutionary War hero Peter Horry who was born in South Carolina around 1743. Horry started his military career in 1775 as one of 20 captains, elected by the Provincial Congress of South Carolina, to serve the 1st and 2nd Regiments. In 1790, he was assigned to the South Carolina militia under Brigadier General Francis Marion.

The population has increased more than fourfold since 1970, as the area has become a destination for retirees and people owning second homes.

On October 29, 2012, the county paid homage to the man for whom the county is named. It commissioned a bronze sculpture of Peter Horry, installing it inside the Horry County Government and Justice Center. The sculpture was designed by artist Garland Weeks. Coastal Monument of Conway designed the stone base. The base of the sculpture is inscribed with the names of the 1801 commissioners on one side and the names of 2011 Horry County Council members on the other; a brief biography of General Peter Horry is on the front. It cost slightly more than $16,200 for both the bust/sculpture and the stone base.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,254.73 square miles (3,249.7 km2), of which 1,133.31 square miles (2,935.3 km2) is land and 121.42 square miles (314.5 km2) (9.68%) is water. It is the largest county by land area in South Carolina. The highest point in the county is 124 feet (38 m) above sea level.

Horry County is in the northeastern corner of South Carolina. It is a diverse land made up of rivers, beaches, forests, and swamps, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east, the Little Pee Dee River and Drowning Creek (also known as the Lumber River) on its western side, and North Carolina to the north. The Waccamaw River, around 140 miles (230 km) long, runs through southeastern North Carolina and eastern South Carolina into Horry County. The river runs through the coastal plain, along the eastern border between the two states, and into the Atlantic Ocean.

National protected area

• Waccamaw National Wildlife Refuge (part)

State and local protected areas/sites

• Cartwheel Bay Heritage Preserve/Wildlife Management Area
• Conway Post Office
• Heritage Shores Nature Preserve
• Horry County Museum
• Lewis Ocean Bay Heritage Preserve/Wildlife Management Area
• Myrtle Beach State Park
• North Myrtle Beach Area Historical Museum
• Russell Burgess Coastal Preserve
• Waccamaw River Heritage Preserve/Wildlife Management Area

Major water bodies

• Atlantic Ocean (North Atlantic Ocean)
• Calabash River
• Dunes Lake
• Great Pee Dee River
• Intracoastal Waterway
• Lake Busbee
• Little Pee Dee River
• Little River
• Long Bay
• Lumber River
• Murrells Inlet
• Tuckahoe Bay
• Waccamaw River

Adjacent counties

• Robeson County, North Carolina - northwest
• Columbus County, North Carolina – northeast
• Brunswick County, North Carolina – east
• Georgetown County – southwest
• Marion County – west
• Dillon County – northwest

Demographics

Racial and ethnic composition

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 351,029 and 89,281 families. The median age was 49.0 years, with 17.4% of residents under the age of 18 and 26.8% 65 years of age or older; for every 100 females there were 92.9 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 90.5 males age 18 and over.

The racial makeup of the county was 77.1% White, 11.4% Black or African American, 0.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.3% Asian, 0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 3.5% from some other race, and 6.1% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 6.9% of the population.

75.6% of residents lived in urban areas, while 24.4% lived in rural areas.

There were 150,221 households in the county, of which 22.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 27.3% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 28.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

There were 203,702 housing units, of which 26.3% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 73.9% were owner-occupied and 26.1% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.3% and the rental vacancy rate was 18.2%.

2010 census

At the 2010 census, 269,291 people, 112,225 households, and 72,254 families resided in the county. The population density was 237.5 inhabitants per square mile (91.7/km2). The 185,992 housing units averaged 164.0 per square mile (63.3/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 79.9% White, 13.4% Black or African American, 1.0% Asian, 0.5% American Indian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 3.1% from other races, and 2.0% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 6.2% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 15.3% were American, 13.4% were African American (which can include other ethnicities), 13.3% were Irish, 12.8% were German, 11.3% were English, and 6.1% were Italian.

Of the 112,225 households, 27.3% had children under 18 living with them, 47.2% were married couples living together, 12.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 35.6% were not families, and 26.8% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.37, and the average family size was 2.84. The median age was 41.1 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $43,142 and for a family was $51,608. Males had a median income of $37,351 versus $29,525 for females. The per capita income for the county was $24,811. About 11.6% of families and 16.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 25.2% of those under age 18 and 7.5% of those age 65 or over.

Law, government, and politics

State delegation

Horry County has a South Carolina House of Representatives delegation made up of 10 state representatives. In addition, the county has a South Carolina Senate delegation made up of five state senators. The delegations work concurrently to represent county issues in Columbia.

State House of Representatives delegation

The county's State House of Representatives delegation is currently made up of:

State Senate delegation

The county's State Senate delegation is currently made up of:

County council

The county council of Horry County consists of members who represent 11 single-member districts with a chairman voted at-large. The county council meets at the Horry County Government and Justice Center in the first week of every month. Patricia S. Hartley is the clerk to council, members of the county council include:

Current county council members

Past composition of the county council

Law enforcement

The Horry County Police Department provides 24-hour services to the unincorporated areas of the county. It is the only county police department in South Carolina. The Horry County Sheriff's Office is responsible for courthouse security, processing of warrants, fingerprinting, registration of sex offenders, funeral escorts, background checks, and managing the J. Reuben Long Detention Center. The South Carolina Highway Patrol has a Troop 5 barracks in Conway, and provides services throughout the county. Myrtle Beach, Conway, Briarcliffe Acres, Atlantic Beach, Surfside Beach, Loris, and Aynor all have their own police departments, which patrol within the relevant town or city's border. North Myrtle Beach has a Public Safety Department, which provides police and fire services in the city of North Myrtle Beach.

In March 2020, Todd Cox, a former Horry County police officer, was fined $300 for failing to investigate reports of sex crimes against children. He and three other officers had been indicted in 2016 on charges of coercing sex and ignoring cases.

Party strength

Horry County used to be loyally Democratic, even by the standards of the Solid South. In 1936, Republican candidate Alf Landon did not receive a single vote in Horry County. In 1964, though, Barry Goldwater carried the county by a margin almost as large as John F. Kennedy's 1960 margin. It has voted Republican in every election since, with the exception of supporting the third-party candidacy of Alabama Governor George Wallace in 1968 and neighboring Georgia's Jimmy Carter in 1976. While conservative Democrats continued to hold most local offices into the 1990s, today, there are almost no elected Democrats left above the county level. No Democratic presidential candidate has received more than 40% of the county's vote since 2000. Like Greenville County, it is exceptionally conservative for an urban county.

Economy

In 2022, the GDP was $18.3 billion (about $45,922 per capita), and the real GDP was $15.3 billion (about $38,472 per capita) in chained 2017 dollars.

In 2013, PTR Industries, a gunmaker, relocated to the Cool Springs Business Park near Aynor from Bristol, Connecticut. That state had passed restrictive gun control legislation following the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting.

Twenty-one PTR employees relocated from Bristol. The company stated that it would hire an additional 30 workers in the first quarter of 2014, with a goal of having 120 employees by 2017.

As of April 2024[update], some of the largest employers in the county include Adidas, the city of Myrtle Beach, Coastal Carolina University, Food Lion, Hilton Grand Vacations, Publix, and Walmart.

Transportation

Major highways

• Future I-73
• Future I-74
• US 17
• US 17 Bus.
• US 17 Conn.
• US 76
• US 378
• US 378 Truck
• US 501
• US 501 Bus.
• US 701
• US 701 Truck (Conway 1)
• US 701 Truck (Conway 2)
• SC 9
• SC 9 Bus.
• SC 22
• SC 31
• SC 31 Conn.
• SC 65
• SC 90
• SC 90 Conn.
• SC 179
• SC 319
• SC 410
• SC 544
• SC 544 Conn. (Red Hill 1)
• SC 544 Conn. (Red Hill 2)
• SC 707
• SC 905
• SC 917

Airports

• Conway–Horry County Airport (HYW) - Conway
• Grand Strand Airport (CRE) - North Myrtle Beach
• Green Sea Airport (S79) - Green Sea
• Myrtle Beach International Airport (MYR) - Myrtle Beach
• Twin City Airport (5J9) - Loris

Mass transit

• The Coast RTA bus system operates seven days a week, 364 days a year, on 15 routes throughout the Horry County/Grand Strand area, including Myrtle Beach, North Myrtle Beach, Surfside Beach, Garden City, Conway, Loris, and Aynor.

Communities

Cities

• Conway (county seat)
• Loris
• Myrtle Beach (largest community)
• North Myrtle Beach

Towns

• Atlantic Beach
• Aynor
• Briarcliffe Acres
• Surfside Beach

Census-designated places

• Bucksport
• Carolina Forest
• Finklea
• Forestbrook
• Garden City
• Green Sea
• Homewood
• Ketchuptown
• Little River
• Live Oak
• Red Hill
• Socastee

Unincorporated communities & neighborhoods

• Adrian
• Allsbrook
• Baxter Forks
• Bayboro
• Brooksville
• Bucksville
• Buck Forest
• Burgess
• Causey
• Cedar Branch
• Cherry Grove Beach
• Chestnut Hill
• Cochran Town
• Cool Spring
• Crescent Beach
• Daisy
• Dog Bluff
• Dongola
• Duford
• Fantasy Harbour
• Floyds Crossroads
• Forney
• Galivants Ferry
• Glass Hill
• Goretown
• Gurley
• Hand
• Hammond
• Hickory Grove
• Horry
• Howard
• Ingram Beach
• Jordanville
• Klondike
• Konig
• Little Town
• Longs
• Mt. Calvary
• Mt. Olive
• Nixonville
• Nixons Crossroads
• Ocean Drive Beach
• Pee Dee Crossroads
• Pine Island
• Playcards
• Poplar
• Red Bluff
• Stephens Crossroads
• Shell
• Springmaid Beach
• Toddville
• Twelvemile
• Wampee
• Windy Hill Beach
• Worthams Ferry

See also

• List of counties in South Carolina
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Horry County, South Carolina
• Horry County Schools
• Waccamaw Indian People, state-recognized tribe that resides in the county
• 2023 Chinese balloon incident, high-altitude balloon shot down over the Atlantic Ocean, east of the county
• Myrtle Beach Speedway

Further reading

• Horry County, South Carolina, 1730-1993, Catherine Heniford Lewis, University of South Carolina Press, 1998, ISBN 1-57003-207-6

External links

• Geographic data related to at OpenStreetMap