Myrtle Beach is one of the most well-known tourist destinations on the East Coast. Aside from its gorgeous beaches, Myrtle Beach has become a major coastal resort. The area features amusement parks (Freestyle Park, Family Kingdom, Myrtle Waves Waterpark, etc.), great shopping (Broadway at the Beach, Coastal Grand Mall, Myrtle Beach Mall Tanger Outlets, etc.), and over 100 golf courses. It has been called The Golf Capital of the World. The city boasts a large Convention Center which hosts an array of different meetings, conferences, exhibits, and special events every year. In addition, Myrtle Beach is home to the Myrtle Beach Pelicans, a minor league baseball team and the Class A-Advanced affiliate of the Chicago Cubs.

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The first inhabitants of Myrtle Beach were the Waccamaw and Winyan Indian tribes. Their word for land was Chicora. All three of these names are still in existence today. The Spanish settled in Myrtle Beach in the 1500s but did not last due to sickness. In the 1600s the English settled and began trading with the Indians. Kings Highway (Highway 17) became the primary overland route between seaports in the north and those in the south.

In the early 1900s, a railroad was built between Conway and Myrtle Beach. Families began to visit the beautiful area. The first hotel built was the Seaside Inn. In the 1930s the Ocean Forest Hotel was built and construction on the Intracoastal Waterway was begun.

The Ocean Forest Hotel was built by a wealthy textile magnate from the upper state and featured an enormous ballroom, elaborately decorated rooms, the coast’s first golf course, horseback riding, and tennis. It was a well-known playground for the rich and famous until it was demolished in 1974.

Myrtle Beach was incorporated as a town in 1938 and became a city in 1957. The name was derived from the lovely wax myrtle shrubs that grow throughout the area.