Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

There is a long list of things to love about Myrtle Beach - near-perfect beach weather, world-class golf, reasonable cost of living (relative to other vacation hotspots), friendly retirement tax incentives and cool culture/nightlife. All this though pales in comparison to how much locals and tourists love the Grand Strand. This is the 60 mile stretch of gorgeous shoreline where you can swim in the temperate Atlantic amidst mild waves. It’s one of the world’s longest beaches and is the #1 reason 17 million tourist a year flock to Myrtle Beach. It’s also one of the primary reasons the area is seeing growth from the emerging work-from-home population.

Myrtle Beach is not alone among the classic “vacation town” spots that is undergoing change. The growth happening here is part of a transition from a traditional service economy with a mix of locals, retirees, and tourists to one driven by remote workforce that want to live year-round in a beautiful area. This creates some tension between locals, retirees, tourists and emerging populations who crave different things for the city. Towns from Cape Cod to Park City to Bend Oregon are all wrestling with these emerging full-time populations that crave some of the amenities from the cities they’ve left.

Small town beach culture is the most dominant lifestyle experienced by residents of Myrtle Beach. Mild weather, year-round, means locals and tourists spend much of their time either on the beach or near the beach enjoying the wide sandy beaches and waves, long walks, biking, hiking, and a surprisingly active entertainment scene. Broadway Theater hosts live entertainment including Le Grand Cirque and year-round holiday events. There’s also the Carolina Opry for dance and song lovers, and the Legends in Concert theater and Legacy Theater for first-fun films.

The foodie scene is also excellent, with a growing list of first class restaurants, with a particular emphasis on quality seafood and upscale pub food.

Year-round families appreciate the amenities that serve tourists that they get to enjoy even in the off-season. This of course includes the beach and watersports, but also everything from the Pelicans minor league baseball team, Myrtle Waves Water Park, Broadway Grand Prix and a dozen other kid-friendly play spaces.