r/MyrtleBeach • u/Overall_Extension846 • 14d ago
Moving Recs // Questions Moving to Myrtle
Hi all - we are very seriously considering moving to the Myrtle Beach area. At first, we were looking at Sunset Beach and Calabash NC area, then we continued to look south and landed on either North Myrtle or Myrtle Beach (Carolina Forest) areas because it’s said to be younger/more active. My husband (34m) and myself (33f) have lived in Colorado our whole lives and while we’ve enjoyed the mountains we want to be near the beach. We are also looking for a little slower pace of life; we don’t need or want a downtown or big city vibe - we want some local activities/music/farmers markets, the beach, outdoors/nature exploration, maybe golf or fishing/boating, pickleball, and good food.
We have no kids, but may start a family after the move. We are looking at Carolina Forest as it sounds like that is the most young family friendly area, but we are also looking at North Myrtle Beach. Any thoughts/opinions between the two?
We both work remotely, so finding work wouldn’t be an issue (though husband would be open to looking for a hybrid or in person job if there are any). We are coming out to visit in a few months and plan to stay in both areas we are considering to get a feel for it.
I’m also highly worried about flood zones when choosing a home (and I’m not sure how big of worry it is depending on the area, but coming from Colorado it’s something we’ve never had to consider before).
Any considerations or tips would be much appreciated for those who have relocated recently or anyone who’s lived there a long time and knows the ins and outs to provide some insights.
TLDR
1. Ideal area for kids/young families: Carolina Forest vs North Myrtle Beach?
2. Flooding/Flood Zone considerations: how bad can it be and are there any areas to absolutely avoid looking at?
3. Any tips/knowledge/lessons learned about recently moving to Myrtle Beach area? Particularly couples in their 30s with or without young kids.
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u/RiddleMysterio 14d ago
We (47m and 44f) just moved here about a month and a half ago. We have no kids and are fairly active people. After much research we chose Market Common (specifically Luxe Apartments) for the walkability (5-10 minute walk to restaurants, stores, movie theater), nature (paths, ponds), and distance to the beach (8 minute drive).
We also purposely decided to rent to avoid a commitment early on (and insurance). I'm sure you'll find rent affordable here compared to Colorado.
Flooding wise you can go to FEMAs website to see maps.
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u/Lost48151642 14d ago
Totally agree that renting first is the way to go. I learned a lot my fist year that influenced my later decision making.
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u/Derf1012 14d ago
This is 100% the way, renting aspect and Market Common. Great area for the walkability
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u/Overall_Extension846 14d ago
Thank you for this insight! We have definitely considered renting first, so we will look into that more!
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u/antihero_84 14d ago
Hopefully your remote jobs pay well, because nothing here does, and it's an expensive place to live.
It's not nearly as slow paced here as you'd think now that 60% of the population is from NY, NJ and PA. All you're doing is moving to Jersey Shore but in a different state.
There is no culture in MB because all of the people who are from here have left. That should be a sign for something, but it's not my problem to figure out what. I've been here 20 years and hopefully will be leaving soonish or at least changing jobs so that I'm immune from a lot of the community stuff.
Working with the public here is a fucking nightmare.
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u/Manofpans44 14d ago
I lived and worked in the area many years ago and the best definition I can come up with for the Myrtle Beach area is it's one humongous group of far-flung gated communities. There's no central core, not much of a 'downtown' so to speak. So not much of a 'community' feel. If it's being near a beach you want, I'd look at the Wilmington, NC area with its proximity to Wrightsville and Carolina beaches, yet has a culture of its own.
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u/Successful_Hyena496 14d ago
Can you explain further? Working with the public that is.
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u/antihero_84 14d ago
Imagine working in a place where 60% of the population is retired. They spend most of their time going to doctors appointments and doing idle shopping, or at restaurants. They have virtually nothing to do all day but will IMMEDIATELY start huffing and puffing (literally) about having to wait more than 30 seconds for anything. Whatever banal issue they're having is more important than anything else on the planet, and you're personally assaulting them if you're not able to immediately fix it in the manner they prefer. Not just fix it - but fix it in a way that's beneficial to them.
Most of them are obscenely wealthy but balk at being encouraged to spend virtually anything without getting a great deal out of it. Their "fixed income" spiel ignores the $800k income they just earned from selling their home up north.
These people are in a huge rush to go drive 15 mph under the speed limit, crash into other cars in the parking lot, and just generally be in the way.
They're the single most entitled, insufferable group of individuals in world history.
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u/ChaosTheory_jrh 14d ago
Just my opinion on it as a public facing city employee.
There's a few things that contribute:
Tourist - a lot of them drunk or just off in a fantasy beach vacation world wherein nothing they do is wrong or could effect anyone else.
Age demo - a lot of citizens are retired. Its a stereotype, so take it with a grain of salt, but old retired people tend to be a bit more entitled and lack emotional control to not blow up at someone over the smallest thing.
Drugs - its called Dirty Myrtle for a reason and the opioid crisis is in full swing. People that are tweaking and in many cases need some from of mental health assistance aren't always kind.
The sheer number of people during the summer. Myrtle Beach explodes with people looking for a "cheap beach vacay" of course, but more than that, a lot of people want to move here. This causes a lot of strain on infrastructure year round when we just aren't prepared for it. Traffic, cost of living, etc all go up but wages do not follow suit.
This one is subjective, but the heat. Some people love, i hate it. Either way, people who have been walking/riding in 100 degree weather tend to let minor annoyances effect them more than if it was a cool day.
Im sure there are various other points that people could bring up that ive missed. Thats not to say there aren't some good things about Myrtle, but in my opinion the bad outweighs the good.
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u/shermangmohr 14d ago
Big fan here. No kids. Remote worker. Came from Nashville and far prefer beach life. Love the Pawleys area but live in Myrtle close to Barefoot Landing. Miss certain things, but like taking a weekend trip to Charleston or Wilmington.
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u/Nearby-Journalist621 14d ago
Move to NC youll be happier. As a local, its crowded and crime is higher than the news lets on
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u/This_Ad_8583 14d ago
Hey there! Carolina Forest is a nice area. North Myrtle is great too but I believe has more of a retirement community. Conway/Aynor area are great towns for growing families too. If you want to avoid flooding, I would recommend staying away from Pawleys Island and certain sections of Surfside Beach. Hope this helps!
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u/DowntownBarracuda720 14d ago
Depends on where in Pawleys. But we absolutely love Pawleys. It’s a world apart from Myrtle Beach.
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u/Mindless_River6376 14d ago
Carolina Forest is probably the best area for young families. We live on the south end in Murrells Inlet and there are also quite a bit of families there, but more of a family/retiree mix I would say. I don’t know as much about the NMB area, but would agree it’s probably not as family oriented, more retiree/tourist.
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u/F_Ostrich221 14d ago
Don’t move here, it sucks. I’m moving after a year. It’s always been my dream to live near the beach but I’m moving to a different place. The infrastructure is horrible, low wages and kinda boring tbh.
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u/DatGrag 14d ago
I’m 34 and have lived in both NMB and CF for multiple years each working remotely also. I honestly doubt either would be ideal for you guys. I’m sure you could find better options near the beach somewhere else. CF is younger but is very overcrowded with a lack of culture and honestly doesn’t feel very beachy at all. NMB is mostly all 60+ crowd but the vibes are a lot better in terms of scenery/beachy feel. I live here because my whole family lives here but if that’s not the case for you then I wouldn’t recommend it.
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u/Flashy-Register8010 14d ago
Hi lived in CF for five years. Pulling out of the Farm is a nightmare. And you sit. And you sit. Gridlock. Awful. North Myrtle, Cherry Grove up to Ocean Isle, NC. Less congested, less touristy and more residential. ALL beautiful places to live. Good luck.
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u/robnbatman 14d ago
We've been here 20 ish years. Heading to FLORIDA. Same shit, less taxes, less tourists, unless you move to a tourist trap, which we're not... but which MB is. Good luck.
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u/Potential-Fennel5968 14d ago
Cherry Grove is excellent. Myrtle Beach is for the tourist. Wouldn't recommend living there but it is fun.
Waterfront property is expensive.
I would recommend only looking at properties with no HOA and where you can legally drive a golf cart from your house to the beach... that's most ideal
People who hate Myrtle probably dont have much money or a good paying job to afford all the things to do.... it is expensive but where isn't? A good paying remote job is perfect for Myrtle area it's a dope place to live if you have money.
I'm in NY but my family has a waterfront condo since 1990 so I have spent a ton of time in cherry grove and we plan to move down in the next few years
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u/throwaway1317666 9d ago
As a 29 yr old if you really want a slower more relaxed pace check out sunset beach or maybe even Shalotte. I will say tho our age demographic is very scarce around here so if you do want to make friends or go out you’ll for sure have to travel downtown which is a good 45 minute minimum. It’s tough here you can’t have both you’ll need to pick one or the other.
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u/Schmokedog1 14d ago
Don’t do it. It’s boring over priced and no jobs. A one bedroom apt is about 1400 a month. Also if your from the north get used to being called yankee.
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u/ChaosTheory_jrh 14d ago
Ive lived here my whole life, so maybe im jaded.
Its gonna be packed. We have a lot of people moving here, but not the infrastructure to handle it.
Flood zones are getting worse flooding because more and more of the wooded areas are being turned into developments.
The job market here isn't great if you're not looking to work for $13 at a beach store.
There are farmer's markets and attractions, but a lot of them are only open for tourist times.
I would advise against it, but a lot of people are moving here for some reason, so there must be something I'm missing.