Atlantic Beach is a town in Horry County, South Carolina, United States, part of the Grand Strand tourist region. As of the 2020 census, Atlantic Beach had a population of 195. Most of the land around the town is annexed into the city of North Myrtle Beach.
History
Atlantic Beach is commonly nicknamed "The Black Pearl"; the rich culture of the town of Atlantic Beach was formed of mostly Gullah people, descendants of slaves who lived for 300 years on the Sea Islands from Wilmington, North Carolina to Jacksonville, Florida. In the early 1930s, defying Jim Crow laws in the segregated South, debunking black stereotypes, and broadening the enterprises of the Gullah people, black men and women opened hotels, restaurants, night clubs, and novelty shops in Atlantic Beach. Visitors would travel along Interstate 95, US 17 and SC 9, coming from nearby southern states, where racial segregation took its toll.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , all land.
Demographics
Racial and ethnic composition
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center;"
|+Atlantic Beach town, South Carolina – Racial and ethnic composition<br><small></small>
!Race / Ethnicity <small>(NH = Non-Hispanic)</small>
!Pop 2000
!Pop 2010
!style="background-color: #ffffb3;" |Pop 2020
!% 2000
!% 2010
!style="background-color: #ffffb3;" |% 2020
|-
|White alone (NH)
|27
|86
|style='background: #ffffe6; |77
|7.69%
|25.75%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |39.49%
|-
|Black or African American alone (NH)
|288
|181
|style='background: #ffffe6; |88
|82.05%
|54.19%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |45.13%
|-
|Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)
|0
|3
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0
|0.00%
|0.90%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.00%
|-
|Asian alone (NH)
|0
|0
|style='background: #ffffe6; |3
|0.00%
|0.00%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |1.54%
|-
|Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)
|0
|0
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0
|0.00%
|0.00%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.00%
|-
|Other race alone (NH)
|1
|0
|style='background: #ffffe6; |7
|0.28%
|0.00%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |3.59%
|-
|Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)
|0
|9
|style='background: #ffffe6; |8
|0.00%
|2.69%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |4.10%
|-
|Hispanic or Latino (any race)
|35
|55
|style='background: #ffffe6; |12
|9.97%
|16.47%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |6.15%
|-
|Total
|351
|334
|style='background: #ffffe6; |195
|100.00%
|100.00%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |100.00%
|}
2020 census
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 195 people, 87 households, and 39 families residing in the town.
2000 census
At the 2000 census there were 351 people, 132 households, and 83 families in the town. The population density was . There were 244 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 9.69% White, 82.05% African American, 7.12% from other races, and 1.14% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 9.97%.