Surfside Beach is a town in Horry County, South Carolina, United States. Its nickname is "The Family Beach". The population was 4,155 at the 2020 census, up from 3,837 in 2010. It is considered a part of the Grand Strand.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau Surfside Beach has a total area of 2.0&nbsp;square miles (5.1&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup>), of which 1.9&nbsp;square miles (5.0&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup>) is land and 0.02&nbsp;square mile (0.04&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup>) (0.87%) is water.

History

18th and 19th centuries

In the early nineteenth century, there is evidence of a slave plantation of 3,200 acres (1838) at what is now Surfside Beach. There are traveller accounts from the eighteenth century of the area. The 1765 diary of John Bartram, botanist, shows him lodging at what was probably Stephen Peak's slave plantation, "at the west end of long bay".

20th century

The main house became a hotel, and then a shelter for lifeguards, before it was demolished in the 1960s. There are now houses on the site, which have destroyed most of the cemetery, though some graves are still visible, and in 2022 markers and memorials were put up.

Surfside Beach was previously known as Roach's Beach He built a sawmill and opened a hotel in the old house of the plantation, the Tillman house.

Hurricane Hazel in 1954 destroyed most of the beach's seventy houses and the pier. Development plans continued. By 1956 there were six families living permanently on the beach, with others coming on vacation. The settlement expanded after the reactivation of Myrtle Beach Air Force Base in 1956. The town was incorporated in 1964.

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2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Surfside Beach had a population of 4,155. The median age was 57.5 years. 10.3% of residents were under the age of 18 and 33.1% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 93.9 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 91.6 males age 18 and over.

100.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 0.0% lived in rural areas.

There were 2,076 households and 1,230 families in Surfside Beach, of which 13.6% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 46.6% were married-couple households, 18.6% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 28.9% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 33.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

Transportation

Major roads and highways

  • 20px<br>20px U.S. 17 Bus.
  • 20px U.S. 17
  • 25px SC 544
  • Glenns Bay Road
  • Ocean Boulevard
  • Surfside Drive

Education

Surfside Beach has a public library, a branch of the Horry County Memorial Library system.

Surfside Beach is served by the Horry County Schools.

Notable people

  • Russell Fry, U.S. representative and former South Carolina state representative

References