Grand Strand
The Grand Strand is an arc of beach land on the Atlantic Ocean in South Carolina, United States, extending more than 60 miles (97 km) from Little River to Winyah Bay.
[4] The area, whose primary city is Myrtle Beach, is home to numerous hotels, golf resorts, and recreational centers, making it popular with families and college students during the summers and winters.
[citation needed] Snowfall is extremely rare in this part of the state, but does occasionally occur, such as when Myrtle Beach received five inches of snow in January 2000.
[6] The first European settler along Long Bay arrived in the late 18th Century, attempting to extend the plantation system outward towards the ocean.
These settlers were met with mixed results, producing unremarkable quantities of indigo and tobacco as the coast's soil was sandy and most of the crop yields were of an inferior quality.
Several families received land grants along the coast, including the Withers: John, Richard, William, and Mary.
[8] Mary Wither's gravestone at Prince George Winyah Parish Church speaks to the remoteness of the former Strand: "She gave up the pleasures of Society and retired to Long Bay, where she resided a great part of her life devoted to the welfare of her children.
He stayed a night at Windy Hill (part of present-day North Myrtle Beach) and was led across Wither's Swash to Georgetown by Jeremiah Vereen.
[14] A contest was held to name the town and Burroughs' wife suggested honoring the locally abundant shrub, the Southern Wax Myrtle (Myrica cerifera).
[14] In 1937, Myrtle Beach Municipal Airport was built, however it was promptly taken over by the United States Army Air Corps in 1940 and converted into a military base.
The Grand Strand's economy is dominated by the tourist industry, with tourism bringing in millions of dollars each year.
A manufacturing base produces plastic, rubber, cardboard, foam, and ceramic products usually in small scale.
The Myrtle Beach Convention Center is a large facility that hosts an array of different meetings, conferences, exhibits, and special events every year.
[19] Myrtle Beach is also home to Coastal Uncorked, a food and wine festival held in the late spring annually.
[20] With numerous professional fireworks displays along the oceanfront, Myrtle Beach is recognized among the top destinations for Fourth of July travel.
The event was created in response to a history of discrimination against African-American visitors and riders to Myrtle Beach and the Grand Strand Area.
Several lawsuits by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) against Myrtle Beach businesses were settled with agreements that discrimination cease, compensation be given to some plaintiffs, and employees be given diversity training.
RIDE II plans include the third phase of S.C. Highway 31, a graded separation of Farrow Parkway and US 17 Bypass at the back gate of the former Air Force base, and many other projects.
The Grand Strand is home to the Myrtle Beach Pelicans, a Carolina League baseball team and Chicago Cubs farm franchise.
It is the finish point of the Bi-Lo Myrtle Beach Marathon, an athletics event held in February of each year.
Hosted by Coastal Carolina University each year, the tournament pits participating NCAA Division I baseball programs in the United States.
NASCAR-sanctioned stock car racing is held at Myrtle Beach Speedway, a .538-mile (0.866 km), semi-banked, asphalt-paved oval track located on US 501.
Drivers in the Late Model classes will compete (against those of Greenville-Pickens Speedway) for the South Carolina Championship in the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series.
