Horry

Formed January 1, 1801 (27^th county)

Horry County (269,291), Conway (17,103), Myrtle Beach (27,109)

The dark red brick Classical Revival courthouse was constructed in 1907.  A modern Justice Center was added in 2002.  The courthouse is on 3^rd Avenue and Beaty Street.  United States Highway 701 is one block northwest of the site.  Leitner & Wilkins provided the courthouse designs.  The building was renovated in 1964.  There was an 1824 version of the courthouse in Conway the only county seat.  The county was formed on January 1, 1801 from Georgetown County as the 27^th county.  Horry County is named for Revolutionary War General Peter Horry.  The county seat is named for Revolutionary War General Robert Conway.  Horry County is the birthplace for 1 South Carolina Governor, Robert F. W. Allston. 

Horry County government consists of a sheriff and 11 Council Members.  Two Circuit Court Judges and Three Family Court Judges serve Horry and Georgetown counties.  The county is located on the southeast border with North Carolina and the Atlantic Ocean.  Charleston, South Carolina is southwest and Columbia, South Carolina is west of the county.  The county center is 9.4 miles Northeast of Conway nearer Hickory Grove.  The county is surrounded clockwise by North Carolina and the Atlantic Ocean and Georgetown, Marion, and Dillon counties. 

The area of the county is 1255 square miles.  It is 2 out of 46 in the state.  It ranks 5 out of 46 in population in the state.  It has a density of 214.57 persons per square mile making it 10 out of 46 in the state.  Horry County has 24.3% of its population in its incorporated areas.  United States Highway 17 passes northeast to southwest in the county from North Carolina to Georgetown County.  United States Highway 378 originates and goes west into Marion County.  United States Highway 501 originates and head northwest into Marion County.  United States Highway 701 enters from North Carolina and exits south into Georgetown County.  The county shape looks like an arrowhead.  Conway is located in the southwest quarter of the county.  Myrtle Beach is on the eastern coast of the county.  Conway is the county seat and Myrtle Beach is the largest city.  Conway is 6.4% of the county population while Myrtle Beach is 10.1% of the county population.  The county is pronounced OR-EE.  The largest city is pronounced MUR-TEL BEECH.  This county is in the Myrtle Beach-North Myrtle Beach-Conway Metropolitan Statistical Area.