Carolina Forest, South Carolina | |
|---|---|
 Sign at the entrance to Carolina Forest at the intersection of US 501 and Carolina Forest Boulevard | |
  Carolina Forest, SC  Carolina Forest, SC | |
| Coordinates:33°45′25″N78°52′55″W / 33.75694°N 78.88194°W /33.75694; -78.88194[1] | |
| Country | United States |
| State | South Carolina |
| County | Horry |
| Area | |
• Total | 17.29 sq mi (44.77 km2) |
| • Land | 16.81 sq mi (43.55 km2) |
| • Water | 0.47 sq mi (1.22 km2) |
| Elevation | 30 ft (9.1 m) |
| Population | |
• Total | 23,342 |
| • Density | 1,388.2/sq mi (535.97/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (Eastern (EST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
| ZIP Code | 29579 (Myrtle Beach) |
| Area code | 843 |
| FIPS code | 45-11833 |
| GNIS feature ID | 2812966[1] |
Carolina Forest is acensus-designated place (CDP) inHorry County,South Carolina, United States. It was first listed as a CDP in the2020 census with a population of 23,342.[4]
It is located west ofMyrtle Beach and east ofConway in an area planned byInternational Paper in the late 1990s. Most of the development follows the Carolina Forest Master Plan, developed cooperatively between International Paper and the Horry County Government.
Carolina Forest also includes the unincorporated community ofPine Island.
Carolina Forest is situated west of theIntracoastal Waterway; betweenU.S. Route 501 and International Drive. Carolina Forest was developed in and around existingLongleaf Pine forests andsavannas, within theWaccamaw River watershed, part of the greater lower watershed of thePee Dee River. The topography of the region between the Waccamaw River and the Intracoastal Waterway is spotted withCarolina Bays, which are elliptical-shaped depressions in the land, often filled with thick vegetation and rich inbiodiversity.
Carolina Forest was once part of a larger tract of land in easternHorry County called theBuist Tract. Originally owned by Burroughs & Chapin, International Paper bought the 30,000-acre (121 km2) Buist Tract in 1937. It was used as part of the Conway Bombing and Gunnery Range during World War II. In 1960, the company donated part of the tract for what is nowCoastal Carolina University (located several miles away from Carolina Forest). In 1989, approximately 9,000 acres (36 km2) north of Carolina Forest were donated to the state to form theLewis Ocean Bay Heritage Preserve.
In June 1994, Kylee Mueller sold 125 acres (0.51 km2) of the remaining 21,000 acres (85 km2) of the Buist Tract to Horry County Schools for development of Carolina Forest Elementary School, Carolina Forest Middle School, andCarolina Forest High School. In addition, 350 acres (1.4 km2) were sold to form a golf course and residential property.
By the end of 1994, International Paper began to sell more of its land. Due to the lack of funding from other sources for road infrastructure, the first 1.25 miles (2.01 km) of Carolina Forest Boulevard were completed by November 1995 by International Paper. Further expansions of both Carolina Forest Boulevard and River Oaks Drive (creating an 11-mile (18 km) loop) would open up 11,000 acres (45 km2) to development west of the Intracoastal Waterway. Carolina Forest Boulevard was completed in December 1996, with River Oaks Drive being completed in December 1997.[5]
On December 2, 1997,Horry County council voted to freeze zoning rules in an 11 square miles (28 km2) area of Carolina Forest for 20 years in exchange for land to build parks and roads in an 8–3 vote on the development agreement. An estimated 35,000 people would live in the 7,073 acres (29 km2) covered by the agreement. In the agreement, Horry County did not require International Paper to widenCarolina Forest Boulevard or River Oaks Drive to four lanes. Land would be given to the county at no cost for the then-futureSC Highway 31 north and south of theRobert Grissom Parkway bridge. Approximately 140 acres (0.57 km2) was set aside for future schools, which would include Ocean Bay Elementary and Middle Schools. Because nearly half of Carolina Forest was open space, the area was exempt from future open space directives set by Horry County.[6]
According to the2010 census, Carolina Forest's population increased from 3400 in 2000 to 21,000.[7]
Carolina Forest has apublic library, a branch of the Horry County Memorial Library.[8]
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 23,342 | — | |
| U.S. Decennial Census[9] 2020[10][3] | |||
| Race / Ethnicity | Pop 2020[10] | % 2020 |
|---|---|---|
| White alone (NH) | 17,867 | 76.54% |
| Black or African American alone (NH) | 1,805 | 7.73% |
| Native American orAlaska Native alone (NH) | 52 | 0.22% |
| Asian alone (NH) | 646 | 2.77% |
| Pacific Islander alone (NH) | 20 | 0.09% |
| Some Other Race alone (NH) | 178 | 0.76% |
| Mixed Race/Multi-Racial (NH) | 1,076 | 4.61% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 1,698 | 7.27% |
| Total | 23,342 | 100.00% |
Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos can be of any race.
Municipalities and communities ofHorry County, South Carolina,United States | ||
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| Other communities | ||