MYRTLE BEACH, SC (WBTW) – The Myrtle Beach area is the most desirable place to live right now, according to a study by 24/7 Wall St. and USA Today.
The study used data from the U.S. Census Bureau and the Bureau of Economic Analysis to determine the Myrtle Beach area, including Conway and North Myrtle Beach, tops the list of affordable cities people want to live in.
For the past three years, the Myrtle Beach area has been the second-fastest growing metropolitan area in the United States, growing by 28% between 2010 and 2018.
The cost of living is highlighted as the main reason for this growth, as it is 8.1% lower than the national average.
The median home value is slightly below $200,000 while median household income is about $50,000.
Karen Riordan is the president and CEO of the Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce and says it’s more than the cost of living and the 60 miles of coastline that bring people to the area.
“Once they’ve visited and get a taste of everything they could be doing, they go back home and realize wow I work in a certain industry, maybe I work in health care, maybe I work in technology, maybe I work in hospitality and wonder why am I living where it’s cold, where it’s snowing, why am I living away from family who may be living near the coast,” Riordan said.
She says there are multiple career industry options for people and most of those who choose to move here, do so after discovering the area while on vacation.
“There are some places that are very affordable in the middle of the country, but they are not very desirable,” Riordan says. “Myrtle Beach has it all. The reason I’m excited about it is because I feel like it’s a testament to what I’m seeing in my 14 months as CEO is that people really love the quality of life that is being built here.”
To see the rest of the cities mentioned in the study, click here.
