Very interesting article.
I never knew any of that despite growing up visiting Myrtle Beach.
Here are my musings and recollections about Myrtle Beach, since I visited many times------
AND regarding the article referenced above, why I believe the original intent by the visionary developers may have failed.
I mostly went to Myrtle Beach for college Spring Breaks and summer getaways, always with friends,
but now in this "new modern age" I go because we own at Marriott's Oceanwatch and Vistana's Sheraton Broadway Plantation resorts.
Regardless of any changes, news flash, the ocean is the same---- so it's still a beautiful spot. Other things are different, some are not.
But back to the article specifically.......It just goes to show that the best laid plans don't always pan out.
What was envisioned for Myrtle Beach by the gentlemen took a turn. It's not the only place that ended up far different from the original plans.
There are so many variables that are involved in the history of the development of coastal towns that I am inclined to conclude
that each individual destination simply becomes what fate intended, regardless of aspirations......
that is, each evolves into whatever shakes out over the years.
The most influencing variable which must be considered first and foremost, imho, is what you might guess---topography.
It seems to be the major determining factor for the way things go, and what the area becomes.
Take 3 examples---the Outer Banks of NC, the Myrtle Beach area, and Hilton Head Island---each within a short driving distance
from the others along the coast, yet they are all completely different in topography and natural surroundings.
What they ultimately became had its basis in the landscape and topography of the areas themselves---and it CERTAINLY defined these three.
Each destination seems to attract people looking for certain types of things, and thus, the activities and businesses that naturally follow those
people are different. Consider the differences suitable for fishermen, boaters, golfers, sunbathers and beachgoers, bikers,
and residents who don't do much of anything, etc, etc......
I'll only focus on Myrtle Beach since it was featured in the article, but imho, it became what it was destined to be---a "drive-by" location
with high rises, low rises, and a mix of all sorts of other things. I call it a "drive-by" because it has the typical main drag which fronts the beach,
with development mainly strewn along that road and the next one adjacent inland. Therefore the area is not restricted by any boundaries or borders
to the north, south, or inland, so there is no beginning and no ending. Again, just a drive-by.
The inland area merely serves the residents and guests with supporting businesses with products and services to meet their needs and amusements.
The inland expressway has the typical "Restaurant Row" with every franchise known to man, and some twice----and endless T-shirt shops,
tattoo parlors, auto shops, banks, ATMs, gas stations, etc, etc....Pretty unremarkable and nothing but typical for the east coast towns in general.
Florida's Daytona Beach has the same essential layout and therefore a similar flavor.
So, Myrtle Beach became the Honky Tonk of the East Coast in the 70s, and was especially popular with young free-spirited singles
with hard, golden bodies and flowing hair who were out for a good time. It was easy to get to and easy to navigate----no bridges to cross and no natural barriers to deal with. These teenaged partiers, many from college too, literally hung from the balconies in the old days,
and were elbow-to-elbow walking along the ocean drive sidewalks at all times. Many were intoxicated for days on end,
and some were only part-timers.
Music from the bars was loud, and a live band was a staple for almost every establishment. Dancing, drinking, smoking, and conversation abounded, and the smell of "weed" was always present. Even at 3am each night the ocean drive had a non-stop parade of vehicles driven by crazies-----from pickup trucks to shiny red or blue Corvette convertibles with 6-8 people hanging from the seats the best way they could...everyone screaming and singing to whomever would listen. That went on for hours, and the next night it was repeated. So went the summer.
But seeing as how Myrtle Beach had no limiting natural boundaries like the island of Hilton Head, or natural inlets and sand bars like the Outer Banks, there was no stopping Myrtle from becoming the melting pot of all things raunchy. Not much else to do there but find some new faces and party.
It's a perennial Spring Break mecca, and the mold was long ago set. Not to say that there aren't very nice areas which have since been developed a few miles away, like in North Myrtle Beach where Marriott's Oceanwatch resort is located. Many large and expansive beautiful private homes are now aligned down the beach, a much different feel from the Grand Strand "heartbeat" of what we older folks knew as the real Myrtle Beach at the south end.
The amusement parks, unnecessary businesses, and ad nauseum seafood houses are still there, but mostly located one main highway
inland from Ocean Drive, mixed in with the neon signs of Restaurant Row.
The old "Motel Strip" of Ocean Drive has given way to high rises over the last 2 decades, though, so I'd say it HAS improved a lot.
To me it's unrecognizable.
Today Myrtle Beach is a fun location if one wants inexpensive entertainment and activities such as sunbathing, miniature golf, and hanging out in arcades. Or maybe beach parties and non-stop music still descending on and shaking the area during Spring Break time, which essentially lasts for the 2 months of March and April. Bike week has a foothold with another crowd, and people flock from all over to be there.
Can't imagine those activities at Nags Head or Hilton Head.
But C'est la vie, that is what Myrtle Beach was destined to be. Not so bad if you're 19.
To be fair, Myrtle still has its calling for the less-expensive family beach vacations, too, just as Daytona Florida does, and I say "all is good".
Not what the first group of gentlemen wanted, but hey, if they were there now they'd probably put on some
old ragged cut-offs and tie-dyed T-shirts and haul their white styrofoam coolers down to the beach too.
