Georgetown County from SCBIZ Magazine

Fall 2021

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GEORGETOWN

The city of Georgetown boasts many amenities, including the Harbor Walk, a boardwalk that runs the length of the riverfront in the city’s historic district.

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By Jim Tatum, Associate Editor | Photos provided by Georgetown County Economic Development Office

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For many years, Georgetown County has been one of the best kept secrets in South Carolina – but county leaders are working hard to change that.

Nestled between Horry County to the north and Charleston County to the south, Georgetown County, known as the “Hammock Coast,” has often slipped under the radar. This is an area driven significantly by tourism, but it does not have the instant recognition that Charleston and Myrtle Beach — the top two tourist destinations in South Carolina — both generate.

But many point out Georgetown County can and does provide real competition for its more well-known neighbors. The county has a population of around 60,000, and with miles of beaches, pristine black water rivers, charming small towns and plentiful open space, the area not only holds great attraction for those who want a more relaxing lifestyle, but it offers a wide variety of opportunities for business.

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Georgetown Co by the numbersunty

Population: 62,580 Median Household In come: $48,456 Median Home Value: $188,800

Source: U.S. Cens

us Bureau

COUNTY SPOTLIGHT: GEORGETOWN Above, the Choppee Regional Recreation Center is an important community amenity.

Right, the Georgetown Airport is seeing increased activity.

One challenge for Georgetown County now is to balance growth and preservation.

“If you look at the whole environment, all the open space, the towns, everything, Georgetown County has a lot to offer,” County Council Chair Louis Morant said. “Many places today are becoming overcrowded – we want growth, but we don’t want to drastically change our county.”

“This is a beautiful place with great folks and great resources,” Georgetown County Administrator Angela Christian said.

“It really is perfect for the right projects. We want to attract good corporate citizens, people

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who will partner with us, buy into the goal of maintaining our Hammock Coast. We really are the gem of the coast and we want to preserve our sense of self — that’s what differentiates Georgetown County from other places.”

Georgetown County offers a relaxing, easy-going quality of life, yet is less than a 45-minute drive in either direction to major urban amenities, including two international airports. A quality K-12 public education system offers a wide array of college preparatory and technical education opportunities; Horry-Georgetown Technical College, with its career workforce development program, offers higher education and technical programs as well.

The county also boasts a rich and diverse history. The earliest inhabitants were Native American tribes – Waccamaw, Winyah, Santee, Pee Dee, to name a few – for which a number of landmarks and important points of interest are named. The mid-16th century would see the arrival of European settlers, and by 1726, the town of Georgetown would be a thriving seaport. Great wealth would be generated by rice and indigo exports. Rice, in particular, generated such wealth that Georgetown County became the second largest rice culture in known world history.

This wealth was made off the backs of

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COUNTY SPOTLIGHT: GEORGETOWN Above left, the Georgetown County Government offices are housed in a historic home in downtown Georgetown. Above right, Horry-Georgetown Technical College is an important economic development partner for the county.

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many enslaved Africans brought to the New World to work on the plantations. In fact, enslaved people would ultimately clear more than 40,000 acres and dig some 780 miles of irrigation ditches in what is now Georgetown County. The descendants of these enslaved people would give birth to the Gullah and Geechee cultures, which thrive and are revered today in South Carolina and Georgia.

All that wealth also attracted pirates to the

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area; it is said that more than 2,000 pirates — including Blackbeard, Anne Bonney, Mary Read, and Calico Jack Rackham — lurked in the waters nearby.

The natural beauty, plentiful resources, and rich history all contribute to the unique character and quality of life of the county as well as a plethora of opportunities for tourism, particularly heritage, historical and ecotourism.

The average median household income in Georgetown County is a little over $41,000 per year, and the cost of living, overall, is lower than the state and national average.

Nonetheless, ensuring that enough affordable housing is available while at the same time attracting industry to provide higher paying jobs remains an important priority, Morant said.

“So many of the people who live here have been here all their lives,” he noted. “They love it here and don’t want to live anywhere else – so we want to make sure they have diverse opportunities to earn good wages and have decent housing.”

The county is working on a number of projects, goals and initiatives to achieve this.

For example, Morant said one thing the pandemic illustrated was the need to bring broadband internet service to the entire county. Other important infrastructure projects, such as water, sewer, and road maintenance are also objects of the county’s focus, he said.

The pandemic was also an opportunity to take a good look at Georgetown County’s economic development efforts and identify areas that the county could truly showcase, Christian said.

“That work is paying off,” she said. “We are seeing a pretty substantial increase in inquiries, seeing people taking a hard look at Georgetown County for new projects. I am so very excited about pursing economic development opportunities both within the county and with outside developers, and

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helping our existing industries prosper and grow.”

Georgetown County is a work in progress with its share of challenges, but it also has great resources, Christian said. Location is one; the county is 35 miles from Myrtle Beach Airport and 68 miles to Charleston International Airport, both of which are international hubs, yet it also is home to its own commercial FBOoperated airport. In fact, activity at the airport is up some 30 percent this year, she said.

Georgetown County also is home to one of three state seaports, although these days, freight tonnage entering South Carolina is handled through the Port of Charleston, only 60 miles away. However, while the Port of Georgetown is not being used at all for freight traffic, it does have significant potential for reinvention at some point in the future, Christian said.

Economic Development Director Brian Tucker said Georgetown County prides itself on being business friendly and accommodating of larger companies and industries.

“We welcome industries and understand their needs,” Tucker said. “We stand ready to do what we can to help them succeed.”

With a variety of location options from three industrial parks to open land and shell buildings, the county is constantly working to attract and recruit more industries to the area, as well as take care of the companies who already call the county home.

International Paper has been a major presence in the county for many years, as has MPW Industrial Services, Interfor, Three D Metal Works, SafeRack, American Gypsum, Envirosep, Mercom, AgruAmerica, Peddinghaus and 3V Chemical USA. Newcomers such as Sherpa and Greencore Materials are finding Georgetown County to be an excellent location as well.

“In addition to being business friendly, Georgetown County is a great location because we can easily reach clients from Florida to Alabama, all of whom depend on us for prompt and timely service,” Jared Black, general manager for MPW’s Industrial Water division, said.

“There are exciting things happening in Georgetown County, things that are putting us in contention,” Christian said. “We are a viable, legitimate opportunity for the right people and the right projects.”

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