Conway is one of those places that’s been hiding in plain sight. It’s the county seat of Horry County. It’s got a nice little downtown along the Waccamaw River. And for a long time, everyone just drove through it on Highway 501 on their way to the beach.
Not anymore. Conway and inland Horry County are where a huge chunk of the Grand Strand’s growth is actually landing. The coast is built out. There’s only so much land between Highway 17 and the ocean. So the growth is going inland. And Conway is right in the middle of it.
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Highway 501 Proximity: US 501 is the logistics spine. Proximity to main corridors vs. backroad access changes buyer pool and pricing. -
Tenant Sector: Beach tourism retail vs. inland logistics vs. service commercial get priced differently. Know what tenant type your property actually serves. -
Growth Corridor Positioning: New residential developments inland are the demand driver. Is your property proximate to those new population centers? -
Infrastructure Status: Inland infrastructure (water, utilities, truck routes) is sometimes behind residential buildout. Confirm availability for commercial operations.
Why inland matters
Think about it from a business owner’s perspective. If you run a plumbing company or an electrical contractor and you serve the entire Grand Strand, you don’t need to be on Ocean Boulevard paying beach rents. You need a shop with a roll-up door somewhere near 501 where your trucks can get to North Myrtle Beach, Surfside, Conway, and Carolina Forest in 20 minutes or less. That’s inland Horry County. The rents are lower, the buildings are more functional, and the access is better for a service business.
Myrtle Beach Tourism Saturation Is Real, But Inland Growth Is Genuine
Beachfront commercial real estate is mature, seasonal, and priced as a tourism play. Margins compress during off-season. Inland Horry County (Conway, Highway 501) is capturing logistics and distribution demand that doesn’t shut down in winter. Buyers positioning for that corridor understand the economics are different — more stable, less seasonal, more capital-intensive operations. If your property is inland on a logistics corridor, you’re in a different market than beachfront retail. Price accordingly and market to logistics buyers, not tourism operators.
Same for distribution. The Highway 501 corridor has become the Grand Strand’s logistics spine. Building materials, restaurant supplies, pool chemicals, retail inventory — it all moves through warehouses along 501. And as the permanent population has grown, so has the volume. More homes and businesses means more stuff that needs to be stored, moved, and distributed from somewhere. That somewhere is Conway and the 501 corridor.
Conway specifically
Conway’s got a few things going for it that set it apart from other inland spots. Coastal Carolina University employs roughly 2,800 people. Horry-Georgetown Technical College is here. The county government offices are here. Conway Medical Center. These are stable, year-round employers that create a base of demand that doesn’t fluctuate with tourist season. When you’ve got thousands of people working 9-to-5 jobs year-round, the commercial real estate around them performs year-round too.
The commercial real estate around Conway breaks into a few categories. Along Highway 501, it’s mostly highway commercial — strip centers, fast food, auto dealers, some flex and warehouse. East of downtown toward Highway 905, there’s more industrial and flex space mixed with rural parcels being rezoned for development. West along Highway 378, it’s still mostly rural but the edges are starting to see commercial interest as Conway’s footprint expands.
Related: Hampstead and the US-17 North Corridor
Related: Hold or Sell Your Commercial Property: How to Decide
| Conway / Inland Horry Submarkets | Character |
|---|---|
| Highway 501 (Conway to MB) | Highway commercial, distribution, flex |
| Downtown Conway | Historic, mixed-use, small retail |
| Highway 905 / East Conway | Industrial, rural-transitional |
| Highway 378 West | Rural, agricultural-transitional |
What I’m buying
I like flex and small industrial along the 501 corridor. Multi-tenant buildings with 2,000-5,000 SF bays. The tenant demand is strong year-round because these aren’t tourist businesses — they’re contractors, service companies, small distributors. They need space whether it’s July or January. And in Conway, the rents are still reasonable enough that these tenants can afford to stay long-term.
Commercial land in inland Horry County is interesting too. Parcels along Highway 501 and Highway 905 that have utilities and commercial zoning are getting attention from developers who can’t find affordable sites closer to the beach. As the population continues pushing inland, these sites get more valuable year after year. I’ve watched parcels along 501 near Conway go from $3/SF to $6-7/SF in just a few years. The trend line is clear.
For more on the top employers shaping this market, read my piece on top employers in the Myrtle Beach metro.
Seller takeaway
Horry County’s growth is fragmenting between mature beachfront tourism and emerging inland logistics. If you own commercial property in Conway or inland Horry and want to position it against actual buyer demand, call Roth Capital at 704-600-3839.
Own property in Conway or inland Horry County? I’d like to hear about it. 704-600-3839.
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