Some important historical figures are associated with North Myrtle Beach and its surrounding areas. One of these historical figures happened to be Edward Teach, otherwise known as the infamous pirate BlackbeardCaptain Blackbeard. His headquarters were stationed in parts of the Bahamas and the Carolinas. Legend has it that some of the treasure from Blackbeard's beloved ship, Queen Anne's Revenge, is still at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of North Myrtle Beach. Even before Blackbeard's time, the area of South Carolina that is now North Myrtle Beach and its surrounding areas was inhabited by the WaccamawWaccamaw Indians and the WinyawWinyaw Indians. They called their home "chicora" which means "the land." That is, until the Spanish began exploring the area in 1514. In 1880, the area of Myrtle Beach and North Myrtle Beach was bought by wealthy Conway, South CarolinaConway businessman F.G.Burroughs. Burroughs then named the area New Town, and began selling hotel rooms for only $2 and entire lots of beach-front property for just $25 each; a far-cry from the nearly $400,000-$500,000 these properties are selling for at the present time. The first major hotel in the area was the Ocean Forest Hotel, which was built by Burroughs. Ever since then, the town has been growing and developing, with development skyrocketing after 1954 when Hurricane Hazel demolished the entire coastal area. In fact, the main development company for this area at the present time is Burroughs & Chapin. These two families were the reason that this area has become as populated as it is today. Before they built the first railroad into the city in the early 1900s, the area was very sparsely populated. North Myrtle Beach is located in Horry County, which was named after the Revolutionary War General and wealthy plantation owner Peter Horry. Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Myrtle_Beach%2C_South_Carolina