The earliest known inhabitants of the area were Waccamaw and Winyah Native Americans in the United StatesIndians. They called the area "Chicora," meaning "the land," and the term is frequently used by local businesses. With European colonization, George Pawley was an early settler, giving his name to the community. The breezy island quickly became a refuge from the mosquitoes that were notable during the summer. With African slaveryslaves that were brought to the area came malaria, so those of means would move to summer cottages on the island to avoid the mosquito-vectored malaria and other sicknesses. In 1791, two years after he was elected president, George Washington toured the Grand Strand. He passed right down The King's Highway in the unincorporated portion of Pawleys Island to visit the Alstons, who were wealthy plantation owners just to the south. Rice plantations occupied the Waccamaw River side of the neck. The Grand Strand began to develop into a major tourist area during the early 20th century, but Pawleys was among the last areas to be heavily developed. Bald CypressCypress sided cottages on the island gave the community one of its monikers: arrogantly shabby. With the coming of Hurricane Hugo in 1989, some of these cottages were swept away and have since been replaced by more upscale homes, but the island's codes prohibit large high rise condos. The town government was incorporated in 1986 (some sources say 1984 or 1985). The inland areas are developing very rapidly; in general the locals dislike the new development very much. In fact, they recently ran a successful campaign to refuse Lowe's the right to build in Pawleys. Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pawleys_Island%2C_South_Carolina