About Greater Burgess Community
Where We Are
The Burgess Community is an unincorporated area in Horry (O-ree) County, South Carolina. The community is approximately 28 square miles in size. The western boundary is the Waccamaw River and the eastern boundary is the US Highway 17 Bypass. The southern boundary is the county line between Horry and Georgetown County and the northern boundary is near the intersection of Hwy 31 and Hwy 707. Many residents are not aware they live in the Greater Burgess Area since their mailing addresses are in either the 29588 (Myrtle Beach) or 29576 (Murrells Inlet) zip codes. Prior to 1976, Burgess had its own Post Office and people could readily identify themselves as Burgess residents.
Our Burgess Neighborhood Network includes 60 separate communities.
Population
Horry County has experienced significant growth over the past four decades. In the 1990 census, the Burgess Community population was approximately 3,000. In the 2020 census our area grew to 32,000. If the Burgess Community was a city, it would be the second largest city in Horry County. For comparison, the City of Surfside Beach’s population is less than 4,000.
Burgess has transitioned from a rural community to a predominantly suburban community during the last thirty years. Numerous master planned communities were have been developed since 1990. We led the development of the Burgess Community Area Plan, a guiding document for long range planning adopted by County Council in 2012. Large tracts of land remain undeveloped at this time, retaining some of the rural characteristics that preceded Burgess’ rapid growth. These large parcels have a high potential to be developed, making the work at the Greater Burgess Community Association even more impactful.
Board Members
Liston Wells, Advisor
