Moving to Little River, SC: Living in Little River Guide

Little River is the old fishing village at the top of South Carolina’s Grand Strand. It sits right on the Intracoastal Waterway at the North Carolina line, with shrimp boats and seafood restaurants on the waterfront, golf courses along US-17, and North Myrtle Beach’s beaches about ten minutes away. It is an unincorporated community in Horry County, not a city, and it has grown steadily from about 7,000 people in 2000 to more than 11,700 today.

Little River suits retirees, boaters, golfers, and anyone who wants to live near the beach without living in the middle of the tourist traffic. It also works well for people with ties to both Carolinas, since Calabash, NC is about three miles away. Home prices sit close to the South Carolina average, which is a real advantage on this stretch of coast.

Planning a move to Little River? Call our NC & SC team at 910-758-0081 or get your price online.

Where Is Little River?

Little River is in the northeast corner of Horry County. It takes its name from the Little River, which flows into the Atlantic at the North Carolina–South Carolina state line. The community is bordered by the Waccamaw River and the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway, and it started out as a suburb of North Myrtle Beach that let people live close to the city without paying city taxes.

Approximate driving distances from Little River:

Calabash, NC: about 3 miles, roughly 6 minutes
North Myrtle Beach: about 7 miles, roughly 11 minutes
Myrtle Beach: about 24 miles, roughly 33 minutes
Conway: about 27 miles, roughly 39 minutes
Wilmington, NC: about 50 miles, roughly 58 minutes
Charlotte, NC: about 190 miles, roughly 3 hours 27 minutes

Major roads include US-17, SC-9, SC-31 (the Carolina Bays Parkway), SC-90 and SC-179. Myrtle Beach International Airport (MYR) is the closest commercial airport and advertises more than 50 nonstop destinations. Wilmington International in North Carolina is about an hour away and is another option for some trips.

Little River Population & Demographics

Little River had 7,027 residents in 2000, 8,960 in 2010 and 11,711 at the 2020 Census. The Census Bureau’s 2020–2024 survey puts it at 11,771. It is a retirement-heavy community: the median age is 61.4, and 42.2% of residents are 65 or older.

Measure	Little River CDP	South Carolina	United States
Population (2020 Census)	11,711	5,118,425	331,449,281
Population (ACS 2020–2024)	11,771	5,296,225	334,922,500
Median age	61.4	40.2	38.9
Residents 65 and older	42.2%	18.9%	17.2%
Residents under 18	10.3%	21.4%	22.0%
Median household income	$65,786	$69,324	$80,734
Per capita income	$41,786	$39,236	$44,673
Bachelor’s degree or higher (age 25+)	25.8%	32.1%	35.7%
Owner-occupied homes	76.6%	71.9%	65.2%
Mean travel time to work	25.3 min	25.6 min	26.4 min

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts and Census Reporter (American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates); 2000–2020 counts from the decennial census.

A few more details: Little River has 1,303 veterans, and 6.7% of residents were born outside the United States. The 2020 Census counted 8,098 housing units, 26.4% of them vacant at the time of the count, which on the coast mostly reflects second homes and vacation rentals. The latest survey data show about 2,000 homes held for seasonal or occasional use. The CDP covers 10.48 square miles of land.

Is Little River Safe?

We did not find a reliable crime report published for the Little River CDP alone, so we are not quoting one. Because Little River is unincorporated, most of it is patrolled by the Horry County Police Department rather than a city force. Addresses near the edge of North Myrtle Beach can fall inside city limits, so confirm which agency covers your street. The Horry County Police Department’s website is the best place to start for recent information.

Cost of Living in Little River

Home Prices

Zillow’s Home Value Index for Little River was about $322,487 in August 2026, down 0.3% from a year earlier. That is only a little above the South Carolina typical value of about $306,323, and below the U.S. figure of about $368,697. The Census Bureau reports a median owner-occupied home value of $305,800 for the Little River CDP (2020–2024).

What you get for that money varies a lot. Condos and villas in golf communities sit at the lower end, while waterfront homes on the Intracoastal Waterway and newer single-family homes sit higher. A flat market also means buyers have more time to compare.

Rent

Zillow’s Observed Rent Index for ZIP 29566 was about $1,502 a month in August 2026, down 2.8% from a year earlier. The Census Bureau’s median gross rent for the Little River CDP is $1,528, above the South Carolina median of $1,180 and the national median of $1,413. Only about a quarter of homes are rented, so annual rentals can go quickly.

Best Neighborhoods in Little River

The Historic Waterfront

The streets around Mineola Avenue and Water Front Avenue are the heart of old Little River. This stretch of the Intracoastal Waterway is where Little River’s fishing-village history shows: working boats, seafood restaurants on the water, and the World Famous Blue Crab Festival every May. It suits people who want character, water views and restaurants within walking distance. Expect older homes, some newer infill, and more foot traffic on festival weekends.

The US-17 Golf Corridor

River Hills Golf & Country Club describes its location as the heart of the golf corridor along Highway 17 in Little River, and that stretch is lined with golf communities, condos and villas. This area suits retirees and golfers who want low-maintenance living and quick access to shopping, restaurants and North Myrtle Beach. HOA rules are common, so ask about fees, rental restrictions and move-in rules before you buy.

SC-57 and the North Strand Area

The area around SC-57 is home to Horry County’s North Strand Recreation Center and park at 120 S. Highway 57. The center has a full-size gym, indoor walking track, fitness room and climbing wall, with multi-purpose fields outside. It is a good fit for families with kids in rec sports and for buyers who want a newer single-family home a few minutes back from the waterway, with easy access to SC-9 and SC-31.

Weather & Climate

There is no official long-term weather station in Little River, so we use NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals for Myrtle Beach, about 24 miles away. Little River has the same humid subtropical climate: hot, humid summers and short, mild winters.

July: average high 87.4°F, average low 71.6°F
January: average high 55.5°F, average low 33.6°F
Wettest month: September, with 6.77 inches on average
Yearly rainfall: about 53.6 inches (sum of the monthly normals)

Snow is rare. Atlantic hurricane season runs June 1 through November 30, and Wikipedia notes the Little River inlet has long been used as a breakpoint for tropical cyclone warnings. Horry County’s Know Your Zone program tells you which hurricane evacuation zone your home is in; look it up as soon as you have an address.

Best months to move: April, May, October and early November tend to be the most comfortable. Summer moves work fine with an early start, but afternoon storms are common from June through September.

Things to Do in Little River

The World Famous Blue Crab Festival

The Blue Crab Festival fills the historic Little River Waterfront every May with seafood, live music and hundreds of craft vendors. The 44th festival was held May 16–17, 2026, and the 45th is scheduled for May 15–16, 2027. The same organizers run ShrimpFest each October; the 20th ShrimpFest is set for October 10–11, 2026.

Vereen Memorial Historical Gardens

Horry County’s Vereen Memorial Historical Gardens, at 2250 Highway 179, covers more than 115 acres of forest and marsh along the Intracoastal Waterway. It has about 3 miles of nature trails and boardwalks, botanical gardens, and a surviving segment of the colonial Kings Highway behind the CB Berry Community Center.

The Big M Casino

Little River is home to the Big M Casino, which runs gaming cruises that operate in federal waters, since South Carolina has not specifically banned casino boats. It bills itself as South Carolina’s only casino with two yachts. Whether or not you play, it is part of the waterfront’s character.

Golf

River Hills Golf & Country Club, a Tom Jackson design that opened in 1989, is one of several courses along US-17 in Little River. It was named one of Golf Digest’s Best New Courses. More courses are a short drive away in North Myrtle Beach and across the line in Calabash.

Boating and Fishing

Horry County runs public boat landings nearby, including T. Craig Campbell Landing on Morgan Avenue on the Intracoastal Waterway and Johnny Causey Landing on Little River Neck Road. Those landings make it easy to keep a boat on a trailer instead of paying for a slip.

Where to Eat in Little River

Crab Catchers on the Waterfront

Crab Catchers, at 4474 Water Front Avenue, is a casual seafood spot on the water: crab legs, seafood boils, fried and blackened fish, and conch fritters. It does not take reservations, so go early on summer evenings.

The Parson’s Table

The Parson’s Table, at 4305 McCorsley Avenue, serves dinner in a historic setting Monday through Saturday, with an early-bird window from 4:00 to 4:30 p.m. It is Little River’s choice for an anniversary or a “we finally finished unpacking” dinner. The dress code is resort casual.

Makos On The Water

Makos sits on the Intracoastal Waterway in Little River and is rebranding as Makos On The Water, a coastal fine-dining restaurant with a new tiki bar. It takes reservations through OpenTable and is a good spot to watch the boats go by.

Jobs & Economy

Little River’s own economy is built on tourism, fishing and charter boats, golf, retail along US-17, and services for retirees. Many working residents commute to North Myrtle Beach, Myrtle Beach or Conway, and the mean commute is 25.3 minutes.

The Myrtle Beach Regional Economic Development Corporation lists Horry County’s largest employers as Horry County Schools (6,400 employees), Coastal Carolina University (2,700), Horry County Government (2,650), Conway Medical Center (1,800), McLeod Seacoast (1,700), Grand Strand Regional Medical Center (1,300), the City of Myrtle Beach (1,050), Kyocera AVX (1,000) and HTC, the Horry Telephone Cooperative (650). Being this close to the state line also opens up jobs in Brunswick County, NC.

Schools in Little River

Horry County Schools is the only public school district in the county. It has 58 schools in nine attendance areas, serves more than 47,000 students, and is South Carolina’s third-largest district. Schools in the North Myrtle Beach attendance area include Waterway Elementary, Ocean Drive Elementary, North Myrtle Beach Middle and North Myrtle Beach High. Attendance lines do not follow community names, so use the district’s Find My School map to confirm the schools for a specific address. Little River also has a branch of the Horry County Memorial Library.

For higher education, Horry-Georgetown Technical College has campuses in Myrtle Beach, Conway and Georgetown, and Coastal Carolina University is in Conway, about 39 minutes away.

Little River Quick Facts

County	Horry County
Type of community	Unincorporated census-designated place
ZIP code	29566
Area code	843
Land area	10.48 square miles
Elevation	39 feet
Main highways	US-17, SC-9, SC-31, SC-90, SC-179
Nearest commercial airport	Myrtle Beach International (MYR)
School district	Horry County Schools
Law enforcement	Horry County Police Department (unincorporated areas)

Moving to Little River: Tips From Our Crew

Plan around festival weekends. The Blue Crab Festival in May and ShrimpFest in October take over the waterfront. If your new home is near Mineola Avenue or Water Front Avenue, pick a different weekend.
Use SC-31 to skip US-17 traffic. In summer, US-17 through Little River and North Myrtle Beach backs up with beach traffic. Our crews plan routes on SC-31 and SC-9 when they can, and a weekday move is almost always faster than a Saturday.
Check HOA and golf-community rules. Many condo and villa communities along the US-17 golf corridor limit move hours, truck parking and where trucks can stage. Ask your HOA for the rules before we schedule.
Line up your COI. Condo buildings often want a certificate of insurance before movers can use elevators or common areas. We provide COIs for free.
Keep hurricane season in mind. From June 1 through November 30, keep a backup date and look up your Know Your Zone evacuation zone. Waterfront homes may also need flood insurance, so start that process early if you are buying.
Crossing the state line? A move between Calabash or Sunset Beach, NC and Little River is short, but it is still an interstate move. We handle both sides of the line from our Calabash and North Myrtle Beach offices.

Frequently Asked Questions About Moving to Little River

Is Little River, SC part of North Myrtle Beach?

No. Little River is a separate, unincorporated community in Horry County with its own ZIP code, 29566. It borders North Myrtle Beach and began as a suburb of the city, but most of it is governed by Horry County. Some nearby addresses are inside North Myrtle Beach city limits, so check before you buy.

How much are homes in Little River?

Zillow’s Home Value Index for Little River was about $322,487 in August 2026, close to the South Carolina typical value. The Census Bureau’s median owner-occupied home value for the Little River CDP is $305,800 (2020–2024). Waterfront homes cost more.

Is Little River a good place to retire?

It is one of the most popular retirement spots on the Grand Strand. Census survey data show a median age of 61.4 and 42.2% of residents 65 or older. Golf, the waterfront, Vereen Gardens, and quick trips to the beach and to North Carolina are big draws.

How much does it cost to hire movers in Little River?

Every move is different. Cost depends on the size of your home, distance, stairs or elevators, and any packing or storage. Call 910-758-0081 for a free quote, and an owner will call you back within 15 minutes between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. Long-distance moves get a binding estimate, so the price stays the same after you book. You can also read more about our Little River moving team.

How far is Little River from the beach?

Little River sits on the Intracoastal Waterway rather than the ocean. The beaches of North Myrtle Beach are the closest, about 7 miles and roughly 11 minutes from Little River. Myrtle Beach is about 24 miles away.

Move to Little River With A & M Friendly Movers

A & M Friendly Movers is a family-owned company, in business since 2015, with offices in Calabash, NC and North Myrtle Beach, SC, both just a few minutes from Little River. Our crews are background-checked, drug-tested W-2 employees, never subcontractors. With our Owner’s Promise, you talk to an owner, not a call center, and if anything is damaged, an owner calls you the same day. We handle local and long-distance moves, packing, storage and piano and safe moving. See our Little River movers page or call our NC & SC team at 910-758-0081.

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