Carolina Forest is a census-designated place (CDP) in Horry County, South Carolina, United States. It was first listed as a CDP in the 2020 census with a population of 23,342.

It is located west of Myrtle Beach and east of Conway in an area planned by International Paper in the late 1990s. Most of the development follows the Carolina Forest Master Plan, developed cooperatively between International Paper and the Horry County Government.

Carolina Forest also includes the unincorporated community of Pine Island.

Geography Carolina Forest is situated west of the Intracoastal Waterway; between U.S. Route 501 and International Drive. Carolina Forest was developed in and around existing longleaf pine forests and savannas, within the Waccamaw River watershed, part of the greater lower watershed of the Pee Dee River. The topography of the region between the Waccamaw River and the Intracoastal Waterway is spotted with Carolina Bays, which are elliptical-shaped depressions in the land, often filled with thick vegetation and rich in biodiversity.

History Carolina Forest was once part of a larger tract of land in eastern Horry County called the Buist Tract. Originally owned by Burroughs & Chapin, International Paper bought the Buist Tract in 1937. It was used as part of the Conway Bombing and Gunnery Range during World War II. In 1960, the company donated part of the tract for what is now Coastal Carolina University (located several miles away from Carolina Forest). In 1989, approximately north of Carolina Forest were donated to the state to form the Lewis Ocean Bay Heritage Preserve.

In June 1994, Kylee Mueller sold of the remaining of the Buist Tract to Horry County Schools for development of Carolina Forest Elementary School, Carolina Forest Middle School, and Carolina Forest High School. In addition, were sold to form a golf course and residential property.

By the end of 1994, International Paper began to sell more of its land. Due to the lack of funding from other sources for road infrastructure, the first of Carolina Forest Boulevard were completed by November 1995 by International Paper. Further expansions of both Carolina Forest Boulevard and River Oaks Drive (creating an loop) would open up to development west of the Intracoastal Waterway. Carolina Forest Boulevard was completed in December 1996, with River Oaks Drive being completed in December 1997."IP Asks Permission to Lengthen Road," Mike Soraghan, The Sun News, July 4, 1996

On December 2, 1997, Horry County council voted to freeze zoning rules in an area of Carolina Forest for 20 years in exchange for land to build parks and roads in an 8–3 vote on the development agreement. An estimated 35,000 people would live in the covered by the agreement. In the agreement, Horry County did not require International Paper to widen Carolina Forest Boulevard or River Oaks Drive to four lanes. Land would be given to the county at no cost for the then-future SC Highway 31 north and south of the Robert Grissom Parkway bridge. Approximately was set aside for future schools, which would include Ocean Bay Elementary and Middle Schools. Because nearly half of Carolina Forest was open space, the area was exempt from future open space directives set by Horry County."Horry County Approves Carolina Forest Pact," Mike Soraghan, The Sun News, December 3, 1997

Carolina Forest was also home to the Myrtle Beach Speedway from 1958 to 2020, the track held the NASCAR Cup Series from 1958 to 1965, the NASCAR Busch Series' Myrtle Beach 250 from 1988 to 2000, and other racing events including the Myrtle Beach 400, the track was sold off and demolished in 2020 for redevelopment, it is now the site of Victory Point.

According to the 2010 census, Carolina Forest's population increased from 3400 in 2000 to 21,000."Carolina Forest community hoping for benefits from redistricting," Brad Dickerson, The Sun News, June 16, 2011

Education Horry County School District is the sole school district in the county. - Text list

Carolina Forest has a public library, a branch of the Horry County Memorial Library.

Demographics

Carolina Forest first appeared as a census designated place in the 2020 U.S. census.

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Carolina Forest had a population of 23,342. The median age was 39.6 years. 23.2% of residents were under the age of 18 and 18.2% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 94.5 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 90.3 males age 18 and over.

96.8% of residents lived in urban areas, while 3.2% lived in rural areas.

There were 8,991 households in Carolina Forest, of which 32.7% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 52.1% were married-couple households, 15.8% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 24.3% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 21.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

There were 10,179 housing units, of which 11.7% were vacant. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.5% and the rental vacancy rate was 11.8%.

+ Racial composition as of the 2020 census Race Number Percent White 18,303 78.4% Black or African American 1,858 8.0% American Indian and Alaska Native 61 0.3% Asian 651 2.8% Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 22 0.1% Some other race 697 3.0% Two or more races 1,750 7.5% Hispanic or Latino (of any race) 1,698 7.3%

+Carolina Forest CDP, South Carolina – Demographic Profile (NH = Non-Hispanic)Race / EthnicityPop 2020% 2020White alone (NH)17,86776.54%Black or African American alone (NH)1,8057.73%Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)520.22%Asian alone (NH)6462.77%Pacific Islander alone (NH)200.09%Some Other Race alone (NH)1780.76%Mixed Race/Multi-Racial (NH)1,0764.61%Hispanic or Latino (any race)1,6987.27%Total23,342100.00% Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos can be of any race.

References

External links

Carolina Forest Master Plan