Murrells Inlet, South Carolina

Murrells Inlet is a census-designated place in Georgetown County, South Carolina, United States that is considered to be the "Seafood Capital of South Carolina", but is also home to some of the nation's finest golf courses. The population was 8,547 at the 2010 census. The CDP was once primarily a fishing village, but has grown substantially in modern time, along with the rest of the Grand Strand into a popular tourist and retirement location. It is most known for the Murrells Inlet Marshwalk; a 1/2 mile long boardwalk overlooking a saltmarsh and houses many restaurants.

Geography

Murrells Inlet is located at 33°33′6″N 79°2′56″W / 33.55167°N 79.04889°W / 33.55167; -79.04889 (33.551593, -79.048794).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 7.5 square miles (19.5 km²), of which, 7.3 square miles (19.0 km²) of it is land and 0.2 square miles (0.4 km²) of it (2.26%) is water.

History

The land around Murrells Inlet has a record of settlement that goes back thousands of years, before written history, but evident in the shell mounds and archeological findings from the Atlantic Ocean to the Waccamaw River. The early inhabitants included the Waccamaw Tribe who took advantage of the natural resources provided by the creeks and rivers. Wachesaw is loosely translated as "Place of Great Weeping," in reference to the burial grounds. Indian burial mounds have been found along the high bluffs at Wachesaw that contained European beads, urns and other artifacts.