In 1968, four small beach towns – Windy Hill Beach, Crescent Beach, Ocean Drive Beach and Cherry Grove Beach – joined forces to form the city of North Myrtle Beach. The goal of these towns located 
on the northern edge of the Grand Strand was to provide unmatched service, offer top-notch recreational activities and create a unique, safe community for its residents and the thousands of visitors who flock to the city each year.
The plan was an overwhelming success, and the area is now home to more than 14,000 full-time residents and is one of the most popular retirement communities on the Grand Strand.
The area is proud to claim itself as the birthplace of the shag, the official state dance of South Carolina. A Southern, subdued combination of swing dancing and the jitterbug, the shag is danced to beach (50s era) music. Each year, Ocean Drive hosts two week-long Shag Festivals, in April and September. Sponsored by the Society of Shaggers (SOS), the events bring thousands of devoted shaggers to the area. During those two weeks, Ocean Drive is transformed into a huge outdoor dance and social club. Main Street is closed to traffic and turned into one of the world’s largest dance floors.
North Myrtle Beach is home to a large number of golf courses, including Arcadian Shores Golf Club; Azalea Sands Golf Club; the Dye Course, the Fazio Course, the Love Course and the Norman Course at Barefoot Resort; Black Bear Golf Course; Crow Creek Golf Club; Farmstead Golf Link; and Possum Trot Golf Course.
The area is full of unique boutiques and locally owned businesses, as well as regional and national chain department stores and restaurants. The incorporated towns also offer state-of-the-art medical facilities.
Besides quaint beach houses, beautiful beaches, fabulous golf and other recreational options, Cherry Grove is known for having some of the best fishing on the Grand Strand. Several marinas offer deep-sea charters to fish the warm waters of the nearby Gulf Steam. For those a little less adventurous, there is fishing on the Intracoastal Waterway and in the many creeks and marshes that make up the landscape of the area.
