Today is the 12th anniversary of when I arrived in Myrtle Beach to begin work at Coastal Carolina University. However, my time in South Carolina was MUCH more than a career stop. I found my soul mate and because of that I will forever be grateful for the chance I had to live in the South.

I spent six years in the Grand Strand and now it has been six years since I left. I thought tonight was the perfect time to give a very brief and objective rundown of the positives and negatives of living in Myrtle Beach.

My dad and I took a celebratory picture after turning in the U-Haul after our cross-country trip to Myrtle Beach. This photo was taken 12 years ago today on April 28, 2014.

Positives

The Beach – Yes, it is right in the name. When I moved into my apartment, I was about five minutes from the beach and it was so close that I could smell it (literally). The water was warm, the vibe was great, and the seashells plentiful.

Location – Myrtle Beach is in an advantageous spot for road trips. Whether I wanted to drive north to Baltimore or south to Charleston or Savannah, there were always fun options to escape for a weekend. Sid and I even drove to Disney World once and made numerous weekend trips to Charlotte.

Food – Can’t say enough about the food. In fact, it was so good that within a year I reached the heaviest weight that I had ever been (😂). Myrtle Beach offered all the tourist trap chains you can think of but also the best fast food restaurants (Cookout, Bojangles, Zaxby’s, etc.). However, nothing beat the Southern cooking of my wife and mother-in-law that I was introduced to.

Prices – A lot of things are cheap in Myrtle Beach despite it being a tourist town. From gas to real estate to food, you simply pay less compared to other places.

Weather – Although the summers are ridiculously humid and Myrtle Beach had a harsher winter than Spokane this year, being able to trick-or-treat without a coat is pretty sweet! It was also nice to have pleasant weather in January and February.

Myrtle Beach had so much to offer and I was so blessed to spend six years there. But the absolute best part of all is that I met Sidney there!

Negatives

Traffic – Did I already mention that Myrtle Beach is a tourist town? 😉 I still get anxiety when someone mentions 501 (hint: that isn’t an area code). I waited in some awful traffic jams but shout out to CCU for allowing its employees to leave at noon on summer Fridays to get a head start on it.

Allergies – Because of the pollen situation and other things floating in the air, I actually developed allergies during the years I was there. When people told me I could be susceptible to them when I arrived in town, I thought they were crazy. I ate my words.

Bugs – The only time I see a cockroach or Palmetto Bug these days are in my nightmares. Man, those things were nasty (and everywhere).

Income Tax – When I started at CCU, my boss braced me for the shock. He said my paychecks might be a little less than what I might be expecting because of the state income tax. Because I moved from Montana which also had a state income tax I wasn’t caught off-guard but it sure is nice living in a state (Washington) that doesn’t have one.

Hurricanes – Don’t miss the hurricane season that seemed to get longer and longer each year I lived there. There is nothing funny about those storms. The damage, anxiety, and hysteria can break you down.

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Sure, there were positives and negatives, but like I already mentioned, nothing can take away the fact that moving to Myrtle Beach was the best decision I ever made. Among so many other special things that happened during those incredible six years, that little piece of heaven on the coast of South Carolina gave me a beautiful wife and two healthy kids. Don’t Blink.