Short answer: Yes — for the right retiree. Longs is one of the better value plays on the Grand Strand if you want a newer house, a lower flood-risk pocket, and a 15–25 minute drive to the beach instead of living on it.
It is not a good fit if you want to walk to the ocean, hate driving, or assume “inland” means there is no HOA and no growth. Longs has been one of Horry County’s fastest-building corridors. That is the whole point of the place, and also the tradeoff.
Where Longs actually is
Longs is an unincorporated community in northern Horry County, ZIP 29568. The crossroads most people mean is Highway 9 and Highway 905.
Typical drive times (no peak beach traffic):
- North Myrtle Beach / public beach access: about 15–20 minutes
- Little River / McLeod Health Seacoast: about 15–20 minutes
- Myrtle Beach / Grand Strand Medical Center: about 25–30 minutes
- Conway / Conway Medical Center: about 25–35 minutes
- Loris / McLeod Loris: about 20–25 minutes
You live inland. You drive to the sand. Highway 31 and Highway 22 make that drive much easier than it used to be.
Who Longs is good for
Longs tends to work for retirees who want:
- A single-family house instead of a condo
- A newer build (ranch or main-level primary) without oceanfront prices
- Lower flood-zone odds than Garden City, Cherry Grove, or the first few rows off the beach
- Room for a golf cart, a shop, or a bigger yard than a Myrtle Beach lot
- South Carolina tax treatment: no state tax on Social Security, 4% legal-residence assessment on a primary home, and the $50,000 homestead exemption at 65+ (file with the Horry County Auditor after you meet residency rules)
Typical 2026 pricing in Longs is still well below oceanfront. Recent market snapshots put typical home values and list prices in the high $200s to mid $300s, depending on the source and whether you are looking at resale or new construction. You can spend more in golf or Grande Dunes-adjacent pockets. You can also find older or smaller homes under that.
Compared with similar square footage closer to the water, Longs is often the 30–40% less house — more garage, more yard, less salt air.
Who should skip Longs
Skip it, or at least look harder, if you:
- Want to walk to the beach or eat dinner without getting in a car
- Need a hospital next door rather than 15–30 minutes away
- Want a true downtown (Longs does not have one; Conway and North Myrtle Beach do)
- Hate construction traffic, new subdivisions, and Highway 9 growth
- Assume every Longs lot is flood-free (it is not — check the parcel)
- Want zero HOA. Most new communities here have one, even if the fee is modest
Longs is quiet compared with Ocean Boulevard. It is not rural-quiet the way Loris or parts of Conway still are. The county has approved thousands of new homes since 2024, and a lot of that growth sits on the Highway 9 / Highway 90 corridor.
Housing: what you actually buy here
Most retirees in Longs are choosing one of four products:
1. New-construction subdivisions
Heritage Park, Myrtle Grove Plantation, Forestwood, Carrington Woods, The Overlook, Cypress Ridge-type communities, and others along Hwy 9. National and regional builders. Predictable floor plans. Many ranches and “primary on main” layouts. HOA is common. Amenities vary from a pool and playground to almost nothing.
2. Golf / amenity communities
Long Bay and nearby golf-adjacent neighborhoods. Some dues are still low; some are not. Read the packet. Golf membership is often separate from the HOA.
3. Older Longs homes and larger lots
This is where you still find more land, fewer rules, and the occasional workshop. Inventory is thinner. Condition varies. Get a sharp inspection.
4. Higher-priced pockets that use a Longs address
Some Grande Dunes North / villa product lists Longs. That is a different price and lifestyle than a $300,000 ranch off Highway 9. Do not let the ZIP code fool you.
HOA reality in Longs:
Light subdivision dues can be modest. Townhome and amenity communities cost more. South Carolina still does not require fully funded reserves the way Florida now does. A cheap HOA with a thin reserve account is not a bargain. Pull the budget, minutes, and insurance page before you offer.
Flood, insurance, and the “inland is safe” myth
Most of Longs sits in FEMA Zone X, which is why lenders often do not require flood insurance and why insurance is usually easier than oceanfront.
That is the average. It is not every lot.
- Low spots, creeks, and some older subdivisions have flooded in past storms even when the map said X.
- Always pull the parcel on Horry County GIS and the FEMA map.
- Zone X means flood insurance is usually optional — not that water cannot show up. Many inland owners still buy an inexpensive policy.
Wind and homeowners insurance still exist. You left the first-row surge risk. You did not leave hurricanes.
Taxes and the monthly number that matters
Do not shop Longs on payment alone. Shop the all-in monthly:
- Principal and interest
- Property tax after 4% legal residence (and homestead at 65+ if you qualify)
- Homeowners insurance
- Flood (if needed or wanted)
- HOA
- Lawn, if you are not doing it yourself
A $310,000 primary residence in Horry County often pencils to a much lower tax bill than people expect coming from the Northeast or from a Florida coastal county. The homestead exemption knocks $50,000 of fair market value off a qualifying primary home. There has been talk in Columbia of a larger senior exemption with a longer residency rule. Budget on current law until something is signed.
You generally need a year as a South Carolina resident before homestead applies. File with the Auditor, not the Assessor. Those are two different offices. People mix them up every week.
Daily life: groceries, doctors, and boredom
Longs has the basics — Food Lion and local spots along 9 and 905 — but most shopping, restaurants, and entertainment sit toward Highway 17, North Myrtle Beach, Little River, and Myrtle Beach.
Healthcare is the part retirees should map before they fall in love with a model home:
- McLeod Health Seacoast (Little River) — closest full hospital for many Longs addresses
- McLeod Loris
- Grand Strand Medical Center (Myrtle Beach)
- Conway Medical Center
Specialists and larger hospital campuses are a drive. That is normal for this part of the county. It is a problem only if you pretend the drive is five minutes.
You will own a car. Golf carts work inside some communities. They do not replace a car for grocery runs and doctor visits.
Longs vs the other Horry County options
| If you want… | Look at Longs | Look instead |
|---|---|---|
| Newer house, lower price, short beach drive | Yes | — |
| Walk to the ocean | No | North Myrtle Beach, Garden City, Myrtle Beach |
| Town square, college town feel | No | Conway |
| Quieter / more rural | Sometimes | Loris, inland Conway, Aynor |
| 55+ only | Limited | Purpose-built 55+ elsewhere on the Strand |
| Lowest flood/insurance friction | Often yes | Confirm the parcel; Carolina Forest and parts of Conway also play here |
| No HOA | Possible on older/larger lots | Hunt specifically; most new builds have one |
Carolina Forest is the other “inland value” comparison people make. Carolina Forest is closer to Myrtle Beach proper and denser. Longs is closer to North Myrtle Beach and Little River. Drive both at 4 p.m. on a Saturday in season before you decide.
The honest downsides
- Growth. More rooftops, more traffic on 9 and 31, more school and service pressure. Horry County is still adding people fast, mostly from other states.
- Car dependence. There is no “I’ll just walk to dinner” version of Longs.
- Cookie-cutter new builds. Many streets look the same. That is the product.
- HOA and builder fine print. Rental caps, fence rules, RV/boat parking, and lawn standards show up in the covenants, not the brochure.
- Not every lot is the same flood story. Check the map, not the neighborhood name.
A simple “yes” test
Longs is a good retirement fit if you can say yes to all four:
- I am fine driving 15–25 minutes to the beach and to most doctors.
- I want a house more than I want an ocean view.
- I have read the HOA budget and flood map for this lot, not the community in general.
- The all-in monthly number still works if insurance and dues go up 5–8% over the next few years.
If two of those are a no, keep looking. The Grand Strand still has Conway, Carolina Forest, Little River, North Myrtle Beach, and no-HOA pockets. Longs is a tool, not the only tool.
What to do before you fly in
- Pull three Longs addresses on Horry County GIS (flood, tax district, parcel)
- Drive Highway 9 at midday and late afternoon
- Tour one new-construction community and one resale street in the same trip
- Ask for HOA financials, minutes, and the master insurance page
- Price insurance before you write an offer, not after
- Map the hospital you would actually use from that driveway
If you want a second set of eyes on a specific Longs community — Heritage Park vs Long Bay vs an older lot off 905 — that is everyday work for our team with people relocating to Horry County.
