Conway, South Carolina

Conway is one of the oldest towns in South Carolina. Early English colonists named the village "Kings Town" but soon changed it to "Kingston". The town was founded in 1732 as part of Royal Governor Robert Johnson's Township Scheme. It was laid out on a bluff overlooking the Waccamaw River in what is now known as Horry County.

Many area residents fought in the American Revolution, and small engagements were fought near Kingston at Bear Bluff and at Black Lake. Francis Marion, who was known as the "Swamp Fox", had an encampment near Kingston just across the Waccamaw River. The areas of Kingston and Charles Town, S.C.[10] were communities with a higher population of Tories than many other Colonial American towns during the revolutionary war era. A Tory was a colonist who supported the government during that period.

After the war, patriotic citizens wanted to discard the name that honored Great Britain's King George II. The county's name was changed to Horry (pronounced "oh-ree") in honor of General Peter Horry in 1801, and a courthouse was established in Kingston. "Kingston" was later changed to "Conwayborough", for General Robert Conway. In 1883, the General Assembly changed the name to "Conway".

Conway is situated on the South Carolina Coastal Plain on the western banks of the Waccamaw River, and is approximately 14 miles (23 km) from the Atlantic Ocean. U.S. Route 701 passes through the city center, leading northeast 44 miles (71 km) to Whiteville, North Carolina, and southwest 36 miles (58 km) to Georgetown. U.S. Route 501 runs through the southwest side of Conway, leading southeast 14 miles (23 km) to Myrtle Beach and northwest 33 miles (53 km) to Marion. U.S. Route 378 has its eastern terminus in Conway and leads west 46 miles (74 km) to Lake City.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 22.8 square miles (59.0 km²), of which 21.9 square miles (56.8 km²) are land and 0.85 square miles (2.2 km²), or 3.69%, are water.[7] The downtown is sited on the west bank of the Waccamaw River where it is joined by a creek called Kingston Lake. The Waccamaw flows south to the Pee Dee River and ultimately Winyah Bay at Georgetown.

Trains in front of the Conway watertower

As of the census[5] of 2000, there were 11,788 people, 4,259 households, and 2,942 families residing in the city. The population density was 927.8 people per square mile (358.1/km²). There were 4,783 housing units at an average density of 376.5 per square mile (145.3/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 55.82% White, 41.85% African American, 0.21% Native American, 0.74% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.64% from other races, and 0.72% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.87% of the population.

There were 4,259 households, out of which 32.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.3% were married couples living together, 23.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.9% were non-families. 26.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.52 and the average family size was 3.02.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 25.1% under the age of 18, 15.8% from 18 to 24, 25.3% from 25 to 44, 20.2% from 45 to 64, and 13.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females, there were 83.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 75.0 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $32,155, and the median income for a family was $39,189. Males had a median income of $26,720 versus $21,310 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,611. About 15.9% of families and 20.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 32.9% of those under age 18 and 16.0% of those age 65 or over.

City Hall

The city is run by an elected mayor–council government system, with council members being B. Alex Hyman, Shane Hubbard, William Goldfinch IV, Jean M. Timbes, Justin Jordan, and Larry A. White. The current mayor is Barbara Jo Blain-Bellamy.[12]

Most of the county is served by a single public school system, Horry County Schools. Private schools include Conway Christian School.

Conway is home to two major institutes of higher learning, Coastal Carolina University and Horry-Georgetown Technical College. It is also home to a branch of Webster University, an MBA graduate school, and North American Institute of Aviation (NAIA), a flight school.

Conway has a public library, a branch of the Horry County Memorial Library.[13]

Notable companies/employers located in the Conway area include:

• New South Companies, Inc. (a subsidiary of Canfor)
• Vulcan Materials Company
• AVX Corporation

Grainger Generating Station was a coal-fired power plant operated by Santee Cooper. It generated electricity from 1966 until its retirement in 2012.[16]

• The Chanticleer News (the student newspaper of Coastal Carolina University)
• Rivertown Radio
• Horry Independent

Conway is the home of Kimbel Library and the Rebecca Randall Bryan Art Gallery at Coastal Carolina University. The gallery houses differing exhibits throughout the year. Admission is free, and the gallery is open to the public.[17]

HTC Center, originally known as the Student Recreation and Convocation Center, is a 3,370-seat multi-purpose arena located on the campus of Coastal Carolina University in Conway. It is home to the university's men's and women's basketball teams, and the women's volleyball teams. It replaced Kimbel Arena for this purpose.

An arena project, known as Y2R2, intended to house the university teams and the proposed future Myrtle Beach Thunderboltz hockey team, did not gain approvals for development.

• Bryan Edwards, professional football player
• William Gibson, author, credited as the father of the cyberpunk genre of science fiction
• Junior Hemingway, former Michigan Wolverine wide receiver drafted in the 7th round of the 2012 NFL Draft by the Kansas City Chiefs
• Edgar L. McGowan, commissioner of South Carolina Department of Labor 1971 - 1989, born in Conway 1920 [18]
• Kristy McPherson, golfer on the LPGA Tour
• Allen Patrick, Oklahoma Sooner running back and NFL player drafted by the Baltimore Ravens in the 7th round in 2008
• Sheri Reynolds, author and associate professor of southern literature at Old Dominion University, Norfolk, Virginia
• Nick Shalosky, first openly gay elected official in South Carolina.
• Margot Stilley, actress and writer
• Vanna White, co-host of ABC's game show, Wheel of Fortune.[19]
• Jordie Jordan, Internet personality

• Chicora tribe, remnants of whom are centered in Conway and are seeking official recognition by the state

• City of Conway official website