Conway — Waccamaw Riverwalk, Oak-Lined Streets, National Register Downtown, ~$298K Median
Historic Conway is the oak-canopied core of the Horry County seat, the early-1900s neighborhood district wrapped around downtown, the Waccamaw Riverwalk, and Main Street. Its homes are character properties, many built in the early twentieth century and some dating to the 1800s, set on larger in-town lots beneath moss-draped live oaks. As of early 2026, vintage homes in Conway carried a median list price near $298,000, with condition and proximity to the river driving wide variation.
Historic Conway is the part of the Grand Strand that feels least like the beach and most like an old Southern river town, because that is exactly what it is. The city predates Myrtle Beach by well over a century — established in the colonial era, originally as Kingston, later renamed for the river town that grew up where the King’s Highway crossed the Waccamaw. That long history shows in the streets: the historic district, listed in part on the National Register, preserves stately homes along live-oak-lined blocks within walking distance of the Waccamaw River and the shops and restaurants of Main Street. Some homes date to the early 1800s; many more are early-twentieth-century, maintained to keep their original character.
The appeal here is the opposite of a master-planned subdivision. Buyers are purchasing architecture, mature trees, larger in-town lots, and walkability to the Riverwalk, the marina, and downtown, rather than a clubhouse and a pool. Conway is also a college town — Coastal Carolina University sits just outside downtown, and Horry-Georgetown Technical College has a campus in the city — which gives the historic core a year-round vitality that a purely residential district would lack. That mix sustains the restaurants, coffee shops, and events that make the district walkable and lived-in, and it underpins a long-term rental market for owners who want one.
The university and the county-seat government, courts, and medical center together give Conway a stable, year-round employment base that does not rise and fall with the tourist season the way the beach towns do. The buyer profile is distinct: people drawn to historic homes, walkable downtown living, and a year-round civic center — often relocating buyers who specifically do not want a beach subdivision, plus investors who value steady, university-anchored rental demand.
Destination
Historic Conway (Q2 2026)
Vintage median list
~$298,000 (early 2026)
Home character
Early-1900s and older character homes, some from the 1800s
Lots
Larger in-town lots, often a quarter acre or more
Setting
Oak-lined streets near the Riverwalk and Main Street
School district
Horry County Schools, Conway attendance area
Pricing in Historic Conway is driven by condition and location more than square footage. A fully renovated period home near the Riverwalk can sit well above a comparable home a few blocks out that needs work, and the median masks a wide spread. For the project-minded buyer, an unrenovated home can be the better value if the bones are sound, but the diligence on a century-old structure — foundation, framing, wiring, plumbing, and any prior flood history given the river — should be done before the offer rather than discovered after. Buyers should also weigh flood-zone status carefully for homes near the Waccamaw, since flood insurance can be a meaningful line item on a riverfront block. The relocation guide covers how Conway value compares to Northern markets.
Historic Conway is served by Horry County Schools within the Conway attendance area, most commonly Conway Elementary School, Whittemore Park Middle or Conway Middle School, and Conway High School. Conway is also home to Coastal Carolina University and a Horry-Georgetown Technical College campus. Attendance zones in fast-growing Horry County are redrawn periodically, so confirm the current assignment for any specific address with the district before you buy.
Historic Conway attracts buyers looking for character, mature trees, walkable streets, and the charm of a historic downtown rather than a master-planned community. Buyers often compare it with the golf lifestyle of Wild Wing Plantation or the newer homes in Hillsborough when deciding between historic charm and newer construction with modern amenities.
