Myrtle Trace

Myrtle Trace is an established 55+ community in Conway, South Carolina, carved from a pine forest and wrapped around the fairways of the Burning Ridge Golf Course. Recognized by New Choices Magazine as one of America's top 20 retirement communities, it's the original Myrtle Trace (later joined by sister communities Myrtle Trace South and Myrtle Trace Grande nearby), with 518 single-family ranch-style homes built in eight phases between 1980 and 2005 by Hall Development Corp. / International Paper. What sets Myrtle Trace apart is its self-managed structure. Rather than paying an outside management company, residents elect a five-person volunteer Board of Directors and staff four committees (Property, Architectural Review, Activities, and Communications) themselves. The result is a remarkably low $90/month HOA — almost unheard of for an amenitized 55+ community — while still covering common-area maintenance and amenities. The setting is quintessentially Lowcountry: fifteen small lakes scattered throughout the property, tall pines the developer deliberately built around, and over 40% of homes sitting on waterfront lots. The rest back up to the Burning Ridge Golf Course or wooded buffers. Rabbits, ducks, turtles, and songbirds are everyday neighbors. Homes range roughly 1,000 to 3,000 square feet, typically two to three bedrooms with two to two-and-a-half baths and an attached garage, many with Carolina rooms, screened porches, and lake or fairway views. At the center of community life is a clubhouse with a fully-equipped kitchen, lending library, and hobby/game rooms hosting card clubs, game nights, and holiday parties. Outside, a saltwater outdoor pool, bocce ball court, shuffleboard court, horseshoe pits, and outdoor basketball court keep residents moving. Active groups include a 15-pin bowling league, book club, bridge, mahjong, line dancing, dance club, garden club, Bible study, choir, and several golf groups that play Burning Ridge and courses across the Grand Strand. Location is a major selling point. Conway Medical Center is within half a mile. Coastal Carolina University and Horry-Georgetown Technical College are two miles away, with cultural programs and athletics residents can audit or attend. Walmart, Lowe's, restaurants, and banks sit within a mile on Route 501; larger shopping centers and Tanger Outlets are within three miles. Myrtle Beach, its beaches, Broadway at the Beach, the Carolina Opry, Pirates Voyage, Pelicans baseball, and 100+ area golf courses are roughly 20-30 minutes east. For retirees looking for lakefront living, golf-cart access to a course, and true affordability near the coast, Myrtle Trace is one of the Grand Strand's standout values.