Myrtle Beach Has a Young Adult Problem: Why I Finally Left My Hometown
Introduction
You ever feel like the home you grew up in no longer feels like a place where you belong? Especially a place where you were both born and raised? That is what Myrtle Beach started to feel like for me as a young adult.
Myrtle Beach was a place I genuinely tried to make work, but over time I realized how limited I felt there socially, professionally, and personally. The catalyst for writing this blog was my recent move to Charleston for my new position as a vocational rehabilitation counselor. And before anyone asks, no, Coastal Compass Coaching is not going away. It is still a business that I deeply enjoy running.
While I am still training and learning more about my new role, the move gave me time to reflect on my experiences growing up and living in Myrtle Beach.
The more I reflected, the more I realized this blog is not really about “hating” Myrtle Beach. It is about how the environment you live in can shape your opportunities for friendship, personal growth, career development, and community. For many young adults, especially those trying to build meaningful social connections or careers outside of tourism and hospitality, Myrtle Beach can feel isolating in ways that are hard to explain unless you have lived through it yourself.
My Experience Growing Up in Myrtle Beach
One thing that always stood out to me was how surprised people were when I told them I was actually born and raised in Myrtle Beach.
“You’re rare.”
“I never meet locals from here.”
I heard comments like that all the time. At first, I never really thought much about it. But the older I got, the more I started to understand what people meant.
There are not many young adults left in Myrtle Beach.
Most people who move there are either retiring or visiting on vacation. At the same time, many of my own friends moved away, including my brother. Between the lack of career opportunities, limited social environments, and desire for something bigger, I understood why they left. Eventually, I started asking myself the same questions they did.
To be honest, Myrtle Beach makes it very easy to become a homebody. Outside of the beach, mini golf, and bars that somehow close at 10:00 PM or even earlier, there is not a whole lot to consistently do as a young adult, especially during the off season. Fall and winter can make the area feel almost dead socially unless you already have an established friend group.
That was probably one of the loneliest parts for me.
A lot of my time there became focused on volunteer work, disability advocacy, networking, and hosting social events through Coastal Compass Coaching. And I genuinely valued those experiences. Some of the connections I made in Myrtle Beach meant a lot to me. I even hosted social events for young adults with disabilities because I wanted to create the kind of social environment I felt was missing.
Even if turnout was sometimes small, those events still mattered to me.
But eventually I had to ask myself a question:
Why was I trying so hard to build a life in a place that no longer felt aligned with the kind of growth I wanted?
The “Third Place” Problem
One of the biggest issues Myrtle Beach has for young adults is the lack of social spaces where people can consistently meet and build community.
A “third place,” if you will.
Myrtle Beach is primarily designed around tourism and retirement. Naturally, that creates an environment where many social spaces skew older or seasonal. During the summer, the city is crowded with tourists. During the off season, it can feel socially empty.
So, if you are a young adult trying to make friends, date, network, or simply find people in a similar stage of life, you often have to get creative.
Book clubs. Game stores. Networking events. Local meetups.
And even then, it can still feel difficult to maintain long-term connections because many people eventually leave.
I remember attending a young adult singles event hosted by Thursday during the winter. I actually made a few friends there, and one of them even helped me organize one of my social events later on. But over time, one moved away from Myrtle Beach and another mentioned struggling to get people to RSVP consistently.
That experience honestly summed up Myrtle Beach pretty well for me.
Career Growth and Personal Growth
Another major challenge is career opportunity.
Myrtle Beach is expensive, yet many of the available industries revolve around hospitality, retail, tourism, education, or real estate. But what happens if your interests or career goals do not fit neatly into those areas?
A lot of people leave.
And when people leave, it creates a cycle where fewer young adults remain, which then makes it even harder for others to stay socially connected. On top of that, many people work multiple jobs just to stay financially stable. When survival becomes the priority, socializing and community building naturally take a backseat.
If you are also a young adult with a disability trying to find like-minded community and support systems, those challenges can feel even more amplified.
My brother once jokingly told his friends:
“Get the fuck out of Myrtle Beach. That’s where people go to retire and die.”
Harsh? Definitely. But underneath the humor was a frustration I understood myself.
Conclusion
At some point, I realized that growth is not only about career advancement.
Growth can also mean friendships. New environments. Dating. Community. Opportunities. Experiencing parts of yourself that your old environment never really gave room for.
Sometimes staying comfortable comes with a cost.
For me, Myrtle Beach started to feel like a place built more for visitors than for the people trying to build a future there long-term. That does not mean it is impossible to find meaningful connections or create a life there. But personally, it started feeling like an uphill battle.
Leaving Myrtle Beach was not about rejecting my hometown. It was about realizing that I needed an environment that aligned more with the kind of life and growth I wanted for myself.
And honestly?
I do not regret that decision.
About Eden
Eden Alon is a disability coach and community facilitator who works with teens and young adults with disabilities to build confidence, communication skills, and independence in everyday life. With a background in communication, advocacy, and nonprofit work, Eden has supported hundreds of people through coaching, workshops, and peer-led programs.
Click Here to learn more on how Eden can support you or your family. Or click here to schedule a free consultation
