Most Retirement Communities Are Built. Myrtle Trace Was Grown.

Here’s the thing about most retirement communities — they’re engineered. Cleared land, uniform lots, identical shrubs, a pond dug by a bulldozer so the brochure has something to photograph. You know the type. Myrtle Trace is different, and you can feel it the second you turn off Highway 501 and pull through the gates.

This community was literally carved out of a mature pine forest. Those towering loblolly pines lining every street? They were standing long before the first home was built in 1996. The developer built around them — a decision that created something no landscaping budget can replicate: genuine natural beauty that takes decades to grow. That’s the kind of place New Choices Magazine had in mind when they named Myrtle Trace one of America’s Top 20 Retirement Communities. Not South Carolina’s top 20. The country’s.

And here’s the kicker — it’s still affordable. That combination of natural setting, national recognition, and real-world pricing is genuinely rare on the East Coast. Let’s break down exactly what you’re getting.

The Myrtle Trace entrance off Hwy 501 — covenant-restricted, age 55+, and designed for people who are done compromising on quality of life.

Waterways, Pines, and the Kind of Quiet That Actually Restores You

Pull up a chair by one of the 15 lakes at Myrtle Trace and just sit for a minute. The pines reflect off the still water. A great blue heron lands on the far bank without a sound. Ducks paddle past without a care. This is your morning — and your afternoon, and your evening, if you want it to be. That’s not a sales pitch. That’s what Tuesday looks like here.

Over 40% of homes back up directly to a lake, canal, or waterway. Another significant portion borders Burning Ridge Golf Course or natural wooded areas. In practical terms: the vast majority of residents wake up to a backyard view that most people pay a premium for somewhere else — and here it comes standard with the address.

One of the tree-lined canals threading through Myrtle Trace — glassy water, old-growth pines, homes whose backyards face this every single day.

The park-like atmosphere isn’t a marketing phrase — it’s what you experience walking through the community. Mature canopy overhead, shaded streets, manicured lawns (done by the HOA — you don’t touch them), and that particular quality of afternoon light that only comes through tall southern pines. Rabbits, squirrels, turtles, ducks, herons — the wildlife here is genuine, not decorative. It took decades to cultivate this environment. You get to enjoy it from day one.

One Community, Three Chapters — Each With Its Own Personality

Myrtle Trace isn’t one giant sprawl with 518 identical-feeling lots. It was developed in three distinct phases over nearly a decade, and each section has its own pool, its own amenities, and its own character. This is intentional — and it’s one of the reasons the place doesn’t feel overwhelming at scale.

Each phase has its own pool and clubhouse, which means you’re never competing with 500 neighbors for a lane. The amenities scale with the community instead of being one crowded shared space — the kind of planning detail that separates communities that are pleasant to visit from ones that are genuinely comfortable to live in.

Ranch Layouts, Real Upgrades, and Prices That Won’t Make You Wince

Homes at Myrtle Trace range from about 1,000 to 3,000 square feet — ranch style and traditional, with 2–3 bedrooms and 2–2.5 baths as the standard configuration. Attached 2-car garages are common. Front porches, sunrooms, backyard patios, entertainment areas — the builders understood who they were building for, and it shows in the floor plans.

Current pricing runs from roughly $240K at the entry end to $445K for larger homes with premium lake or golf course positioning, with the community average around $305K. For the setting, the amenities, the medical access, and the location — that pricing holds up against anything comparable on the South Carolina coast.

This is a resale-only community — no new construction. You’re buying from someone who actually lived there and had every reason to improve the place. Granite countertops, hardwood floors, glass walk-in showers, modern kitchens — the upgrades across the community are substantive, not cosmetic flips. You are buying a home that was genuinely lived in and loved. That makes a difference you can feel the moment you walk through the door.

Bocce at Noon, Book Club Thursday, Golf Cart to the Fairway Anytime

The HOA covers pool and clubhouse maintenance, all lawn mowing and landscaping, common area upkeep, gate operation, and lake maintenance across the entire community. That’s your weekend to-do list, permanently cleared. What you do with that time is up to you — and there is genuinely plenty to fill it.

The community pool — 9 feet deep, solar-assisted heat, surrounded by those signature Myrtle Trace pines. The kind of Tuesday afternoon retirement is supposed to look like.

The social scene here is one of the community’s most underrated assets. This isn’t a neighborhood where everyone retreats behind closed doors after closing day. Block parties, garage sales, planned group trips, organized bike rides, card clubs that meet weekly — people here actually know each other, actually show up, and actually enjoy it. That culture is harder to create than a pool or a bocce court. Myrtle Trace has had 25+ years to build it. It shows.

Between Two Highways, Near Everything, Far Enough From the Noise

Myrtle Trace sits between Highway 544 and Highway 501 in Conway — a genuinely strategic position that gives you fast access in every direction without putting you in the middle of Grand Strand tourist traffic. Conway is a historic river town founded in 1734 with a working downtown, a real hospital, a university, and a sense of permanence that purely seasonal beach towns don’t always have. You get the coast without being consumed by it.

15 Lakes, Old-Growth Pines, and Wildlife That Actually Shows Up Daily

Fifteen lakes and ponds are distributed throughout the community — not clustered in one decorative corner of the development, but genuinely woven through the neighborhoods so a large portion of homes have water as part of their permanent daily backdrop. Layer in the Burning Ridge Golf Course green space along the perimeter, the original pine forest canopy overhead, and natural wooded buffer zones throughout, and what you get is a community that feels embedded in its landscape rather than imposed on it.

One of 15 lakes scattered throughout Myrtle Trace — some formally landscaped, others wild and natural like this one. Either way, it’s the view out your back window.

The wildlife here is real: rabbits, squirrels, turtles, ducks, herons, and a wide variety of birds are resident, not visiting. Mornings at Myrtle Trace have a particular quality to them — the kind that takes a few weeks to fully register if you’re coming from somewhere noisier, and then becomes the thing you can’t imagine living without. Some adjustments in life go only one direction.

The HOA, the Covenants, and Why the Rules Are Actually the Point

Myrtle Trace is a 55+ covenant-restricted community. That’s not flexible — at least one occupant per home must be 55 or older, no exceptions. HOA membership is mandatory from the day you close. Dues are collected monthly (you’re billed only if you fall behind, which is a reasonable way to run it). The community is self-managed — an elected resident board runs operations, handles architectural review, enforces covenants, and makes decisions. No outside management company between you and your community.

The covenant structure is comprehensive. It covers vehicle parking (no commercial vehicles or long-term RV parking in driveways), architectural modifications (ARC approval required before any exterior changes), pet policies, and rental restrictions designed to protect owner-occupancy rates. If you’re coming from an HOA-free neighborhood and wondering whether this will feel restrictive — honest answer: the covenants are exactly what keep 518 homes looking like a nationally recognized retirement community instead of a random subdivision that aged badly. Most residents consider them a feature, not a constraint.

South Carolina also offers meaningful financial advantages for retirees worth factoring into your relocation math: no state tax on Social Security income, a significant deduction on other retirement income, favorable property tax rates for primary residents over 65, and a cost of living well below national average. For buyers relocating from the Northeast, Midwest, or Pacific coast, the numbers tend to look better than expected once you run them side by side.

National Award. Real Pricing. A Community That Delivers on the Promise.

New Choices Magazine Top-20 recognition is earned over years of consistent delivery, not handed out for nice entrance signage. Five hundred eighteen homes. Nearly three decades of community history. Fifteen lakes. Three neighborhood phases each with their own pool. Burning Ridge Golf Course accessible by golf cart. Conway Medical Center under half a mile away. Coastal Carolina University two miles out. Myrtle Beach fifteen minutes down the road.

Homes priced from $240K to $445K in a state with favorable retirement tax treatment, HOA fees that cover your lawn and your pool, medical infrastructure at your literal doorstep, and a social community that was built over 25 years and still has the energy to show for it. The financial case for Myrtle Trace is strong. The lifestyle case is stronger.

If you’re doing your research on Myrtle Beach area retirement options, put Myrtle Trace at the top of your visit list — not because of what this blog says, but because of what you’ll feel standing in the community. Walking those pine-shaded streets. Sitting by one of those 15 lakes in the early morning quiet. Watching a heron land without a sound. Some places just tell you when they’re right. This one does it clearly, and on a Tuesday morning.