North Myrtle Beach is not one community — it is four original beach communities (Cherry Grove, Ocean Drive, Crescent Beach, and Windy Hill) that merged in 1968, plus the resort developments and planned communities that have grown around them since. Each has a distinct character, maintenance profile, and investment thesis. Understanding these differences is essential for property owners throughout NMB.
Cherry Grove — The Authentic Beach Community
Cherry Grove occupies the northern tip of North Myrtle Beach and has maintained its authentic beach community character more successfully than most Grand Strand communities. The Cherry Grove Fishing Pier anchors the neighborhood's identity, and its mix of oceanfront cottages, canal-front homes, and established residential streets attracts guests specifically seeking the real beach town experience.
Property character: Mix of older beach cottages (some dating to the 1950s) and newer construction. Canal-front properties offer boating access. Highest density of active vacation rentals in NMB outside of Barefoot Resort. Maintenance demands reflect older construction on some properties — more ongoing attention to hardware, fixtures, and exterior surfaces.
Barefoot Resort — The Premier Golf Community
Barefoot Resort is North Myrtle Beach's flagship master-planned resort community — four championship golf courses designed by Pete Dye, Tom Fazio, Davis Love III, and Greg Norman, marina access on the Intracoastal Waterway, and an HOA that maintains high community standards throughout the development.
Property character: Golf villas, townhomes, and single-family homes across multiple communities within the resort. Active HOA with specific maintenance standards. Golf course proximity creates both visual expectations and the organic maintenance demand of being adjacent to manicured fairways. ICW marina proximity means elevated salt air exposure for properties near the waterway.
Maintenance note: Barefoot Resort HOA conducts active property inspections. Weekly professional lawn care during the growing season is effectively required to maintain community standards. Annual pressure washing maintains the appearance expected in a premium resort environment.
Tidewater Plantation — The Gated Golf Community
Tidewater Plantation is NMB's premier gated community — a private golf course development on a peninsula bordered by the Intracoastal Waterway and Waites Creek. Security gated with a private golf club, Tidewater attracts buyers specifically seeking the exclusivity and community character that gated living delivers.
Property character: Single-family homes and patio homes within a gated community. ICW-adjacent positioning on all sides creates elevated marine environment maintenance demands. Private club atmosphere creates implicit property maintenance expectations that align with the community's premium positioning.
Windy Hill — Southern NMB Transitional Area
Windy Hill occupies the southernmost portion of NMB — the transitional area between North Myrtle Beach and central Myrtle Beach. More accessible pricing than Cherry Grove and Barefoot Resort makes Windy Hill an entry point for investors seeking NMB's market identity at a lower initial investment level.
Property character: Mix of older beach properties and newer construction. Active STR market. Full coastal maintenance demands given oceanfront and near-ocean positioning.
Property Maintenance Throughout North Myrtle Beach
Bakerss serves every NMB community — Cherry Grove to Barefoot Resort to Tidewater Plantation — with the full range of professional maintenance services.
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