Retiring in Georgetown, South Carolina

Retiring in Georgetown: overview

Georgetown is in Georgetown, South Carolina, within the Grand Strand & Myrtle Beach region.

Georgetown is the county seat of Georgetown County and sits on the Lowcountry coast, where US 17 runs between Charleston and Myrtle Beach and US 521 connects the city to Interstate 95. The City of Georgetown says it was founded in 1729, named for George, Prince of Wales (later George II), became an official port of entry in 1732 and is the third oldest city in South Carolina. The city's own census summary gives a population of approximately 8,800, a median age of 46 and a land area of 6.91 square miles, while its history page describes a city of 9,000.

The character of the town comes from its waterfront on Winyah Bay and the Intracoastal Waterway, its historic downtown and its economy. The city's history page traces rice and indigo plantations that by 1840 made the Georgetown District the source of nearly half the nation's rice crop, the rise of the lumber industry in 1903, and International Paper's plant, built in 1936, which by 1942 had become the largest kraft paper mill in the world. It adds that in recent years retirees and vacationers have contributed greatly to the well-being of the area and that tourism is an increasingly significant part of the economy.

For a retiree, Georgetown offers a working small city with a hospital, historic downtown and museums, at the edge of the region covered in this guide. It sits south of Murrells Inlet and Myrtle Beach, in a different county with its own tax schedule, school district and evacuation plan. The sections below state what city and county pages say.

Cost of living in Georgetown

The city publishes a quality-of-life summary: an average high temperature of 76.2 degrees Fahrenheit, an average low of 53.8, an average annual temperature of 65 and average monthly rainfall of 4.7 inches, with Pawleys Island, 10.7 miles away, identified as the closest public beach. It names Tidelands Health (the Georgetown Hospital System) as the largest employer and says the city is part of the Georgetown County School District.

Recurring public charges come from the 2025 Georgetown County schedule in the South Carolina Association of Counties' report: a $44 landfill fee per residential unit, a $50 per-vehicle road fee, and a $52 stormwater fee per residence in unincorporated areas. The county's own tax page illustrates how bills are built with a vehicle example in District 4 (Pawleys Island), using a 233.5-mill rate on a $30,000 vehicle assessed at 6 percent, which produces $420.30 before fees. Each district in the county has a different millage rate, so ask for the tax district of a specific address.

Adult-learning options are a modest local asset: Coastal Carolina University maintains a satellite location on Front Street for marine science and provides Osher Lifelong Learning Institute programs at its Georgetown Education Center, and Horry-Georgetown Technical College has a campus in the county.

Property taxes in Georgetown

Property tax in the city combines city, county, school and district levies. In the 2025 report, the City of Georgetown levies 0.1258, compared with 0.1411 for the Town of Andrews. Millage appears in that report as a decimal of assessed value; for example, 0.0521 equals 52.1 mills, or $52.10 of tax per $1,000 of assessed value. Georgetown County's school district levies 0.1200 operating millage and 0.0260 for school debt, and the county lists three fire districts: District 1 (County) at 0.0325, District 2 (Midway) at 0.0131 and District 3 at 0.0280, plus a 0.0032 recycling levy in specified districts. One county mill was worth about $732,852 in 2025. The county's Auditor page explains that each district has a different millage rate set to fund services in that district.

Georgetown County's Assessor says the county is required by state law to update values every five years (a one-year extension is allowed by county ordinance) and describes the 2025 reassessment: most property values cannot rise more than 15 percent over five years unless the property is sold or improved, and owners have 90 days from the date of the notice to appeal. The county says reassessment is not a new tax, and that millage is rolled back by the percentage increase in value of property countywide as directed by state law. Notices are not tax bills.

For relief, the County Auditor describes the legal-residence rule that exempts owner-occupied homes that qualify from school operating taxes, and a homestead exemption that completely exempts the first $50,000 of fair market value of a legal residence for owners over 65, totally and permanently disabled owners and legally blind owners. The Department of Revenue adds that the General Assembly temporarily raised the homestead amount to $75,000 for tax year 2026 only. Apply through the county; the South Carolina retirement tax guide covers income tax.

Insurance and risk in Georgetown

Georgetown County uses three evacuation zones, updated for 2024 with the state. The county says zones are based on storm-surge potential rather than wind speed and that an evacuation order means there is a real possibility of storm surge reaching your home. Zone A is areas east of US Highway 17 from the Charleston County line to the Horry County line. Zone B covers areas east of Powell Road and US 521 to Brick Chimney Road to North Fraser Street to Choppee Road to Plantersville Road and all low-lying areas along and east of the Waccamaw, Great Pee Dee and Black Rivers to US 17. Zone C covers areas north and east of Johnson Road through to the Horry County line and areas west of Plantersville Road.

SCEMD's 2025 estimates count 12,637 people in Georgetown Zone A, 34,205 in Zone B and 3,259 in Zone C, with 732, 2,062 and 736 mobile homes in the zones by the 2023 five-year estimate. Its 2026 clearance times treat Horry and Georgetown as one region, from 11.8 to 20.8 hours for Zone A to 16.4 to 29.4 hours for Zones A, B and C. The county names the pre-identified evacuation route as US 17 through Georgetown to US 521, then SC 261 to US 378 to Columbia, with an alternate from Georgetown by Black River Road to US 701, SC 51 and US 378 at Kingsburg. The City of Georgetown's own page lists US 521 west through Andrews toward Manning; follow the route in the Governor's order and the county's current map.

Flood information is split by jurisdiction. The county's flood protection page directs residents to an interactive mapping portal for unincorporated Georgetown County and says property owners in the City of Georgetown, the Town of Pawleys Island and the Town of Andrews should contact those municipalities directly. The county's Flood Damage Prevention ordinance was amended on April 26, 2023, and elevation certificates are required to rate post-FIRM buildings. The city's page notes that a floodplain development application is required for construction in a Special Flood Hazard Area and references a preliminary flood map for the city. See the coastal hurricane and flood insurance guide.

Healthcare access in Georgetown

The City of Georgetown says its largest employer is Tidelands Health, the Georgetown Hospital System, and describes Georgetown Memorial Hospital as an acute-care facility offering a full range of inpatient and outpatient services. The city also notes that Georgetown is served for commercial flights by Charleston International Airport and Myrtle Beach International Airport, and that the Georgetown Airport, five miles south of downtown, has two asphalt runways of 6,001 by 100 feet and 4,700 by 150 feet for private aircraft.

Conway Medical Center says its physician practices extend from Georgetown to Little River, and the 2025 community health needs assessment for Horry County reports a county primary-care ratio of about 1,870 residents per physician in 2023 against about 2,030 statewide. That assessment covers Horry County, so confirm that the physicians and hospital you want participate in your Medicare plan, and use the healthcare access guide to compare networks.

Climate in Georgetown

The city's summary gives an average high of 76.2 degrees, an average low of 53.8 and an average annual temperature of 65 degrees Fahrenheit, with 4.7 inches of rain a month on average. Georgetown County describes the Atlantic hurricane season as running from June 1 to November 30 with peak activity between mid-August and late October, and says hurricanes can bring strong winds, storm surge, flooding, rip currents and tornadoes.

The county's advice is to know your zone, identify an evacuation location, build a kit, plan for pets and trim trees, secure gutters and install storm shutters; it adds that emergency shelters are a last resort, pets are not allowed in them, and re-entry after an evacuation can take days.

Lifestyle and recreation in Georgetown

Georgetown's draw is its historic waterfront and downtown. The city lists five museums: the Georgetown County Museum, the Gullah Museum of Georgetown, the SC Maritime Museum, the Rice Museum and the Kaminski House Museum, and the Georgetown County Chamber of Commerce visitor center is at 531 Front Street. Its history page describes Georgetown as known for warm hospitality and Southern charm.

The beach is a short drive: the city identifies Pawleys Island, 10.7 miles away, as the closest public beach. For a retiree who wants walkable historic streets, waterfront access and small-city services rather than resort amenities, Georgetown is an alternative to the beach towns to the north, such as Myrtle Beach.

Housing in Georgetown

Georgetown's housing is shaped by its age: the city was founded in 1729 and much of its historic core dates from the rice and lumber eras described on its history page. The city has an Architectural Review Board among its boards and commissions, and its unified development ordinance governs zoning, so ask the Building and Planning Department what approvals apply to exterior changes in the historic district.

The city lists a short-term rental permit among its applications, and its flood protection page requires a floodplain development application for construction in a Special Flood Hazard Area. For any purchase, request the tax bill, tax district and flood zone from the city or county before an offer.

Comparisons with Georgetown

• Georgetown vs Pawleys Island: Historic Port City or Flood-Zone Barrier Island

Places near Georgetown

• Pawleys IslandA small Georgetown County barrier-island town incorporated in 1985, entirely within the flood hazard area, with a Community Rating System Class 5 flood-insurance discount and V-zone construction rules applied townwide.

Guides relevant to Georgetown

• Healthcare Access Across the Carolinas: Hospitals, Trauma Centers and Medicare
• Hurricane, Flood and Wind Insurance on the Carolina Coast: What Retirees Should Know
• South Carolina Retirement Taxes: Income, Property, Vehicle and Sales Tax