Carolina Forest real estate
and community guide.

The direct answer

What Carolina Forest is, and why relocating buyers choose it

Carolina Forest is unincorporated Horry County between US 501 and International Drive, master-planned by International Paper in the late 1990s on part of its old 30,000-acre timber tract. It is not a city and pays no city taxes; the mailing address says Myrtle Beach, ZIP 29579, and the beach is a 10-to-15-minute drive. The 2020 Census counted 23,342 residents; the latest Census estimate puts it near 26,263, and 14.5 percent of residents moved in within the past year, roughly ten points above the state's migration rate.

The draw is a combination, not a single feature: the county's flagship school zone, twenty years of continuous new construction, single-family prices well below beach product, no municipal millage, and, because it sits west of the Intracoastal Waterway, standard homeowner insurance that still includes wind. Most of our relocating clients tour it first, and many stop looking after.

The market

Carolina Forest home prices in 2026

The two best reads, each with its own lens: Redfin's Carolina Forest page showed a median sale price of $418,000, up 7.7 percent year over year, with homes going under contract in about 105 days as of mid-2026. SC Realtors data for ZIP 29579 showed a $464,710 single-family median in December 2025, up from $426,500 a year earlier, on 129 days of market time. Condos along the corridor, the area's entry tier, ran a median near $215,500, up about 17 percent.

Context makes those numbers make sense: the Horry County median sits near $329,000 and the City of Myrtle Beach near $266,000, but both are dragged down by condo-heavy stock. Carolina Forest trades at a premium to the county because it is almost entirely single-family product in amenity communities, and local press has described it as a seller's market even while beach condos favor buyers. Trailing twelve months, roughly 1,330 homes changed hands here. Current numbers for any specific community: ask, and see the monthly market report for the region-wide picture.

The neighborhoods

Carolina Forest subdivisions compared

Eleven communities cover most of the map. Price bands are 2025-2026 listing and sale data; HOA figures are the most recently published and change with budgets, so verify the current number with the association during due diligence.

Entry-level condo sections along Carolina Forest Boulevard, including Carolina Willows, Windsor Green, The Fountains, and Kiskadee Parke, start in the $200,000s and feed the corridor's rental demand.

Schools

Carolina Forest schools and attendance zones

The attendance area belongs to Horry County Schools: Carolina Forest High School, Ten Oaks and Ocean Bay middle schools, and five elementary schools. Carolina Forest High enrolls about 3,181 students, the fifth-largest public high school in South Carolina, ranked 33rd in the state by U.S. News, with 80 percent math and 91 percent reading proficiency against state averages of 43 and 52.

The growth showed up in the classrooms first: by 2024, Carolina Forest Elementary ran at 136 percent of capacity, Ocean Bay at 144, and River Oaks at 166. The district's answer opened in August 2025: Ten Oaks Elementary ($62.3 million) and Pine Island Elementary ($65.7 million), 1,200 seats each, with 1,920 students reassigned to fill them. Which school serves which subdivision is set by the district's attendance maps, and lines just moved, so we check the current district maps on every showing rather than trusting a listing's claim.

Districtwide, Horry County Schools posted 38 of 57 schools rated Excellent or Good on the 2025 state report cards, with none Unsatisfactory, and an 89.6 percent graduation rate.

Costs and risk

Carolina Forest property taxes, flood zones, and wind insurance

Taxes. Carolina Forest's 2025 levy totals about 201.0 mills: county base 52.1, schools 119.1, fire district 21.7, solid waste 8.1, plus an $89 stormwater fee and a $50 per-vehicle road fee. There is no city millage; Myrtle Beach city residents pay 83.4 additional mills for comparable houses. Owner-occupants at the 4 percent rate are also exempt from the 109.1 school-operating mills, which is most of the bill. Exact numbers for any price: our Horry County property tax calculator.

Flood. Much of the area maps outside FEMA high-risk zones, with Zone AE pockets near ponds and wetlands, so we pull the parcel-level map, in effect since December 16, 2021, on every home. A pond view and a flood requirement are sometimes the same lot; our flood history guide covers how we check what maps do not show.

Wind. The state wind pool's Horry County territory runs east of the Intracoastal Waterway's west bank and east of US 17 further south. Carolina Forest sits entirely west of the waterway, outside that territory, so wind coverage stays inside a standard homeowner policy instead of a separate wind-pool policy. Against a beach address, that is a real annual saving; the full comparison is in our coastal insurance guide.

Renting

Carolina Forest rental rules: long-term leases, not short-term

Horry County has no ordinance against short-term rentals in unincorporated areas, but in Carolina Forest the HOA is the binding rulebook, and the HOAs mostly say no: Avalon's recorded rules prohibit any rental under three months, and communities like Waterbridge are reported to require one-year minimum leases. Buy here for long-term tenants, not nightly guests; the county-by-county legal map is in our short-term rental rules guide.

As a long-term rental play, the corridor works: three-bedroom houses list roughly $1,650 to $2,500 a month against an area three-bedroom average near $1,941, tenant demand follows the school zones, and entry condos in the $200,000s offer the highest yields. Run any address through the rental analyzer before you offer.

Growth

Carolina Forest growth: roads, schools, and new development

The two long-running road complaints are resolved: the $54.7 million Carolina Forest Boulevard widening is complete, four lanes with a multi-use path, and the Postal Way extension is open. The RIDE 4 penny tax that took effect May 1, 2025 funds the next round, including an SC 31 interchange at Augusta Plantation Drive. County planners have also approved a 1,154-unit mixed-use village concept for the area, apartments over retail in the style of Market Common; its construction timing is not yet set.

The area's defining 2025 event was the Covington Drive Fire: 2,059 acres over 95 days, the longest-burning wildfire in South Carolina history, which forced evacuations in eight neighborhoods and destroyed zero homes. It reshaped how this market thinks about defensible space and insurance, and it is part of every honest conversation we have about buying along the preserve edges.

Plan a Carolina Forest home search with the data.

We match the subdivision to your school, fee, and commute priorities, pull the flood map and covenants on every candidate, and BrickWood Mortgage handles the loan under the same roof.

Sources

Where these numbers come from

• U.S. Census Bureau (via Census Reporter): Carolina Forest population, income, and home values
• Horry County Schools: attendance zones and the new Carolina Forest schools
• South Carolina Association of Counties: 2025 Horry County property tax rates
• South Carolina Department of Insurance: wind pool (SCWHUA) territory
• FEMA Map Service Center: parcel-level flood zones

Verified July 2026. Community fees and figures change; we confirm current numbers with each community before you offer.

Common questions

Carolina Forest FAQ