North Myrtle still seems ok. Haven’t been in a couple years though.
Way on up there close to the Little River Inlet and the NC border that’s true, yes. You can be out of all the traffic and crazy people but still be a short drive from all the tourist attractions if that interests you. The same is true of the Brunswick Islands beaches just over the NC border, which are still in the Myrtle Beach MSA. Nice white sand beaches, much calmer, less crowded.