70 years ago, Myrtle Beach was incorporated as a city.
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To mark the occasion Wednesday night, Mayor John Rhodes addressed the community in his first "State of the City" address and talked about the area's bright future.
"I came here in 1963, 45 years ago, and what I've seen change in that 45 years is fantastic," Rhodes told NewsChannel 15.
In fact, the Myrtle Beach area's roots go back further than 70 years.
With the arrival of the railroad at the turn of last century, a beach resort was born.
Beach houses and a Pavilion went up and by 1938, there was enough of a community to incorporate.
In the 1950's, many locals started to notice major changes.
"A long time ago it was just a few people, few houses on that beach, and we couldn't go down there either," said Carrie Mae Johnson, a lifelong Myrtle Beach resident.
Johnson points out that the growth took off after segregation ended.
Even with the national economy slowing, Rhodes says this should be a very good year for Myrtle Beach.
Presidential debates were already held in January, then the Myrtle Beach Marathon and here come the spring breakers, golfers, bikers, Hard Rock parkers, Sun Funers, hundreds of thousands of beach goers, and the grand opening of the mega development Market Common.
All of this, plus the future of the old Pavilion site and the Myrtle Square Mall property can only mean more progress.
"How much better can it get, so bring those tourists to town," Rhodes said.
