Waverly to MLK

Rapidly developing space with lots of access

Overview

  • Price: $

Local Opinion

Verdict: Primarily working class neighborhood that is rapidly developing, with easy access to many amenities

Waverly Road and Martin Luther King Road are key traffic arteries, connecting highway 17 to Kings River Road. Petigru Drive cuts across, linking the two roads and tying them into the Litchfield Country Club community and Highway 17. Because they cut through and across, these roads provide access to grocery stores, restaurants, shops, and other amenities in the area. They make it easy for residents to get around.

Between and around these roads are many homes and small communities. In my lifetime, these homes were mostly working class folks, and they represented a way to get an affordable home with some land outside of the confines of an HOA, but still have easy access to the entirety of the Pawleys Island area. These homes frequently had some privacy, because substantial portions of the area were (and still are) undeveloped. The majority of the mobile homes in this area reside in this community, offering another affordable option.

I have heard, though I have not confirmed via any primary research, that this area was once micro-farms of small single-digit acreage with a cabin, granted to freed slaves during Reconstruction. These farms were self-sustaining, providing all the food for a family. As the family grew, they would build a second cabin to house the next generation. As the family tree branched, more cabins would pop up, resulting in the density we see in this area.

More recently, the large undeveloped plots in this area have been targets for developers looking to build planned communities. These communities often undergo rezoning to increase density, so many have been clearcut, regraded, and have homes quite close to each other with little privacy. While many of these newer developments are substantially more expensive than the area had been, they are often still quite affordable.

One downside to this community can be the traffic. The boundary roads all experience moderate traffic, and homes along these roads must contend with that traffic. Along Waverly, the Waccamaw Bikeway provides a sidewalk, though as of today it’s still under construction.