1 of Atlantic Beach’s places is on the National Register
Most of Atlantic Beach was built recently: 0.0% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1974. Below: maps from 1943 on and the census since 1970.
Atlantic Beach is commonly nicknamed "The Black Pearl"; the rich culture of the town of Atlantic Beach was formed of mostly Gullah people, descendants of slaves who lived for 300 years on the Sea Islands from Wilmington, North Carolina to Jacksonville, Florida. In the early 1930s, defying Jim Crow laws in the segregated South, debunking Black stereotypes, and broadening the enterprises of the Gullah people, Black women and men opened hotels, restaurants, night clubs, and novelty shops in Atlantic Beach. Visitors would travel along Interstate 95, US 17 and SC 9, coming from nearby southern states, where racial segregation took its toll.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Atlantic Beach. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1943Wampee sheet · 1:24,000
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Atlantic Beach.
Famous people
Famous people close to Atlantic Beach
Nobody well known was born in Atlantic Beach itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.
Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021). How TownRatings grades history →
From the National Register of Historic Places (1), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
