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The Pee Dee region of South Carolina is the northeastern corner of the state. It is the area of the lower watershed of the Pee Dee River, named after the Pedee Native American tribe. Its center is Florence, but it also includes the Grand Strand which are the beaches and the development along them, from the North Carolina state line to Winyah Bay.
On the coast the area is predominantly involved in tourism and resorts with beaches, amusement parks, shopping, fishing, and golf. The area has become a major retirement center for the US, in part from its low cost of living and its many golf courses. The center of the Grand Strand is Myrtle Beach.
Inland is a belt featuring rivers, marshes and sandy rises where forestry is predominant, with pine plantations and baldcypress lumbering.
Further inland, on higher ground, but still of only slight relief, is an agricultural belt of tobacco, cotton, soybeans and produce.
Florence, originally founded as a railroad center is a small, but growing center of production of pharmaceuticals, and other light industry. It is also known as a center of medical and dental care. The Pee Dee Region also produces paper, steel, and recreational vehicles.
The area is served by two commercial broadcast television stations, WBTW and WPDE, both with twin studios at Florence and Myrtle Beach, as well as an educational television station substation in Conway, Conway. Daily newspapers include The Sun News of Myrtle Beach and The Morning News of Florence.
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