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Conway is one of the oldest towns in South Carolina. Early English colonists named the village "Kings Town" but soon changed it to "Kingston". The town was founded in 1732 as part of Royal Governor Robert Johnson's Township Scheme. It was laid out on a bluff overlooking the Waccamaw River in what is now known as Horry County.

Many area residents fought in the American Revolution, and small engagements were fought near Kingston at Bear Bluff and at Black Lake. Francis Marion, who was known as the "Swamp Fox", had an encampment near Kingston just across the Waccamaw River. The areas of Kingston and Charles Town, S.C. were communities with a higher population of Tories than many other Colonial American towns during the revolutionary war era. A Tory was a colonist who supported the government during that period.

After the war, patriotic citizens wanted to discard the name that honored Great Britain's King George II. The county's name was changed to Horry (pronounced "oh-ree") in honor of General Peter Horry in 1801, and a courthouse was established in Kingston. "Kingston" was later changed to "Conwayborough", for General Robert Conway. In 1883, the General Assembly changed the name to "Conway".

Conway is situated on the South Carolina Coastal Plain on the western banks of the Waccamaw River, and is approximately 14 miles (23 km) from the Atlantic Ocean. U.S. Route 701 passes through the city center, leading northeast 44 miles (71 km) to Whiteville, North Carolina, and southwest 36 miles (58 km) to Georgetown. U.S. Route 501 runs through the southwest side of Conway, leading southeast 14 miles (23 km) to Myrtle Beach and northwest 33 miles (53 km) to Marion. U.S. Route 378 has its eastern terminus in Conway and leads west 46 miles (74 km) to Lake City.

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According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 22.8 square miles (59.0 km2), of which 21.9 square miles (56.8 km2) are land and 0.85 square miles (2.2 km2), or 3.69%, are water. The downtown is sited on the west bank of the Waccamaw River where it is joined by a creek called Kingston Lake. The Waccamaw flows south to the Pee Dee River and ultimately Winyah Bay at Georgetown.

As of the census of 2000, there were 11,788 people, 4,259 households, and 2,942 families residing in the city and estimated at 25,956 people in 2019. The population density was 927.8 people per square mile (358.1/km2). There were 4,783 housing units at an average density of 376.5 per square mile (145.3/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 55.82% White, 41.85% African American, 0.21% Native American, 0.74% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.64% from other races, and 0.72% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.87% of the population.

There were 4,259 households, out of which 32.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.3% were married couples living together, 23.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.9% were non-families. 26.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.52 and the average family size was 3.02.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 25.1% under the age of 18, 15.8% from 18 to 24, 25.3% from 25 to 44, 20.2% from 45 to 64, and 13.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females, there were 83.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 75.0 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $32,155, and the median income for a family was $39,189. Males had a median income of $26,720 versus $21,310 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,611. About 15.9% of families and 20.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 32.9% of those under age 18 and 16.0% of those age 65 or over. (above taken from Wikipedia)