Carolina Forest falls under the police and fire jurisdiction of Horry County, and the Horry County Council is the governing body. A growing business district features strip malls of national, regional and local retailers, and the Carolina Forest community has its own public schools, K-12, within the neighborhood. Golf courses, community and recreation centers and churches also have sprung up to accommodate the growing population.
New roads have made Carolina Forest more accessible, including International Drive, an extension of Robert Grissom Parkway that provides direct access to Myrtle Beach, and River Oaks Drive, which runs west and parallel of the Intracoastal Waterway.