Living lakeside is truly a way of living unlike any other. It is both serene and a bit adventurous, depending of course on one's specific wants and personality. But, what stands true for lake living in the universal sense is that it is a retreat, a stepping away from the standard, clustered and chaotic ways of unnatural living. When one lives lakeside all tensions that have dominated their lives in unnatural atmospheres are replaced instantaneously with soothing gestures and ripples of tranquility. Buildings and dissonant city noise are things of the past. Instead, what prevails and surrounds individuals is the swaying of old trees and natural flow of harmonious sounds filling the open, crisp lakeside air.

Such calm replacements are all typical characteristics to expect when living in a lakeside area. And such an area with these particular pacifying qualities is a place best known as Smith Mountain Lake.

Historical Presence From Forrest to Coastline

Located where the Blue Ridge Mountains and the Virginia Piedmont meet, Smith Mountain Lake (SML) and the surrounding area is one with a rich and eclectic background. As the area first supported the Native American tribes and then accommodated to the following early colonial groups, it's no wonder that the area was and still is quite an alluring environment to many a variety of peoples. Resources were plentiful and the land quite promising with the life and prosperity it presented. With fertile soil and a drive to farm tobacco wealth spread and established the beginning of settling and future development. As such, and once populations grew many years later into the modern century, the call for electrical power was bellowed through the hills. To answer, a dam was constructed and finally filled in 1966. This new body of water was named Smith Mountain Lake.

Having 20,000 acres of clean, native water touched by 500 miles of shoreline, SML is now home to many - nearly 18,000 residents - with populations continually rising.

Natural Designs Draw In Even More of A Crowd

With contractors and housing developers constantly building due to a large number of requests and demands they've been keeping the beauty and natural quality of the lake and surrounding region in mind. Instead of moving landscape and disrupting current natural settings design plans and building methods has been conducted with a sense of preservation and restoration. Maintaining natural rock formations, avoiding construction in streams or around wetlands, landscaping with indigenous and non-invasive plant life, minimizing tree removal and restoring already disturbed building sites are all actions SML builders are currently undertaking.

Also, a design plan to compliment lakeside living through building extensions within the area's outdoor spaces - also keeping the region's architectural heritage in mind - has been put in place. And those looking to move within SML have been taking notice to the well-thought design plans, and as such, a sizable liking toward the developmental offerings have increased considerably.

The Pull and Likability of Smith Mountain Lake Community

And what better could there possibly be than the aforementioned historical ties, eco-friendly and regionally-embracing design plans? How about SML's warm and welcoming community. The people who live in the area are of a wide range of backgrounds and at varied points in their lives. From young to old, to singles and couples and working folk to retirees, they're all there and have been enjoying the comforts SML offers for quite some time. Some have watched the area grow and others are completely new, waiting to watch the area bloom. In either case, it's certain that all are welcomed in this natural, fun and ever-expanding community living both comfortably and naturally, lakeside of course.