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| Lake Norman (Cornelius, Denver, Davidson, Huntersville, and Mooresville) | |
At the northern end of Mecklenburg County there is an area commonly referred to as Lake Norman. The lake spans its fingers over 750 square miles with 520 miles of shore line, while overlapping into four counties: Mecklenburg, Lincoln, Iredell and Catawba.
Lake Norman started its humble beginnings around 1950 when Duke Energy, formerly Duke Power, began building the Cowens Ford Dam and the McGuire Nuclear Station located along NC Hwy 73, at the southern portion of the Lake. Construction had also begun on the Marshall Steam Station at the northern end of the Lake. The land, once used for farming and livestock, was starting to flood. Earthen dams were positioned around the lake to hold the water in with the end results being what we enjoy today. |
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Real Estate around the lake had a slow beginning. However, as more and more people began visiting the area and with the completion of Interstate 77, providing the lakes eastern boundary, things began to change. By the early 1990's Lake Norman was one of the elite places to live in the Charlotte area.
Today Lake Norman offers an abundance of recreational and professional attributes. The southeastern portion of the lake has been growing at an unbelievable rate, with the west side not far behind. Currently underway is a project to reroute and make NC Hwy 16, the lake's western border, into 4 lanes, giving the same easy access now enjoyed via I-77.
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Along with the lake, many areas around it have begun to develop rapidly, especially the towns of Cornelius, Davidson, Huntersville, and Mooresville. All of the towns are along Interstate 77, with their primary exits being 28, 30, 23/25 and 33/36 respectively. Denver "Of the East" is located on the west side of Lake Norman serviced by US Hwy 16. Substantial relocation to these areas has promoted economic growth and wealth to the communities with current population statistics below.
North Mecklenburg Population Figures*
Town 2007 Population
Cornelius 29,032
Davidson 8,798
Denver 20,326
Huntersville 39,894
Mooresville 20,193
*Source: County Chambers of Commerce
County Population
Catawba 153,404
Gaston 200,972
Lincoln 75,862
Iredell 156,294
Mecklenburg 1,700,000
So come on up to "The Lake" and see what the good life is all about. Lake Norman welcomes you!!!
- Lake Norman's deepest point is over 100 ft. and average depth is 25 ft.
- Lake Norman holds approximately 3,400,000,000 gallons of water, having a weight of approximately 13,600,000 tons.
- Lake Norman's shoreline measures approximately 520 miles, more than the coastlines of North Carolina and South Carolina combined.
- Lake Norman is bordered by 4 counties. Mecklenburg is named for the home province of King George III's wife, Queen of Charlotte. Catawba is named for the Catawba Indians who actually called themselves Eswataroa (meaning great river). Lincoln is named for Benjamin Lincoln, not Abraham Lincoln. Iredell is named for James Iredell, who never even saw the county.
- During the Revolutionary War a battle was fought on Feb 1, 1781 at almost the exact spot where Cowan's Ford Dam now sits. Militia General William Lee Davidson, for whom Davidson College is named, was killed in the battle.
- There have been several unusual sightings around Lake Norman, including a mysterious cat-like creature known as the Wampus, UFO's, man-sized catfish and an alligator or two.
- The ground-breaking for Cowan's Ford Dam was held Sept 28, 1959. Governor Terry Sanford was the keynote speaker at the dedication of the completed dam five years later on September 29, 1964.
- The first metal bridge to span the Catawba River in this area was built by James W. Brown and B.A. Troutman of Mooresville, competed in 1911. It was located about ¼ mile downstream from the present NC Highway 150 bridge.
- Talk about planning ahead, James B. Duke's associates began purchasing Catawba Valley bottomland in 190l to prepare for the future power generation.
- Had Lake Norman not been in place, there probably would have been flooding on the Catawba River Valley in 1970. Severe flooding did occur in 1916 and 1940.
- The Catawba River froze solid enough for horsedrawn wagons to cross on November 27, 1886, and January 19, 1887.
- Lake Norman, the largest man-made lake in North Carolina, covers approximately 32,510 acres and is larger than the Sea of Galilee.
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