Smith Mountain Lake of southwest Virginia is no longer the hidden getaway that friends and family discovered on their vacations but residential communities that offer a lake lifestyle with a rural beauty, slower pace and lower taxes. Smith Mountain Lake’s attraction is magnetic with its 20,600 acre lake and 500 miles of shoreline, nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains. The lake offers a lifestyle few people get to enjoy in their everyday lives.
The cost of living is low and the prices on land and homes are reasonable, especially for people relocating from areas like Northern Virginia, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. There are several country clubs with golf courses. The development of the Westlake area provides a suburban vibe with its shopping, restaurants, theater and brewery. And the lake provides a relaxing backdrop with boating, fishing and watersports.
The communities of Moneta, Huddleston, Wirtz, Hardy, Goodview, Rocky Mount and Union Hall offer Home Buyers a balance between rural and urban living and a great place to raise a family or retire. While cities like Roanoke, Lynchburg and Charlotte provide big city access to airports for travel, hospitals for the most modern care facilities and stores for shopping.
Surrounded by the Blue Ridge mountains, Smith Mountain Lake’s deepest point is about 250 feet, near the dam itself. Its average depth is 55 feet. Outside the lake’s many coves in its main channel, 80-150 feet is typical. Water purity is excellent. Water temperatures invite swimming from May through September.
Smith Mountain Lake is home to about 22,000 permanent residents and nearly doubles in size during the summer months. It covers parts of three Virginia counties: Franklin County, Bedford County, and Pittsylvania County. Average air temperatures are 73F in summer and 41F in winter. Annual rainfall averages 43 inches. Annual snowfall averages 10 inches; most snowfalls melt in a day or two.
There is a wide range of housing types and real estate prices on the lake and in the surrounding areas. A lakefront studio condo starts at about $90,000 while single-family lakefront homes range from $250,000 to $ 8,000,000. Single-family homes around the lake range from $125,000 to $800,000.
You can find a first or second home in a quiet cove with just a few neighbors in sight or retire to a well-planned community with shared or private amenities that include swimming pools, fitness facilities, boat slips with powered boat lifts, tennis and golf courses.
Retirees come from all over the country to retire here at Smith Mountain Lake. They find a community that offers an active lifestyle and a rich social life full of annual events held at the lake and surrounding areas. There is a strong volunteer base that is organized by many of the local churches. If you visit the calendar link below, you will find people of all ages find loads of activities to keep active and social.
(click here to view full calendar)
May – Take Pride in SML Cleanup
July 4th – Fireworks by SVFC at Parkway Marina
July 14-16 – Smith Mountain Lake Pirate Days
Sept. 9 – Dragon Boat Race & Festival
Sept. 14-15 – SML Antique & Classic Boat Show
Sept. 23-24 – 29th Anniversary Smith Mountain Lake Annual Wine Festival
Oct. 5-7 – SML Charity Hour Tour
Nov. 4 – 15th Annual Smith Mountain Lake Fall Chili and Craft Festival
Download your free copy of the Official Guide to Smith Mountain Lake. This guide highlights the best places to eat, shop, and explore.
