About Franklin County, VA

When you live on a recreational lake such as Smith Mountain Lake, a common concern is water pollution. Residents want to be sure they, their children, grandchildren, friends and pets are safe when swimming and sporting around the lake. This month, local publication Laker Magazine includes an article on SML water safety that is both thorough and helpful for understanding water health and how the lake itself rates in cleanliness. You may appreciate knowing the article states Smith Mountain Lake’s water quality is excellent.

While the article is a one-time summary of the science and results behind lake health, there are people and organizations advocating for a clean, useable lake all year long. The Smith Mountain Lake Chamber of Commerce and Smith Mountain Lake Association are two community groups dedicated to keeping the lake safe and clean, organizing clean-up events and educating the community on water quality and their role in preventing pollution. Nearby college science and environmental studies groups from Ferrum College, Roanoke College and Virginia Tech have used Smith Mountain Lake for water quality experiments and education - producing regular reports on the lake’s health status.

If you’re considering a visit or move to Smith Mountain Lake and water quality is a concern, these are several avenues for keeping tabs on the lake’s cleanliness. You may also contact us about all things Smith Mountain Lake-related. We’d love to help you learn more about this beautiful place we live in and love.

Good news for real estate - a recent article on MSN states new home starts are expected to rise by 10 percent in 2012. We’re encouraged by this and to see several new construction sites arising here at Smith Mountain Lake. So what is on the radar for the future of home building? The perks of practicality.

More home builders are thinking of the future when it comes to their home’s design. Whatever is efficient, helpful and practical is in for 2012. The MSN article specifically points to the preference of fewer stairs to climb, bathrooms safe for the handicapped and aging folks, garages fit for more storage, main living area nooks instead of whole rooms devoted to offices and projects and energy efficiency.

We’ve seen these and similar trends emerging at Smith Mountain Lake in recent years. New residents and home builders want a home that will endure and meet their changing needs - and the changing needs of their family. At Smith Mountain Lake, home building trends lend toward a smarter, less consuming and calming lifestyle - one we’re sure you’d love to get acquainted with.

In a recent post on todayonline.com, concerned writer Julia Ng makes several statements about the future of retirement living. She points out the difference in the financial status, lifestyle expectations and health of current generations approaching retirement versus those previous. In summary, she states today’s retirees expect a longer, higher quality of life through retirement than the previous generation and they have the financial means and physical care and stamina to have it.

Here at Smith Mountain Lake, with a large population of retirees and soon-to-be retirees investing in second homes at the lake, we understand how the dynamics of retirement living has changed. Like Ng writes, retirees are looking for a community that offers excellent and accessible healthcare, community centers such as a local gym, library, tennis facilities and churches. They want to live in a place of beauty that is relaxing and naturally invigorating. Rather than depend on their children and grandchildren for assistance, they want to be able to offer their family members a wonderful place to visit. This is what second home buyers and retiring couples and individuals get at Smith Mountain Lake. It is an idyllic place for an active, engaging and fulfilling retirement lifestyle.

Smith Mountain Lake residents love to taut the privacy and rare seclusion offered by this community. Though it is a quiet place to live, with plenty of space and properties enclosed in their own personal pocket of acreage, privacy doesn’t mean we’re far away from the most important conveniences. Healthcare, for example, is a top priority at Smith Mountain Lake. Residents are never far from excellent clinics, hospitals and physicians. Area health care companies are expanding to meet the needs of a growing SML community, ensuring every lake family has access to medical care located within just a few miles or less.

Two area healthcare networks have state-of-the-art locations at or near Smith Mountain Lake. Roanoke-based Carilion Clinic meets the needs of local residents through their Westlake Center, just minutes from some of the most populated neighborhoods on the lake. Centra Health, based in Campbell County’s city of Lynchburg, also offers the SML community several treatment facilities including Village Family Physicians, Centra Stroobants Heart Center and Seven Hills Urology - all located near the lake. In addition to clinics close to Smith Mountain Lake, several hospitals are readily available to lake area patients in need of emergency care, a birthing center or specialized services.

Carilion Clinic installed a helipad at its Westlake location a few years ago and recently reported plans to add a hangar to the location. Smith Mountain Lake is in the company’s sights as a place for increased emergency care access, including air medical services. A development sure to give lake families even more peace of mind.