If you or someone you know are considering moving to the Lake Norman area of North Carolina anytime soon, make sure you read this article first! You want to see what you’re getting yourself into, right? Is moving to Lake Norman really for you? I’ll do my best to temper my strong pro-Lake Norman bias and just stick to the facts.
You’ll love moving to the Lake Norman area. We are so lucky to live in such a beautiful area, with so much to do and so many great people. If you still need some convincing, you’re in the right place. I did my best to narrow it down to the top 10 reasons why you’ll love moving to the Lake Norman area. I have been living in the area since 2016, and I’m not going anywhere. Actually, I’ve been visiting the Lake Norman area for the last 15 years. Living in any of the lakeside towns just keeps getting better and better. I’m certainly a VERY outspoken proponent of moving to Lake Norman and Charlotte.
1. Amazing Views
From early morning sunrises so colorful and amazing that your day begins with joy and gratitude, to the late afternoon sunsets so compelling that people young and old can’t help but post it on their Instagram or Snapchat. I mean it, it’s crazy. Every time we have one of those extra unique sunsets around Lake Norman (which is most of them) your news feed will be plastered with everyone’s sunrise/sunset pics. It’s funny, but also it’s a testament to the natural beauty that we take for granted here at the lake… and a reason why YOU should consider moving to the Lake Norman area. Seriously though, all the cool kids are moving here!
2. Jobs Are Easy To Find
According to Glassdoor, there are currently 26,384 job openings within 25 miles of Cornelius, North Carolina (Which most people consider the center of Lake Norman). Drive around uptown Charlotte for just a few minutes, and you’ll notice all the cranes, building new office buildings, hotels, and more all around the area! It’s crazy. All around the Lake Norman area, you see new developments, hotels, and condo complexes being built. Charlotte is home to some of the nation’s largest banks and is the third largest banking capital in the county.
A substantial, healthy job market also is a great thing for home values. If you own a home in the Lake Norman area, and we keep growing and growing as we have been, you’ll be on the winning end of a nice big chunk of equity.
3. Lake Norman Residents Are Very Friendly
When the majority of people you run into on a daily basis are friendly, courteous, and happy, we call that “a clue.” If the Lake Norman area was a bad place to live, would everyone be so dang happy and friendly all the time? What’s funny is that my family moved here from Connecticut and they just couldn’t believe people would talk to you in grocery store lines and that “you don’t even have to take a number at the deli.” Believe me, if that were like that in Connecticut, it would be complete chaos with everyone cutting in front of each other. Around Lake Norman, it’s strange when the person in front of you doesn’t hold the door open for you!
4. Living around Lake Norman is Very Affordable
Homes for sale in the Lake Norman area are still very affordable. You can actually still find a starter home in the various towns around the lake for under $200,000, although those days are coming to an end sooner than later. You’ll quickly find that homes are priced very reasonably for the quality of life, low cost of living, and economy.
Getting a chance to live on the lake is just an added bonus! Many people certainly pay a hefty premium to live on the lake, but you can still find many homes that are very affordable along the shoreline. Plus, numerous homes out there have lake views! If you want to learn more about the towns around the lake and their real estate be sure to click here.
5. We have GREAT Restaurants around Lake Norman
It seems like, over the last few years, a whole slew of great restaurants have popped up and around Lake Norman. Truth is, no matter where you are around the lake, you’re never far from your next “Best meal ever!” From great local burger joints to formal sit-down dining options from literally every corner of the world, you will find precisely what your taste buds are craving any time of day. You’ll need to eat some pretty hefty meals with all that time wakeboarding and waterskiing you’ll be doing!
Restaurants around Lake Norman have actually received quite a bit of attention either from TV shows to magazines. When major networks and publications spend their time and money to visit Lake Norman, take that as a clue the restaurants they’re visiting must be fantastic. I’ll spare you from a giant list of all our great restaurants around Lake Norman, but here are a few of my personal favorites:
Midwood Smokehouse – Huntersville
Port City Club – Cornelius
Epic Chophouse – Mooresville
Duckworth’s Grill and Taphouse – Huntersville & Mooresville
Alino’s Pizzeria – Mooresville
Hello, Sailor – Cornelius
Red Rocks Cafe – Huntersville
Famous Toastery – Davidson, Huntersville, & Mooresville
You better believe I have even more to tell you about, so if you want more recommendations for restaurants around Lake Norman, just ask!
6. Lake Norman Weather
The weather is excellent and never gets boring. There are 4 seasons but not as distinct as in some parts of the country. Like at the moment it’s almost 90 degrees out, and it’s October 5th. Not many major American cities offer this great weather. Before moving to the Lake Norman area, you need to know that it can get sweltering in the summer, and somewhat cold in the winter. I wouldn’t have it any other way!
Extreme heat is more common than extreme cold around Lake Norman, with temperatures reaching 90 degrees plus more than 4 days at a time. Charlotte’s overall average temperature is 59.8°F, with January being the coldest month and July the hottest. During the winter you can expect an annual average winter snowfall of 4″ which sure beats the average snowfall of 29″ in Connecticut that I grew up with.
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7. Lake Norman Area Sports
Charlotte is home to a few major sports teams, both professional and college. Living around Lake Norman is great if you’re an NBA, NFL, or NASCAR fan. Charlotte is the home of the Charlotte Hornets basketball team and home to the Carolina Panthers football team. Concord, NC just outside of Charlotte and Huntersville is home to Charlotte Motor Speedway.
We have some fun minor league professional sports in Charlotte as well, like the Charlotte Checkers hockey team and Charlotte Knights minor league baseball team, and lastly for soccer fans theirs the Charlotte Independence. These games are super fun and inexpensive. These games are super fun and laid back. A high, reasonable activity for the family, or to just hang out with friends.
If college sports are more your thing, Davidson, NC is home to Davidson College a division one sports team in the Atlantic 10 conference and also where Steph Curry played basketball at. Along with Davidson College, there’s also the University of North Carolina at Charlotte which is in Conference USA and features a large variety of division 1 sports as well. If your perfect Saturday afternoon includes attending a ballgame or your perfect Sunday comprises watching a football game, moving to Lake Norman is a great choice.
8. Fun Filled Festivals and Events
The Lake Norman area features a lot of fun festivals and events. In April, you can hear the bagpipes roar at the Scottish Festival & Loch Norman Highland Games at Historic Rural Hill which is in Huntersville. From traditional Highland dancing and pipe bands to whiskey tasting to athletic competitions, plenty of activities are offered to fill the weekend at the festival. The NC Brewer’s & Music Festival is made for those who love quality craft brews made right here in North Carolina, and those who enjoy great music. The grounds at Rural Hill are packed full, with over forty breweries pouring North Carolina craft beer and cider.
Every Third Saturday of May is the Asian Festival and Dragon Boat Race at Ramsey Creek Park in Cornelius. You can expect dragon boat races that bring teams from the Charlotte region as well as other states competing along the banks of Lake Norman. During the event, you can expect numerous vendors are set up with various Asian countries being represented with favorite signature dishes. See some of the most talented performers on the stage during the Asian music and dance fest!
Lastly, another big festival is the Carolina Renaissance Festival located in Huntersville. The 16th century themed festival is one of the most unique to the area every fall. Weekends in October and November are packed with performances anyone will enjoy from jousting, circus entertainers and rides to artisan demonstrations, petting zoo, shopping, and games. As you walk through the festival, you will be surrounded by various types of shows and entertainment. Costumed characters keep the medieval tradition alive and musical performers take you back in time.
9. Lake Norman is Easy to Travel To/From
When choosing a new place to live, it’s important to think about how easy (or hard) it will be to travel in and out of. You may have family who wants to visit you after moving to the Lake Norman area, or you may frequently travel for business. You surely want a major airport right there in your city. It’s a pain to live away from a major airport, and the extra connecting flights are much more expensive. Did you know that Charlotte Douglas is one of the top 10 busiest airports in the world? Charlotte Douglas International is one of the main hubs for American Airlines. But they also host United, Delta, Air Canada, Southwest, Frontier, JetBlue, Lufthansa, and Via Air. Charlotte Douglas also features a numerous amount of international flights to Europe, South America, and the Carribean. You can even get to Lake Norman by flying into Concord Regional Airport via Allegiant Airlines.
The Charlotte Douglas International Airport is undergoing a significant upgrade right now, to accommodate the increased tourism and business travel coming to Charlotte. The reconstruction project should be completed in 2020.
They’re doing a great job of building in phases to not negatively affect anyone’s travel plans. You probably won’t even notice that there is any construction going on. When the airport upgrade is complete, we will have one of the world’s premier airports right in our own backyard, As a frequent traveler, I’m excited about the new Charlotte airport! Check out these videos of what the new airport will look like.
10. Lake Norman Golf
If you love playing golf, moving to Lake Notman may be a very wise move! In just the Lake Norman area there are at least 11 excellent Lake Norman area golf courses within 30 minutes of each other. There are also 40 more golf courses within only 1 hour of Lake Norman. The private golf clubs of The Peninsula Club and Trump National Golf Club, Charlotte uses Lake Norman in their course design. Both courses feature holes that you have to hit the golf ball over sections of the lake. Golf is a great reason to relocate to Lake Norman. Heck, I’ll even take you out for your first round. Golfing with me will help you feel better about your own golf game!
Final Thoughts on Moving to The Lake Norman Area
If you’re moving to the Lake Norman area or are considering it, as you can now see, Lake Norman is truly a fantastic place to live, work, and play. You’ll never run out of things to do and there will always be more friendly people to meet. If you’re seriously thinking about moving to Lake Norman, or just have a few more questions before deciding, please don’t hesitate to contact me or shoot me a text at 860-913-3036 with any questions about the Lake Norman area.
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