The Lowdown on Lake Norman (LKN)
If you’re new to the area, allow us to unleash our inner nerd and dazzle you with a few interesting nuggets about North Carolina’s largest man-made lake…
First off - Lake Norman is huge, boasting 520 miles of shoreline (exceeding both NC and SC ocean shorelines combined!), it's 33 miles long, and nearly 9 miles wide at its widest point. Because of the size, it has earned the nickname "North Carolina's Inland Sea." Most importantly, the abbreviation for Lake Norman is “LKN,” it took us a few weeks to figure that out when we first moved here, so you’re welcome!
Captivating You With Climate!
An awesome part of living around LKN is that it has all four seasons, which means plenty of vibrant, changing colors to experience around the lake all year long. The variation in temperatures is pretty typical of what one would expect for four seasons, though summers can get a little scorching with temps up into the 90's and some seriously high humidity. (Sorry ladies, expect some bad hair days.)
Winters are generally pretty mild, snow is rare, but a beautiful occurrence over the water. Spring and Fall are very pleasant with nice, comfy temps in the 60s-70s most days. Many believe October is the best month to be on the water. Water temperatures fluctuate throughout the year, but from late fall through early spring it can dip into the 30’s, while June-September will see water temps hit the mid 80 degree mark.
It's All Ancient History, Dam It!
The lake’s history is somewhat interesting, Duke Power Company dammed up the Catawba River in the early 1960’s to generate electrical energy for Charlotte and the Piedmont Region. You may hear some people say that Duke simply dammed the river and let the entire area flood without caution (flooding buildings, gravesites, etc.) to create Lake Norman, but that’s not entirely accurate. Duke and the local communities went to great lengths to move and/or raze as many structures, trees, and gravesites as possible. But there are still a couple cool historical markers under the water, like a Revolutionary War battle site and an old mill location. And, yes, prior to the lake some of the land was used for burial grounds. But don’t believe the gossip, those grave sites were all relocated BEFORE the river was dammed. (Or so we’ve been told.) There's obviously a lot more to know about the Lake Norman region, but hopefully this is a good start!
THE FOUR CORNERS
ALL ABOUT WATER
