Lake Wylie

Charlotte workers who want to get away to a resortlike community after a long day at work might consider living in the Lake Wylie area, which starts in the southwest corner of Mecklenburg County and extends into Gaston County and across the S.C. state line.

While the community of Lake Wylie - on S.C. 49 just across the Buster Boyd Bridge - is not an incorporated city, there has been some talk recently about doing that. For now, it’s a collection of neighborhoods and businesses around the lake’s 327-mile shoreline. The lake was created in 1904 and named for Dr. W. Gill Wylie, who helped persuade his patient, J.B. “Buck” Duke, to dam the Catawba River to generate hydroelectric power. The move sparked a wave of textile manufacturing in Mecklenburg, Gaston and York counties.

Today, the residents of this area have come together in lieu of a city government to preserve and improve the vacationlike atmosphere that comes with living on the lake. Citizens raised the seed money to establish the Lake Wylie branch library, and they have rallied to keep or bring businesses to the area, regulate growth and acquire government dollars for infrastructure improvements.

One such improvement is the widening of the Buster Boyd Bridge. The commute from Lake Wylie to Charlotte along N.C. 49 has long been a popular but congested route. It’s about to become an easier drive as a project to widen a five-mile stretch of N.C. 49 to four lanes and widen Buster Boyd Bridge gets under way.


On the Mecklenburg County side of Lake Wylie is McDowell Park, located on N.C. 49 just as you approach the bridge. The park offers a sweeping view of some of the most scenic areas of Lake Wylie accessible by car. The 894-acre county-operated nature preserve offers hiking and camping. You can also rent canoes and paddleboats or enjoy the nature center’s displays.

On the Fourth of July, Lake Wylie is a popular place to see a patriotic display of fireworks. Boats assemble near the bridge and landlubbers park their cars nearby to see the colorful display. During the Christmas season, boaters decorate their rigs with lights and wreathes for the annual Christmas boat parade.

During the summer months, the lake is a big draw from around the region. Camp Thunderbird, a YMCA-operated summer environmental camp, attracts hundreds of school-age children for fun and learning.

Boaters and water skiers also flock to the lake. If you plan to go boating or skiing, check the safety regulations imposed by the Lake Wylie Marine Commission. Among other things, the rules require a third person aboard each boat pulling a skier (the third person serves as an observer) and set restrictions on blood-alcohol content for water skiers.

Depending on which portion of the Lake Wylie area you’re looking at, you’ll find real estate listings in areas 7, 15 or 16. To support the growing number of homes, commercial development has sprouted in the area in recent years.

River Hills at Lake Wylie, on S.C. 49, is one of the most established neighborhoods in the area, with homes ranging from condominiums to mansions worth well over $1 million. The neighborhood of cedar and cypress-framed homes includes a gated entry, tree-lined streets, an 18-hole golf course and a 194-covered-slip marina.

There’s plenty of new construction on Gaston County’s Belmont peninsula, including waterfront communities and less-expensive contemporary housing.

Tega Cay, another established upscale lakeside community, is off I-77 and Gold Hill Road on a peninsula of Lake Wylie in South Carolina. The neighborhood was begun in the 1970s and was originally modeled after a Polynesian resort. Nearby, developers are constructing Waterstone, a 590-home subdivision behind Tega Cay Village Shopping Center. Developers are also making plans to add 600 apartments, homes and condos and a commercial area as part of a 128-acre subdivision along S.C. 160.

Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden is located on 450 lakefront acres on South New Hope Road in Gaston County. The property is the former home of Daniel Stowe, a textile businessman, and his wife, Alene. The couple gave the property along with $14 million to establish an endowment to develop the garden.

Currently, 110 acres have been developed, but operators have plans to develop the entire property into one of the premier gardens of its kind in the country. The garden opened a grand, 13,500-square-foot visitors’ pavilion and extensive new gardens in fall 1999. The attraction now includes four themed gardens filled with plants that thrive in Piedmont soil and weather, accented with a dozen sparkling fountains and canals. The garden is open seven days a week.

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