There’s something about living in Lake Keowee homes that satisfies a need in the mind and heart. There’s outdoor fun on the water such as water sports, boating, swimming, fishing, and more to enjoy. Lying beside the water in the hot sun of summer gives us more than a tan; it leaves us feeling one with the shore and water.

There’s the simple satisfaction of looking out one of the windows of new listings on Lake Keowee at blue water. The sun makes the water sparkle. The stars are reflected in its surface at night, seeming close enough to touch. The rain makes concentric circles that are fascinating to watch.

The calm of living in Lake Keowee real estate can’t be discounted. There’s a reason doctors from the 1800s on up to the mid-1900s recommended a seaside holiday for whatever ailed their patients. They knew that the sounds of nature – the wind in the trees, the slosh of water against the shore, birdsong, and other sounds of nature – heal the mind and breast.

The social cachet of living in Lake Keowee homes has grown in importance in recent years. Everyone from entrepreneurs to upper-level corporate officers need space to entertain and network. What better place to talk than beside the blue beneath the warm sun of South Carolina’s Lake Keowee? What other attractions near new listings on Lake Keowee are available for new home buyers?

A Little Background

Physically, Lake Keowee real estate lies beside 300 miles of shoreline at the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains. The lake is 26 miles long and at its widest point is three miles across, and 54 feet deep. The lake comprises 18,500 acres of water dammed from waters of the Keowee River and Little River. The remainder of these rivers plus others make up the Seneca River, which empties into the larger Savannah River.

The lake was formed to supply the needs of Duke Energy as well as to provide clean drinking water and public recreational entertainment. Those who buy new listings on Lake Keowee will enjoy water specially treated according to the strictest standards of South Carolina’s Health Department.

Lake Keowee Real Estate

When the lake was formed in 1973, the majority of its homes were second homes. Retirees and vacation homes formed the bulk of Lake Keowee homes. Given its elevation added to the cool mountain air, people came to the area to escape the Southern summer heat and humidity.

The southern end of the lake was developed first. You’ll find over 30 neighborhoods and developments. What you won’t find in new listings on Lake Keowee is condos, apartment complexes, or duplex houses. New listings on Lake Keowee’s southern end will be older homes of the mid-century modern type.

The southern end of the lake is closest to larger towns like Seneca. If you need close proximity to big box stores, restaurants, and entertainment, then Lake Keowee real estate on the south side is for you.

New listings on Lake Keowee on the east side feature a private, family oriented community. It offers a golf course with club house and restaurant. A marina with 200 boat slips is available to residents as well. The accompanying village offers its residents a post office, grocery store, pool with pavilion, miles of walking trails and a dog park.

You’ll find Lake Keowee homes in gated communities on the north side of the lake. Inside them will be golf courses with clubhouse and restaurant, wellness centers, pool, tennis courts, marina, trails, and horses.

The northern end of the lake features newer homes with fewer boats. If designing and building your own home is important to you, then the northern end is for you.

The Basics

While everyone knows that Clemson University is near Lake Keowee, not everyone knows of the other educational resources of which residents take advantage. The nearest towns are the two-mile-away Clemson, SC, Greenville, SC, 34 miles away, Seneca, SC, is eight miles away, and Salem, SC is 21 miles from home.

In these towns are located Clemson University, Furman University in Greenville, Greenville Technical College and Bob Jones University also in Greenville. Also close by is Anderson University in Anderson, SC, 22 miles away, and Tri-County Technical College ten miles away in Pendleton, SC.

Kids living in Lake Keowee homes on the southern side of the lake will attend Seneca schools. Four elementary, one middle, and two high schools serve the Lake Keowee and Seneca area. They are quite well rated.

Thirty-seven cops look after the population of Seneca, so it stands to reason they’d cover Lake Keowee real estate as well. Unemployment in Seneca is low, and most folks work in the hospitality and food industry, manufacturing, and retail.

On the northern end of the lake, buyers checking new listings on Lake Keowee will look to Salem, SC for their needs. Three policemen will take care of you while you attend the same schools listed in Seneca and its surrounding areas. Your kids will attend three elementary, middle, and high schools.

Unemployment is low here, too, and Salem’s population works at utilities, mining, manufacturing, and forestry and agriculture.

Attractions

Why should you buy one among Lake Keowee homes surrounded by mountains? Besides the natural beauty, charm, and social significance of living on water, there is the proximity to art, history, and fun things to do and see.

Parks

Lake Keowee stretches between Pickens and Oconee Counties. Pickens County offers buyers of new listings on Lake Keowee on the north and east sides of the lake the Keowee-Toxaway State Natural Area. Be forewarned that this is no pretty landscaped park with swing sets, sandboxes, and a baseball diamond.

This is 1,000 acres of green and blue. Hiking trails give residents and visitors a chance to enjoy the scenery, breathe deeply of the cool mountain air, and enjoy the blue water of the lake. If you appreciate a challenge, then hike the four-mile Raven Rock Trail and enjoy the scenery.

Oconee County is the home of the Andrew Pickens Ranger District, 85,000 acres of Sumter National Forest. Here is where owners of Lake Keowee real estate bring their bicycles, fishing paraphernalia, bows and arrows for hunting, horseback riding togs, and a bathing suit for water sports. Twelve waterfalls and several hiking trails keep residents busy.

On the western side of the lake, new owners of Lake Keowee homes will enjoy traveling seven miles northwest of Walhalla to see Stumphouse Tunnel Park and Issaqueena Falls. You’ll take the tunnel 200 feet down to the falls.

Events

Small towns are famous for events that showcase residents’ and business’ wares and handicrafts. Purchasers of new listings on Lake Keowee fill the streets, listening to the music, tasting the food, and walking around admiring the art. Some of the best food you’ll ever eat is found in small town festivals.

Weekly

• Every other month on the third Friday is the Downtown Seneca Go-Round among gallery openings with music.
• Each month on the third Saturday is movie night at the Oconee Heritage Center in Walhalla. Enjoy the popcorn as you watch classic old movies.
• Every Thursday night in the summer is Jazz on the Alley night in Seneca at Ram Cat Alley.

Monthly

April is full of weekly festivals all month long for owners of Lake Keowee real estate. In Pickens, it’s the Azalea Festival. In Central, it’s the Railroad Festival, celebrating the line that once ran between Charlotte, NC and Atlanta, GA. Anderson and Spartanburg both have their street festivals, so tour each town for good food, good music, and great entertainment.

May is all about POP. Pickens, Oconee, and Pendleton (POP) host self-guided tours of artists’ homes, businesses, and galleries.

In September, the Central Heritage Festival is held to celebrate the town’s history. There’s lots of family entertainment, food, and crafts, and don’t miss the Drover’s Old Time Medicine Show.

You also don’t want to miss the Pickens County Upcountry Folk Life Festival and Old Time Fiddlin’ Convention. Listen to the music as you tour mills and see the crafts and demonstrations.

Most states hold their State Fairs in the fall, and South Carolina is no different. October is the month for Spartanburg to hold theirs in conjunction with their International Festival with its ethnic food and arts. Enjoy the fairways, rides, and fireworks.

Attractions

If the kids want rides, games, and other such childhood pursuits, then they should see Six Flags in Atlanta. Almost every town has its penny arcade and movie theater, but not every town is blessed with either Lake Keowee real estate or:

South Carolina Botanical Gardens

Can you picture in your mind almost 300 acres of stunning gardens with nature trails? A butterfly garden? Seventy acres of Arboretum, 400 types of flowers, streams, a geology museum, and an art gallery all fit onto the Clemson University campus.

Plantations

It’s always fun to see how the other half lived, and you can see it in Spartanburg at Seay House, said to be the oldest house in the city. See it at Walnut Grove Plantation in Roebuck, and at Ashtabula Historical House in Central.

Mills

Today’s cooks living in Lake Keowee homes get their flour at the grocery store, but until 100 years ago, they had to grind it out of wheat themselves. See how a working grist mill operates with a water wheel. Make sure to take a look at the petroglyphs carved by early native Americans on the site.

Arts And Entertainment

Each small town around Lake Keowee homes host art galleries, orchestras, and theater. While you’re buying one of the new listings on Lake Keowee, keep your calendar clear for:

Theater

Check each venue to know if Broadway shows tour or if local productions are mounted:

• Clemson Little Theater in Pendleton
• Clemson University Brooks Center for Performing Arts on campus
• Walhalla’s Oconee Community Theater
• Anderson’s Electric City Playhouse

Museums

History buffs will enjoy checking out local museums:

• Oconee Heritage Center in Walhalla
• Seneca’s Lunney Museum
• Pickens County Museum of Art and History
• Spartanburg Regional History Museum

Music

Leaving your Lake Keowee real estate to hear classical or modern music is as simple as driving to:

• Greater Anderson Musical Arts Consortium
• Spartanburg Dance Center
• Greenville Symphony Society

Golf

If you’re a retiree or a vacation home owner, then you might want to hit the links at some point. It would be great if you could walk out the front door of any of the wonderful Lake Keowee homes with your clubs, ready to play. On the other hand, if you don’t live in new listings on Lake Keowee built around a golf course, then there are several nearby you can check out:

• Clemson University’s Walker Golf Course
• Walhalla’s Falcon’s Lair Golf Club and Blue Ridge Golf Center
• Pickens Country Club
• Easley’s Southern Oaks and Rolling Green Golf Course
• Jocassee’s The Rock

Shopping

Also available near Lake Keowee is good shopping. Women do the greatest percentage of shopping in this country and not far from Lake Keowee real estate are plenty of stores to supply your needs. Most small towns have boutique shopping with arts and crafts, clothing, food and drink, as well as antiques and services like seamstresses and tailors. There is also:

• Farmer’s markets
• Clemson University Square Shopping Center
• Four shopping centers in Easely
• Greenville and Spartanburg shopping centers

Final Thoughts

Life on the water is special. South Carolina is known for lakes stretching as far as the eye can see and the beauty of its mountain areas. Combine the two, and you have background for a home that will take your breath away! Add the local amenities, and you have a lifestyle that few can imagine, much less enjoy. That’s why Lake Keowee is a wonderful place to buy a home.