Lake Gaston
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| Lake Gaston | |
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| Location | North Carolina, Virginia |
| Coordinates | |
| Lake type | reservoir |
| Basin countries | United States |
| Surface elevation | 200 ft (61 m) |
| Islands | Wobble Island, Goat Island |
Lake Gaston is a manmade reservoir located in North Carolina and Virginia. The lake is located near Roanoke Rapids, NC and is located in Halifax County, NC, Northampton County, NC, Warren County, NC, Brunswick County, VA, and Mecklenburg County, VA. The lake is roughly 35 miles long and covers over 20,000 acres (80 km²) with 350 miles (560 km) of shoreline. The area surrounding the lake is home to more than 150,000 residents.
The lake was formed from impounding the Roanoke River and was constructed in 1963 by the Virginia Electric and Power Company (VEPCO) as a result of building the Gaston Dam to generate electricity. The dam is located on the North Carolina side of the border and currently generates electricity for Dominion North Carolina Power (the North Carolina operating company of Dominion Resources). Today, Lake Gaston is fed with water from Kerr Lake upstream and supplies water to the Roanoke Rapids Lake downstream, a smaller predecessor to Lake Gaston. This is one of the only areas of the country with three hydro-electric dams in such proximity.
The lake has been a popular retirement destination for seniors from all over the country since the 1970s. Retirees are drawn by the rural feel that permeates the lake area while maintaining proximity to larger cities.
The lake has long been popular with fisherman and other water recreation enthusiasts. Unlike its upstream sister, Kerr Lake, Lake Gaston has been more highly developed for real estate purposes. The lake is not federally owned unlike Kerr Lake either making it more development friendly. The lake is popular among many as a vacation spot because of its close location to the Research Triangle region of North Carolina and its proximity to I-85 and I-95. There are few waterfront lots remaining on the favored parts of the lake and many buyers are purchasing smaller homes and demolishing them to make way for much larger vacation homes. Waterfront lots now are sold at a high premium, most well over $300,000.
The nearest towns are Littleton, NC, Roanoke Rapids, NC and Clarksville, VA. The Delbridge campgrounds is the oldest estate on the lake and although the family no longer owns the estate it still is in use and the family owns land on the lake.
