Lake Murray is an important part of Columbia, South Carolina, and although Lake Murray does include some of the areas that we discussed recently in our city guide blogs. We thought that we would describe the areas of Lake Murray so that newcomers will have a basic understanding of the areas that make up Lake Murray. For geographic simplicity, we divide the lake into four sections.
The first section is the Lake Murray Dam. The Lake Murray Dam crosses from Lexington over into Irmo. It is also the closest to the city and if you follow the river downstream you will go through Downtown Columbia SC and into the Congaree National Forest. that area along the northside of Lake Murray.
The second section is the area that is north of Lake Murray. This section includes Irmo, Chapin, Ballentine, and Prosperity. Its location, on the opposite side of the lake from the City of Columbia, lends itself to a longer commute into Downtown Columbia. The north side of Lake Murray has always been very rural, up until the year 2000 when developers noticed that rural lakefront property would sell rapidly.
The third section is the south side of Lake Murray. This section is simply Lexington. Anywhere along this shoreline, you will find yourself in Lexington County. From Lexington to Gilbert, to Batesburg.
The last section is the western end of Lake Murray or the head of the lake. This section includes Newberry and Saluda Counties and if you ask for, “property on the west side of the Lake” no one will know what you’re talking about. As a local, I identify this area as, “the head of the lake”, but everyone else will probably identify it as, “Lake Murray - Saluda County”, or “Lake Murray - Newberry”. This area is likely the lowest priced real estate on Lake Murray because of the water depths, and proximity to Columbia.
Please reach out to one of our Lake Murray Real Estate Agents for more information