Around Town: Lake Murray
The Lake Murray area is home to one of Columbia's finest recreational assets. The lake covers an area of 78 square miles or about 50,000 acres of land. It is 41 miles long and 14 miles at its widest point. There are 520 miles of shoreline, which is more shoreline than the entire Atlantic coastline in South Carolina! All this is just 15 miles northwest of Columbia. Lake Murray is accessible by I-26 at the Irmo and Chapin exits and by I-20 at the Lexington exits. Since the lake is so big, many main roads lead lake area residents into Columbia, but interstate travel is by far the most popular. There are many upscale housing developments around Lake Murray. Many of these feature boat slips, launch and dry dock facilities for residents. Lake Murray is famous for its striped bass program. The record striped bass caught in Lake Murray weighed in at 53 pounds. Chapin and Lexington are the two largest towns close to the lake. See page for Lexington information. Chapin is one of the fastest growing communities in the Midlands. The population has been expected to grow by 40% since 2000.
Lake Murray Facts:
• 5,000 people were relocated for the construction of the lake
• 3 churches, six schools and 193 graveyards were moved
• 100,000,000 board feet of lumber were obtained from land clearing the area
• The Lake Murray Dam was the largest earthen dam in the world at the time of construction.
• 763 billion gallons of water are stored in the lake
• There are planned improvements for the dam which include widening it to accomodate a 4 lane roadway. Currently, SC Hwy. 6 is just 2 lanes.
• A new backup dam is being completed.
Parks & Recreation
Billy Dreher Island State Park is a great place to picnic on the lake. SCE&G provides numerous public access areas. Call 781-5940, or 1-800-951-4008. Chapin's Crooked Creek Park offers indoor and outdoor recreation facilities.
Libraries
Chapin Branch Library 345-5479
129 N.W. Columbia Avenue
Hours: Mon. & Th. 12-8/Tues., Wed., Fri. 9-5 / Sat. 9-1
School Districts
Lexington County School District One
Lexington/Richland County School District Five
Shopping
Towns of Chapin and Lexington
Irmo / Harbison
Lake Murray- Average Cost of Single Family Home $356,368
To read the full text of this article, please request a complimentary copy of The Guide to Greater Columbia.
