Tracey Howell :: Community Info

Lake Norman Area :: Want Slower Pace? Try Denver

Tracey — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 20:11:41 GMT

If you want to live near Lake Norman but think it’s too expensive, think again, but this time think “Denver”. Yep. The west-side of the lake still has affordable homes in Denver, but it may not stay that way for long.
Denver did indeed get its name from the other city in Colorado. In 1876, the city of Dry Pond, NC changed its name to Denver in hopes of attracting railroad builders. I don’t think it worked. Denver is still has a wonderful small town feel and look, in spite of the much anticipated Lowes opening a few months ago. The population is just over 13,000, with more moving in every week. The explosion is easily understandable when you look at the home prices in neighboring Huntersville and Cornelius over on the east-side of the lake (much higher!). Add to this the new Hwy. 16 – a 4-laned monster set to open in the spring, and you’ve got a fine recipe for growth.
But Denver retains its charm. Stop by Black’s Produce just north of Hwy. 73. It’s a family run business selling fresh plants, eggs, butter and produce from local farms. Visit the Revolutionary War memorials along Beatties Ford Road and read about the area’s history. Get your golf clubs out and head for the “prettiest golf course in the Charlotte area” – Verdict Ridge. Rent a boat from Westport Marina for a day, or a ½ day if the budget is tight, and see Lake Norman. Denver is much quieter than its neighbors, and the folks there are OK with that. Whenever my clients tell me they want to be near Lake Norman, but they don’t want a “city” feel, I take them to Denver and they feel right at home.

Lake Norman Area :: Shop Lake Norman Site

Tracey — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 23:31:06 GMT

I found a great local website to search. It’s www.ShopLakeNorman.com. How great is it to be able to find local people to help with whatever you need- all at the click of a few keys.
The site has businesses, restaurants, a (very limited)calendar of events, and even coupons.
I dug around on it and found some local businesses that I didn’t even know were here! There are listings for everything from garden centers to heating and air conditioning repairs. They have jewelers and attorneys and spas. Our area has so much to offer and I hope you’ll find this site beneficial. It’s so nice not to have to drive far anymore to find what I want. Check it out!
p=. www.ShopLakeNorman.com

Lake Norman Area :: Fishing Part 2

Tracey — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 16:36:55 GMT

My family’s bait debate is over. Corn won! Forget the worms when fishing with the kids. The winning combo was bread balls and corn.
Like last month’s fishing expedition, we headed out one Sunday afternoon armed with poles, worms, and the new bait – corn and bread. My son had the brilliant idea to “chum” the water with potato chips to lure the fish in. He’s seen Jaws too many times. The chips brought the carp and catfish up and we plunked down 3 poles. One with a worm, one with a bread ball (white bread) and one with a bread ball and 2 corn kernels. Not 10 minutes later we had our first fish – a little cat.
No fish tales here – the fish was not large. And, it was the only one we caught in over 2 hours. But it was better than the first try. With temperatures now in the 30’s, we’ll wait for warmer weather to go out again. We need to find some “indoor” activities for the next two months. I’ll let you know what we find.

Davidson :: Christmas In Davidson

Tracey — Sat, 08 Dec 2007 16:15:25 GMT

It was 36 degrees Saturday night when we headed over to Christmas in Davidson. Despite my inclination to sit by the fire, we braved the cold for the 5th year in a row to attend my favorite Christmas venue around the lake. The town of Davidson is quaint, but during Christmas in Davidson it is transformed into a Dickens-era delight, complete with horse drawn carriage rides. For us, it is the start of the holiday season, despite the local Target having their Christmas displays out in October.
We arrived around 6PM, parked over at the Brickhouse and hitched a ride to town on a hay-filled flatbed. The downtown area was decked out in beautiful lights and looked spectacular. I picked up a few gifts in the shops and we slowly wandered through the crowd to make our way toward the main reason I love to go every year. There is a live nativity at the old church. We plopped down onto a hay bale and just sat, and watched, and listened. So beautiful! After the boys poked the animals (boys will be boys), we stopped in the church to listen to the choir. Then we went further down the street to the art district. Watercolor, pottery, jewelry making and wood turning were all being demonstrated by local artists. Pretty cool.
We grabbed some hot cocoa and headed back to our car, ready to start the holiday!

Lake Norman Area :: Fishing Part 1

Tracey — Mon, 26 Nov 2007 18:42:18 GMT

Stopped by the gas station, put $3 in the bait machine – yes – bait machine, and headed out to the lake. For those of you not from our area, we have machines sort of like Coke machines that dispense live bait. Really. Stick in $3 and a white Styrofoam cup drops down with a dozen worms wiggling around in nice black dirt. $3 also gets you a dozen live crickets, but I won’t touch those jumping things so we took a pass and went for a worm-only day. Now, I’m ashamed to tell you that my son had never handled a live earthworm and was quite grossed out by the entire process of baiting the hook. When I was little my brothers and I used hot dogs for bait and it worked really well, so we brought some dogs out too. Our local fishing “expert” said the fish were biting everywhere you dropped a line. Hmm. Not for me. Oh, one did bite. As soon as he saw the bobber disappear, my son pulled the pole hoping for a big one. Snap! The line broke. Turns out I was supposed to have replaced the cheap, thin line that came with the pole to something heftier. We had 2 more poles with good line, so in they went. 2 hours passed by with not even another nibble. Meanwhile, fish were jumping all around. Taunting. Teasing. We finally gave it up and headed for home. Friends came for dinner that night and shared their knowledge of fishing. They claim fish here bite for corn. Corn? Like the kernels from a can? Yep. We vowed to try again in a few weeks. I’ll report back and let you know if corn does the trick.

Charlotte :: Charlotte Utilities

Tracey — Sun, 30 Sep 2007 22:09:29 GMT

Electric – Duke Energy – 704-594-9400
Water – City of Charlotte – 704-336-2211
Gas – Piedmont -704-525-3882
Phone – BellSouth – 704-780-2355
Cable – Time Warner -704-377-9600

Huntersville :: Utilities Huntersville

Tracey — Sun, 30 Sep 2007 22:06:05 GMT

Electric – Electricities – 704-948-0550
or Energy United – 704-892-0278
Water – City of Charlotte – 704-336-2211
Gas – Piedmont Natural Gas – 704-525-3882
Phone – BellSouth – 704-780-2355
Cable – Time Warner -704-377-9600

Cornelius :: Utilities Cornelius

Tracey — Sun, 30 Sep 2007 22:02:38 GMT

Electric – Electricities – 704-948-0550 or Energy United – 704-892-0278
Water – City of Charlotte – 704-336-2211
Gas – PSNC - 704-664-3482
Cable – Time Warner – 704-377-9600

Davidson :: Davidson Utilities

Tracey — Sun, 30 Sep 2007 16:24:26 GMT

Electric – Duke Energy 704-594-9400
Water – City of Charlotte -704-336-2211
Gas – PSNC 704-664-3482
Phone – BellSouth – 704-780-2355
Cable – Time Warner – 704-377-9600

Mooresville :: Utilities

Tracey — Sun, 30 Sep 2007 16:20:23 GMT

Electric: Duke Energy 704-594-9400
Water: Town of Mooresville – 704-663-3800
Gas: PSNC 704-664-3482
Phone: BellSouth – 704-780-2355
Cable: Time Warner – 704-377-9600

Huntersville :: About Huntersville

Tracey — Sun, 30 Sep 2007 16:15:48 GMT

Population: 40,000
Tax Rate: $1.1089/$100 property value

By far the largest of the small towns North of Exit 18, Huntersville is very much a family-oriented town.
Huntersville is home to Birkdale Village, a unique live-shop new urbanism neighborhood, and the North Meck Aquatic Center. Huntersville also recently finalized plans for the North Discovery Place for Kids. The largest employers are Newell Rubbermaid and Presbyterian Hopsital.
While in Huntersville you’ll want to spend time at Latta Plantation, Blythe Landing and the Carolina Raptor Center. The seasonal Farmer’s Market on Tuesday’s and Saturday’s brings an abundance of local produce.
For more information see http://www.huntersville.org.

Davidson :: About Davidson

Tracey — Sun, 30 Sep 2007 16:09:50 GMT

Population: 11,112
Tax Rate: $1.1639/$100 property value

Davidson is most commonly described as a quaint little college town -and it is.
Davidson College is a private top-ranking liberal arts college with 1,700 students. Some notable college grads are Pres. Woodrow Wilson, former White House Press Sec. Tony Snow and former Charlotte Mayor John Belk. The campus is in the middle of town next to beautiful Main Street.
With 1,400 employees, Ingersoll-Rand is the largest employer. Davidson College employs 750, and the many businesses along Main Street employ many more.
Davidson has terrific Concerts on the Green in spring and summer months and Christmas in Davidson is a personal family favorite of mine. During this time, the town is transformed into an old town from the Dickens era. Be sure to visit Summit Coffee on Main Street for some local flavor, and don’t miss Davidson College basketball!
See http:/www.ci.davidson.nc.us for more information.

Cornelius :: About Cornelius

Tracey — Sun, 30 Sep 2007 15:56:38 GMT

Population: 18,870
Tax Rate: $1.0939/$100 property value

When you hear “Cornelius”, the first thing that comes to mind is Lake Norman. But, prior to the lakes’ existence, Cornelius was a mill town surrounded by acres and acres of farm land. The farm land is disappearing, and Cornelius is a thriving community with upscale waterfront homes, shops, and restaurants to please everyone.
Cornelius has a wonderful downtown area with antique shopping at Oak Street mill and more upscale shopping at Jetton Village.
Some of the towns top employers are Foamex and Waltrip Racing World. Cornelius also boasts two public waterfront parks and two waterfront restaurants.
There is a lot of road contsruction currently under way, but don’t let that stop you from visiting this beautiful area!
See http://www.cornelius.org for more information.

Mooresville :: About Mooresville

Tracey — Sun, 30 Sep 2007 15:49:47 GMT

Population: 23,558
Tax Rate: $0.55/$100 property value

Mooresville was a cotton trading town and was the home of the Mooresville Cotton Mill. When the doors closed on the mill in 1999, the town quickly was reborn as “Race City USA”. More than 90% of NASCAR Motorsports teams are headquartered in the immediate area.
The historic downtown is on the National Register of Historic Places. Be sure to visit D.E. Turner & Co. Hardware which opened its doors in 1899.
Along with NASCAR, home improvement giant Lowe’s Co. opened its headquarters here in 2003. They expect to employ over 4,500 workers. The other major employer is Lake Norman Regional Medical Center providing top-quality health care to this fast growing region.
Mooresville is growing quickly on both the west (Lake Norman) side and on the east side. Their popular public schools and low taxes make a winning combination!
See http://www.ci.mooresville.nc.us for additional information.

Charlotte :: About Charlotte

Tracey — Tue, 18 Sep 2007 22:15:38 GMT

Population: 827,445
Tax Rate: $1.2775/$100 property value

Charlotte was named after Queen Charlotte of the United Kingdom back in 1692, hence the nickname “The Queen City”.
Cool facts:
The Charlotte region led US gold productionfrom the late 1700’s through the early 1900’s. The Reed Gold Mine is still open to the public and is a terrific day trip.
There was a US Mint in Charlotte until the start of the Civil War. While it was never put back into service, today it houses the Mint Museum of Art.
After the Civil War, Charlotte was a cotton processing center and railroad hub.
Today, Charlotte is the 2nd largest banking capital in the US, trailing New York City.
Some of the Fortune 500 companies with headquarters here are: Bank of America, Wachovia, Duke Energy, TIAA_CREF, Goodrich, Nucor and Family Dollar. Others include Lending Tree, Belk, Harris Teeter, Time Warner, Lance, Muzak and Bojangles.

Huntersville :: Birkdale Village Shopping

Tracey — Mon, 27 Aug 2007 19:48:14 GMT

I woke up yesterday and realized that I desperately needed another pair of black sandals to add to the unspecified number in my closet. It was a perfect 84 degrees and the Carolina blue sky was brilliant and my work was done. Birkdale Village was positively screaming for me to come visit. And so I did. I hit the jackpot in the second store and my mission was accomplished. What to do now? It was only 2:00. A gelato should help. So, off I went with my cup of gelato in search of a bench on which to consume my calories. It was a terrific people-watching kind of day – and the people did not disappoint! I saw big ones, little ones, Sunday church looking ones and t-shirts and flip-flop ones. I saw wee little ones in their swim suits playing in the jumping water fountain. I listened to music, talked to some neighbors, ran into some past clients and shopped a little more. By 4:00 I was completely relaxed and decided to head home. My route took me past an eclectic little wine bar where some friends were enjoying the afternoon. Of course, I had to join them!

Visit www.birkdalevillage.com.