With all of the ongoing public dialogue about growth, development, watershed quality, density, road infrastructure, etc., this historical comparison should prove both entertaining and enlightening for this rainy spring weekend – here’s some comparative images of Davidson’s Lake Norman-Interstate 77 corridor circa 1961/1962 vs. today to enjoy! The light blue shading overlay in the original images indicates the approx. present day boundaries of the Lake(s) and are truly fascinating because you can clearly follow the original landscape/topography and see exactly where/why the lake formed – such as the hill that became an island in middle of “Lake Davidson.”
Prior to circa 1960, basically the area of North Mecklenburg County beyond a few blocks West of “downtown Davidson” (Main Street) was entirely rural and “development” was simply farms and a handful of residences – there was no interstate, no lake and no development or population density of note to speak of. In Davidson, the only notable business located in this area West of the area known as “historic Westside Davidson” was Hoke Lumber Company – which began as a sawmill in Davidson in 1940. Virtually all of the major development in this area, particularly all of the high-density commercial/mixed-use and residential fronting the Lake across Davidson’s jurisdiction, has occurred just in the past several decades!
** See notes on individual images and attached “General Historical Notes” for more information