Graham County, Robbinsville and Lake Santeetlah

Graham County North Carolina, filled with Smoky Mountain adventures, is becoming better known every year. With a natural beauty still unspoiled by crowds, it is truly a rare find in today's world.

Two-thirds of Graham County is National Forest. It is the home of Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest, Slickrock Creek Wildnerness Area, the Nantahala National Forest, and borders the Smoky Mountains National Park. The Appalachain Trail winds through the county on its trek from Georgia to Maine. Lake Santeetlah’s shoreline is more than 75% National Forest; insurance that it will never be spoiled by development. Many visitors enjoy the solitude of the lake even on the busiest of summer weekends. Some of our trout streams have a national reputation.

The county has two of the best motorcycle/sportscar roads in America. The Tail of the Dragon will challenge even the best riders/drivers with its 318 curves in 11 miles. The 50 mile-long Cherohala Skyway is tamer, but offers unsurpassed views of Joyce Kilmer and the Cherokee National Forest. And there are hundreds of miles of other great roads to explore in every direction.

Fontana Lake has some 25 miles of water to explore. The entire north shore is the Smoky Mountain National Park. Fontana Dam and Historic Fontana Village are a must see for the vacationer. Total Population: 7993

(Robbinsville)
Elevation is 2,044 feet.
The estimated population, in 2003, was 743.
Well-known residents have included Ronnie Milsap, country singer.

Local festivals include:

• Fall Harvest Festival - Oct. 19-21, 2007
• Heritage Festival & Street Fair - June 29-July 4, 2007
• Mountain Music Festival - June 16, 2007
• Smoky Mountain Romp Festival - April 28-29, 2007

The Town of Lake Santeetlah

A little lake town in the midst of the wilderness, the Town of Lake Santeetlah occupies a small peninsula jutting out into the pristine lake and completely surrounded by the Nantahala National Forest. High in the mountains, the Town is privileged with a setting that will forever showcase the natural beauty of this region.

The Town’s very existence seems to be a secret, quietly guarded by the surrounding mountains and clear waters, and by its fortunate residents – each with their individual story of how they came to discover this captivating place.

Graham County, home of Lake Santeetlah, boasts wilderness rivaled only by its neighbor, the Smoky Mountain National Park. Surrounded on all sides by the Unicoi, Snowbird, Yellow Creek, and Cheoah mountain ranges, Graham County was one of the last regions of the Western Carolinas to be settled – well into the 19th century. This wilderness is preserved today and forever with over 70% of the county lying within a national forest.

With its unique design and concept the Santeetlah Lakeside community is a private and upscale village within the Town. The Town currently consits of one hundred and eighty homes with only twenty year round residences. Surrounded by national forest, the Town of Lake Santeetlah will reach its maximum expansion with the development of Santeetlah Lakeside – staying forever a quaint little lake town in the midst of the wilderness.