Alabama’s Lake Martin featured in The Wall Street Journal—see why

The largest man-made lake in the state of Alabama just got a big-time feature. Using personal testimonies from Auburn basketball coach Bruce Pearl and other property owners, the Wall Street Journal sang the praises of Lake Martin.

What the WSJ (and Bruce Pearl) said about Lake Martin

Lake Martin, one of Alabama’s most beloved getaways, isn’t so much of a “well-kept secret” after its bold appearance in the Wall Street Journal.

“A Man-Made Lake in Alabama Is Giving the Gulf Coast a Run for Its Money,” written by Libertina Brandt and Sarah Paynter, highlights the stories of three Lake Martin homes and their owners

The feature started out by introducing Bruce Pearl, head coach of men’s basketball at Auburn University, who started building a home on Lake Martin in 2019. According to the Wall Street Journal, Pearl dreamed of having property on Lake Martin, which they described as follows:

“Lake Martin is a man-made lake that is fed by the Tallapoosa River and surrounding creeks and supported by the Martin Dam. Its roughly 40,000 acres include a sinuous shoreline of over 800 miles.”

Libertina Brandt and Sarah Paynter, Wall Street Journal

The article continued by highlighting the growth that Lake Martin has seen in recent times.

“While the area has experienced a steady rise in prices for decades, it saw a growth spurt over the last roughly five years. In July, the annual average sales price for single-family homes along the Lake Martin shoreline was around $1.3 million, up about 95% from about $668,000 during the same period in 2019…”

Libertina Brandt and Sarah Paynter, Wall Street Journal

To give a personal angle to the story, the story included pictures of gorgeous houses:

• Bruce Pearl’s 8,000-square-foot family vacation home that cost $3M to build
• Matthew Meehan and Rod Hildebrant’s 26,000-square-foot vacation home that cost approximately $22M to build
• Robert Cobb’s approximately 6,000-square-foot home that cost about $5M to build

The feature is sprinkled with attention-grabbing economic stats and the history of Lake Martin.

What we love about Lake Martin

Of course, it doesn’t take a mention from Wall Street Journal for us to dote on Lake Martin. It has some fabulous restaurants and bars (including some that float!), some of the cleanest water around and some beautiful natural landmarks like Chimney Rock.

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