Lake Guntersville is the 9th most affordable lake town in America—check it out

If you’ve spent a summer in Alabama, you know how crucial it is to head to the water to escape the brutal heat of a summer in the South. One of the most popular destinations for that summer lifestyle is Lake Guntersville, located in the northeast corner of Alabama. However, there’s no need to associate lake living with expensive taste— Lake Guntersville has just been named the 9th most affordable lake town in America. That’s huge! Keep reading to discover what this means for Alabama.

How Lake Guntersville made the top 10

According to Realtor.com, Lake Guntersville is ranked the ninth most affordable lake town in Alabama. Not only is this title noteworthy for the Guntersville area, but applies to Alabama as a whole.

You might be wondering: “how in the world is this calculated?” Realtor.com took the top 2,000 towns and reviewed median listing prices with one condition: they had to have 50+ listings per town, so no cheating is allowed. From there, they reviewed all the fun and amenities that these towns had to offer and limited the rankings to one per state in order to promote geographical diversity.

Why you should plan your next lake trip

Alabama’s Lake City, otherwise known as Guntersville, is one of the ultimate day trips in the state. Just 1.5 hours from Birmingham, Lake Guntersville provides 1,000 miles of shoreline and 69,000 acres of water— plenty of space to fish, ski, or relax on the lake. Water not your thing? Lake Guntersville is surrounded with natural amenities such as established forestry and rugged mountain trails.

Ready to tour those lakefront homes? With options starting under $200,000, Guntersville is a great option for first time lake-home buyers. However, the median asking price is $459,050, so there are options if you are looking for something a little more elevated.

History of Lake Guntersville

Lake Guntersville goes back to 1974 when it opened as a recreational park with over 6,000 acres of land to explore along the Tennessee River. The lake is known for its prize largemouth bass fishing scene and is home to a variety of wildlife species—some that are protected, including the Bald Eagle.

The lake itself is named after John Gunter, a Carolina native in 1875. After heading south, he became a “squatter” at a salt deposit on a bank by the Tennessee River, which is now next to the modern day Veterans’ Memorial Bridge. This spot came to be known as Gunter’s Landing, and shortly after, the town was developed. The rest is history.

In most recent years, Lake Guntersville has been developed as a prime location for lakeside living. With the recent development of City Harbor, more upscale restaurants, retail spots and living accommodations are going to rock the Guntersville community. Why would you want to be anywhere else?

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