Six years and 200 workers to carve the dam alone.
Smith Mountain Lake is a 20,000-acre Appalachian Power reservoir in southwest Virginia, created by a 235-foot arch dam built between 1960 and 1963 — the largest lake wholly within Virginia, anchored by Bridgewater Plaza's resort strip on the Moneta shore.
Smith Mountain Lake sits in the foothills of the Blue Ridge in southwest Virginia, 20,000 acres and 500 miles of shoreline behind Smith Mountain Dam — a double-curvature concrete arch, 816 feet across and 235 feet high, that took Appalachian Power six years and 200 workers to build between 1960 and 1963. Bridgewater Plaza, the lake's commercial hub since 1986, anchors the Moneta side with restaurants, live music, and Bridgewater Marina's fleet of over 100 rental boats; Mariners Landing Resort in Huddleston carries The Landing Restaurant, the lake's premier dining room. Smith Mountain Lake State Park, also in Huddleston, has one of only two public beaches on the lake and its own boat launch near Parkway Marina. Moneta covers the grocery run; Rocky Mount, the Franklin County seat, covers the hospital.
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