This weekend we were in the mega-growth area of Huntersville, Cornelius, and Mooresville which is just north of Charlotte, NC.

We were visiting our youngest daughter who is graduating from UNC-Charlotte this winter.

The Lake Norman area was the one of the places that got us to thinking about moving back to North Carolina.

My wife and I were both born in North Carolina and both lived near Mount Airy, NC until we went off to college.

By the late eighties we had managed to work our back down from Canada to Roanoke, VA where we still have our main home.

Our visits to the Lake Norman area since our daughter started college at UNCC have always been pleasant.  Usually spring would be a little farther along.  Maybe even the tomatoes tasted a little better.

Whatever it was, North Carolina felt like home.  Still the Charlotte area traffic reminded me too much of what I endured in Northern Virginia.

I spent a lot of years in Reston, Virginia and plenty of time on the Toll Road waiting for traffic to move.  Recently I was wondering if Reston has become some sort of post modern town.  If certainly doesn't feel like North Carolina or Southwest Virginia. 

There aren't a lot of roadside produce stands in Reston.  In spite of the growth, you can still find those stands around Charlotte.  In fact we found a great one year that I nicknamed the "Tomato Hunters Paradise" in 2006 when we had a tomato shortage. 

Those roadside stands still being in the area is part of the charm of the Charlotte area.

As I watch the explosive growth north of Charlotte, I know that the changes stalking the Roanoke Valley are nothing in comparison to what the Charlotte area is seeing. I wonder if the Charlotte area will end up another Northern Virginia.  Just maybe having Lake Norman around with lots of young adults who know how to enjoy it will temper the urban edge to growth in the area.

As I watch our neighborhood hardware store disappear in Roanoke, whole new neighborhoods are springing up like weeds in the area around Lake Norman.  It is almost shocking how fast they pop up.

You know there is a lot of growth when they add two exits to the Interstate 77.  With growth comes some interesting hyperbole.

We were driving around and saw signs for "English Cottages."  Being an ever curious real estate agent we ended up in front of this rather imposing stone home. 

Our cottages down on the Southern Outer Banks look a little different.