Denver Like Lincoln County, Catawba County is still rural and quiet in character, steeped in agricultural tradition. Its newer citizens have chosen it for that reason and are eager to preserve its character as much as possible. The county is committed to controlling the recent influx of people attracted to the area’s rural beauty. Southeastern Catawba is expected to grow another 34 percent by the end of the decade, much of the increase concentrated on the shores of Lake Norman. NorthView Harbour in Sherrills Ford is one of the reasons, and local realtors report strong sales. Its biggest amenity is the lake itself, in a community of homes ranging from the $300s to $600s, sited on a glove-shaped peninsula jutting out into the lake. Residents of NorthView Harbour can enjoy country living on the lake shore, while being only 15 to 20 minutes from Lowe’s Corporate Headquarters in Mooresville, 30 minutes from Statesville, Hickory and Huntersville, or 45 minutes from Charlotte. It is an active community that boasts a swim club with a competition-sized pool and an inviting clubhouse, tennis courts and playground. Community boat slips and a nearby boat storage area make boating part of the lifestyle here. Crescent Resources, the real estate and land management arm of Duke Energy that developed NorthView Harbour, has an even more ambitious plan that will continue changing the face of Catawba County. Not far from NorthView, Crescent plans to develop 635 acres on either side of Molly’s Backbone, creating estate-size parcels of over six acres. It would also develop 1,800 home sites on 800 acres fronting Island Point, Raccoon Track and Azalea roads. In addition, Crescent’s comprehensive plan creates something else that doesn’t exist yet: a Sherrills Ford village center along N.C. 150 between Mooresville and Denver. The center would include single family homes and townhomes, as well as retail and office space. All of this new development hinges on a plan to bring sanitary sewer services west from Mooresville, out N.C. 150 over the next several years. As you drive west on N.C. 150 from Mooresville towards Denver, you’ll pass the historic Terrell Country Store. It has served locals from Sherrills Ford and Terrell since 1885, when it was built by T.F. Connor, an early settler of the area. Connor’s descendants still vacation in Twelve Oaks, a large estate with green awnings and an eye-catching red roof, right around the corner from the store. The country store served as the local post office from 1893 until 1997, and it still attracts local visitors with its wide plank wooden floors, convenience store items, handmade quilts and furniture, and even real estate services. You’ll find another historic structure on N.C. 10. Built in the 1880’s, Murray’s Mill is a grist mill with a huge waterwheel, country store and miller’s house. Every year in late September, the Murray’s Mill Harvest Folk Festival celebrates Catawba County’s agricultural heritage with apple cider, molasses and apple butter making, craftsmen, exhibits, music, food, and activities for the whole family. Without leaving Sherrills Ford, one can enjoy fine dining at Tim Schafer’s at Lake Norman, which cooks up gourmet fare in a charming farmhouse setting. Schafer, who also owns Tim Schafer’s Cuisine in Morristown, N.J., is famous for his use of specialty beer in his many superb sauces. In fact, he has been featured on the Food Network. For more casual dining, locals favor The Landing at Lake Norman Motel. The restaurant’s specialty is ostrich burgers and steaks, from birds raised locally. Bird Brain Ostrich Farm is a great place to view what the owners call the “last living dinosaur.” This small farm prides itself on selling USDA inspected ostrich meat, ostrich leather products, eggshells – many ornately painted and decorated – as well as homemade soaps and lotions made from ostrich oil. One of Lake Norman’s largest employers makes its home in Terrell. Duke Energy’s Marshall Steam Plant is easy to spot right on N.C. 150. It will add another 800 workers to its current 400 when new clean-air improvements become operational in 2007. That’s when a new giant smokestack is set to begin operating. Rock Barn Golf and Spa in Conover, just off I-40 near Hickory, may be Catawba’s most ambitious development. Homes on the golf course range from a low of $300,000 to a high of $1.8 million, and members have the use of a beautiful spa featuring mineral pools, an indoor waterfall and plunge pool, mud wraps and massages, outdoor pool and Jacuzzi, tennis courts, a number of different restaurants and a riding stable. Even if you don’t own property at Rock Barn, you can join. The golf course itself was designed by Robert Trent Jones Jr. and the PGA’s Senior Tour regularly plays here.