Lake Area History
The Lake of the Ozarks region is an area
that, even while well-known by many vacationing Americans, is
still remarkably undeveloped. Consequently, the area is ripe
with many substantial current and future investment
opportunities.
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Lake of the Ozarks came into existence though the construction
of the Bagnell Dam on the Osage River in 1931 by Union Electric
at a time when several large federally funded hydro-electric
projects were underway. Although hydro-electricity was it's main
purpose, union electric recognized the Osage River's
recreational value and constructed a historic lodge,
contemporary hotel and a fleet of pleasure boats. In 1945 the
company sold the lodge, hotel, boats, forty thousand acres of
lakefront property and 800 of 1200 miles of shoreline to Cyrus
Crane Willmore; a prominent St. Louis real-estate developer.
Willmore’s dream was that the newly created lake would soon be a
vast vacation land. He new that the chance to escape the city
and still retain many of the city conveniences would appeal to
wealthy St.Louisians and urban sportsman. Although most of
Willmore’s dreams have been realized by vacationers and
sportsmen, much of surrounding region is undeveloped.
Lake of the Ozarks is a beautiful deep water lake that is more than 100
miles long. In addition to the main waterway, the lake consists
of innumerable inlets and quiet coves that provide more than
1100 miles of actual shore line. Osage Beach, located just south
of Bagnell dam, is the largest town on the lake and has become
the most well known lake resort area. It is the center of many
large condominium complexes, hotels, resorts and marina
facilities and is a popular vacation destination for many
families. Osage Beach is also home to the regional airport and
the lake regional hospital facilities.
In addition to this resort area, Lake Ozark is also home to many part-time
and year-round residents. There are a number of very luxurious
gated communities throughout the lake area, as well as many
small towns surrounding the lake with small but growing
populations, including Camdenton, Sunrise Beach, Laurie and
others.
The eastern half of the lake area has seen unprecedented growth
in the last several years. State and local officials have
undertaken efforts to bring new growth to the region. Their
vision is to bring the Lake of the Ozarks area to a point where
it surpasses Branson and all other Missouri locations in
becoming the most popular Missouri recreational destination.
They have implemented significant infrastructure changes to
encourage growth in the areas convention and recreational
industries. There have been many state and county road
improvement and utility expansion projects throughout the area.
In addition, in the last several years numerous national chains
have located in Osage Beach and Camdenton, including Walmart,
Home Depot, Lowes and nearly all of the nationally recognized
retail food establishments like Chili’s, Outback Steakhouse,
Starbucks and Panera Bread. This area also includes a well known
high-end Premium Outlet Mall and numerous tourist attractions. |
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