Lake Information for Lake Gaston

Lake Gaston is a manmade reservoir located in the U.S. states of North Carolina and Virginia. The lake is located near Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina and is located in Halifax, Northampton, and Warren counties in North Carolina and Brunswick and Mecklenburg counties in Virginia. The lake is roughly 35 miles long and covers over 20,000 acres (80 km²) with 350 miles (560 km) of shoreline. The area surrounding the lake is home to more than 150,000 residents.

The lake was formed from impounding the Roanoke River and was constructed in 1963 by the Virginia Electric and Power Company (VEPCO) as a result of building the Gaston Dam to generate electricity. The dam is located on the North Carolina side of the border and currently generates electricity for Dominion North Carolina Power (the North Carolina operating company of Dominion Resources). The dam includes four hydro electric generators, with a total generating capacity of 224 megawatts. Lake Gaston is fed with water from Kerr Lake upstream and supplies water to the Roanoke Rapids Lake downstream, a smaller predecessor to Lake Gaston. This is one of the only areas of the country with three hydro-electric dams in such proximity.

The lake has been a popular retirement destination for seniors from all over the country since the 1970s. Retirees are drawn by the rural feel that permeates the lake area while maintaining proximity to larger cities.