Nope.

If you're afraid of a lake, you're afraid of a lot of things. It's got nothing to do with the lake.

DD lives on a large man made pond in northern Texas. To me it is a small lake in the middle of a nice neighorhood. It is stocked for catch and release fishing. The main reason they bought on the lake was for the advantage of no one living behind them, no noise, no sudden change of zoning of adjcent property. They love it and find watching all the migrating birds who visit there quite interesting.

There's something about water . . . I grew up around saltwater, so that would be my first choice. But we have lakes here, and I'm drawn to those too. My daughter and son-in-law built their house on a lake, and their family is very active on it. I love to be out in a boat, but I also love to just sit on the dock and look at the water and hear the little waves lapping the shore. Didn't we start out as water dwellers? That would explain it.

I understand that the air near large bodies of water has negative ions that can promote feelings of well being. People have always lived near water, it's a source of life.

I've lived near salt water most of my life and I agree you don't have to swim in water to enjoy it. Many people enjoy the animal and plant life, the scenery, boating, fishing, hunting, etc.

I swam in some small lakes that had squishy bottoms, which I did not care for. I've been in Lake Michigan. which isn't squishy, but it's way too cold for this Floridian, so even tho I've been in it, I technically didn't swim, because I couldn't get any deeper than my knees 😄

Walking along a shoreline is wonderful. I do it as often as I can.

Springs are nice too.

Maybe I should update...

I have salt water in my veins. I was born on the east coast. Lived in the South Pacific. Lived on the West Coast.

I still do not deny the lure of the lake.

The water is the water. The waves are the waves. Brackish or not, the water calls to the true children.

I would love to have a house on the ocean, a lake, a river or even a creek. I would love to have a water view - it's only happened on vacation though.

I love the ocean, and been within either driving or walking distance all my life.

I've become disoriented being around large bodies of fresh water -- without salt in the air something is just off.

I loved hearing the fog horns late at night at my parent's beach house, and during times of heavy surf, the crashing of unseen waves on the shore.

Fog horns remind me of San Francisco, and I heard them frequently, even if I was not all that close to the water - the fog horns there are pretty loud.

Where I grew up, we had large, deep creeks and artificial ponds, plus a swamp next to the creek between our house and the creek. I was afraid of the swamp at night as a child, and I was a bit afraid of the creeks, since they had water moccasin snakes, which are very venomous. I'm not really afraid of fish in the ocean, but then the scariest I've seen were barracudas, and they are not all that big, although they did get closer to me than I would have preferred.

I never visited any of the Great Lakes until summer 2019, but I did get to see Lakes Michigan, Huron, and Superior, which was the first time I did not just fly over them.

I like lakes as a destination, but I prefer to live near the ocean, but then I used to surf quite frequently, and you cannot do that on a lake.

Actually, lake surfing is possible on the Great Lakes and river surfing is quite popular in landlocked Alberta. It would probably be colder than you’re used to though.

https://www.visitcalgary.com/things-to-do/stories-from-calgary/how-to-river-surf-in-calgary-and-kananaskis

Lars, that is a wonderful photo.

Being a Pisces, I am drawn to water. For three years we lived on a large new manmade lake. I really didn't enjoy the experience because it was too rural and unlike anywhere I lived before and since. Decades later, I think the lake is a magnet for wildlife...eagles (on a PA game commission cam) ospreys, and many waterfowl. I might enjoy it now. But I'm more attracted to the ocean and grew up going to the Jersey shore every summer and then later taking kids and grandkids there. I definitely could live there but my hair would be permanently frizzy.

I am also a Pisces and therefore drawn to water. One of my best experiences was white water rafting on the Smith River in British Columbia. For me, that was better than surfing.

Kevin wants to go back to Alberta, and I've never been and am up for that trip. We will have to see if our winter wetsuits still fit!

Pisces, here too!

🐠

I really like lakes but I think the ocean is way more interesting.

To the OP, your opinion in the area that I live is not a popular one. Here in Wisconsin lake homes are highly sought after, and prices just continue to skyrocket. We have a "lake home" that is actually in the community I work. Our other home is in a mid sized city about 90 miles from the lake home. It is a 2500 acre spring fed lake that is clean and clear. There are million dollar homes on the lake, and shacks that have been in families for generations. There are rarely homes for sale on our lake. I love it for all the reasons Elizabeth posted up thread. There is nothing like sitting out on the deck in the evening and listening to the loons call. I'll head up there this weekend as it will be 90 out, and I work on Monday anyway.

I would kill to own lake front property in the mountains. This is Waterton Lakes. There is a small village on the lake (which borders the Alberta and Montana). The water is almost always crystal clear. There are deer all over town. There's bears too, but we will focus on the deer because they're friendly and bears will eat you. If I could live here I would. I live near Lake Louise as well as Two Jack Lake, Moraine Lake and Lake Minnewanka but in Banff National Park: if it was legal to build a house on crown land, I would in a heartbeat. The water is green from the chemicals in the melting glaciers. Almost a teal or emerald green. The water is clear and it's so peaceful and quiet (if only the tourists would stop coming!!!!). We drive past the Shuswap on my way to my parents. It's a ridiculously long lake in BC and the water always looks so beautiful. It's the Houseboat Capital of Canada and I want to rent one for a few weeks sometime. There is another lake we drove past by when we took the wrong highway from Kamloops to Abbotsford and I think I would want to live on that lake as there was very little traffic and while there is a tiny "mini house village" I would want land further away from other people. Just to live away from everyone, but close to town. To not hear traffic but just the water as it rolls towards the banks. To watch the boaters and canoers. To hear the birds. To watch the wild animals. In my teens I lived a similar life, but we lived near a big river and we lived 10 miles out in the bush with the deers and the bears. We watched the bald eagles dive into the river for fish. It was amazing. I would live on a river, but don't feel safe. A lake front property with nobody nearby is actually my dream.

Waterton Alberta

My family built a 110 acre lake. My brother built his house on one sife, my mother built hers on the other. Lots of fishing amd skiing! My nephew became the national barefoot champion from learning on that lake!

Debby, thats amazing. Hope to visit that part of the world soon.

I'm an Aquarius. Prefer the ocean, but this has been home for the last 41 years! Unfortunately a gazillion people have discovered our little gem and natives can't afford to live here anymore. Time to get the he!! out of Idaho. Too old to think about moving and starting over. We'll die in Cal-Idaho!

My view from my deck on my lake tonight

I grew up on a 10-acre lake that my family built. Our cousins lived on the other side. Mom wanted a pool, but i think we got more enjoyment out of the lake year-round. In summer we swam, sailed, rowed. In winter, we skated and played hockey. Spring through fall, we could fish or just sit on the dock. Now, DH keeps his canoe over there, and we paddle around looking for wildlife along the shore. But, especially after we all moved out, Mom enjoyed watching the geese, ducks, occasional swan couple, deer, hawks, and turtles.

I like a pool, but i think I’d rather belong to a pool and let them monitor the machines and chemicals.

New neighbors 😊

Susieque...your dock looks so much like mine I had to look twice. Is that a sunrise or sunset?

This video is about how far Windsor is from Detroit but it shows the Detroit River and Lake St. Clair in the distance. There are 2 islands, one Belle Isle that belongs to Detroit and further near Lake St Clair is Peche Island which belongs to Windsor, it is a park and only accessible by boat. Belle Isle is also a park and is accessible by a bridge from the Detroit side. If you look at the video I live near the end of the first island Belle Isle on the Windsor side. When it is quiet at night I can hear the engines of the ships that sail by and love to hear the fog horns and blasts as ships pass each other. I love living close to the water. Lake Erie is just a short drive away. haha one downside are the swarms of fish flies for a short time in the summer. We have beautiful shoreline parks to walk along or just to sit and watch the boats and ships and the bird life. Lots of swans and of course geese. https://youtu.be/r9Zn937Ezrk

Elizabeth, that's a sunset. We are treated to some real beauties.

When I was in college, my parents bought a house on a lake. It was very nice, you could beat and swim in it. It was large enough that it wasn't murky, and some winters the water was drawn down to kill lakeweeds. (It was built as a hydroelectric reservoir. ) And the views were great.

Things change - I never really liked the shore, but now I find myself really attracted to water-side locations (lakes, oceans, or bays) - for the view and the sound. Even if I don't go in (though sometimes I do). And, as far as owning property goes, it is usually a relatively stable sign, because it's usually not changed much (rebuilt, etc).

As a lifelong Chicagoan, Lake Michigan has been a constant in my life. It's more like an inland sea than most 'lakes'. We drink its water. Here on the western shore, It protects us from vicious storms that blow across the Midwest. All of my life I've lived in what was the bottom of the lake eons ago. (You can see the obvious basin from ancient paths, now highways, to the west.) I also love the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. My DM was a native of RI, and my DH and I often spent some winter months in Hawaii.

One thing you get from living near a lake is *space*. There are no people or structures to assault your view.

Cherryfizz, thanks for that video, I'd never seen it before. I could see all the familiar places of my hometown and Detroit. My mother's law firm was on Woodward Ave. in Detroit, and of course we crossed over to go to concerts and watch the Tigers and Wings games. Most of my huge extended family lived in neighbourhoods along Riverside Dr. and we almost bought a house on the river once, but my mother was too worried about my youngest brother scaling the breakwall and getting into the river.

After retiring, my mother moved to a condo on Riverside Dr. which I can see in the video. My sister's boyfriend used to take us for boat rides to Peche Island. My other sister had a summer job working on Boblo Island. I used to love taking the Boblo boat cruise down the Detroit River. Riverside Dr. has changed so much since I was young, but I love the boardwalk and all the gardens and think Windsor has done a great job of developing all the land alone the Detroit River.

Our lake! Grandpa makes breakfast and kids are in the water by 10am.

Thank you for all the responses, I see many of you love your lakes, that makes me happy for you. I also see many others who share my view of "murky lake water", it's good to know I'm not alone.

I should add I love water, I've, almost all my life had a pool (do now) and except for a short stint (a year in Illiniois) lived very close to the Pacific ocean. I love swimming in the ocean and my pool.

I rented a lakefront house at Lake Arrowhead last Thanksgiving, of course going in the water was never a consideration. I went river rafting a few years ago on a trip to West Virginia, it was fun, but I'm not interesting in doing it again.

We have Lake Huron just the other side of the trees across the lake, plus there is the AuSable River that has tubing, kayaking, etc. near us.

Give me my Michigan lakes anytime. I much prefer them over the salt water. I have live by lake Michigan all my life. Not on the lake but about 3 miles away. The great lakes are beautiful!!! We also have many many smaller lakes with great fishing, swimming and boating in our state. "No salt, no sharks, no worries". But I must say that Lake Michigan can be deadly with undertows, and kills several every year.

As I mentioned in my comment early on, part of what I associate with areas having lakes (and a reason for my lack of interest in lakes) is weather for more than half of the year in such places that I'm unwilling to have to live with. Michigan is as good an example of that as any other. Places snow birds come from. Becoming a snow bird means spending the majority of one's adult life with long months of cold and snowy weather every year, so even those people vote with their feet.

We all like different things, that's fine.

PS Kathy, au sable roughly means "sandy", more literally "with sand".

When I think of lakes, I think of lots and lots of mosquitoes.

"weather for more than half of the year in such places that I'm unwilling to have to live with."

The lake is beautiful in the winter! I have a lakeside cottage in mid-north Ontario (near North Bay), and I come up about every 3-4 weeks in the winter. My sister lives up here full time, but I'll just have a vacation home up here to be close enough to visit ;) I did snowshoe on the lake a couple of times this past winter (you can see the trail from my deck to the lake), and this was my view most mornings from my main room window (that's my deck and smoker they're walking past)

I will take cold snowy winters anytime over the heat and humidity of the south. It is an over-generalization that Michiganders snowbird to Florida. I am not one of "those people".

Sorry, my wording may have conveyed the wrong sense. For me, lakes convey thoughts of places with extreme hot and humid summers (as you mention) or extreme cold and snowy winters. For my preference (and we all have our own), I don't want either as an annual thing to experience where I live. The snow bird comment had to do with those who, living in such cold and snowy areas, leave in the wintertime when their life circumstances allow it. Typically later in life when retired or, as has developed recently, those who can work from "home" so no reason to stay where the weather is inhospitable.

I love lake life. I grew up living in a ’lake city’ which meant we had a cottage on the lake as well as our larger home in town. My dad taught me and my brothers to fish as kids and we grew up learning to swim and water ski and drive a boat safely. We also had access to a pool so we were there with our friends too. In the summer it meant there were frequently others from out of town in our small town so we got to know them.

DH and I now have a condo at the same lake and enjoy going there. We keep a kayak and I frequently use it. The lake is still clean.

Sure, i enjoy the beach too, especially the pristine Gulf, but it has become so crowded much of the year now that others have ’discovered’ it, it isnt the same as years ago when it wasnt over-built.

When I was a kid growing up in southern CT my family would rent a cottage on a lake in southern NH, about a 4 hour drive in those days. I remember the local radio station would broadcast that the water temp was 72 and water quality was 'drinkable'. The water was crystal clear and the bottom was visible until the depth was too great. It was relatively small as lakes go, about 500 acres with 5 miles of shoreline. Greatest depth was about 80 feet and it was naturally spring fed. Old maps list it as a pond.

This is where I learned to swim. Typically we would vacation in July or August, but one year we spent Memorial Day weekend there. That was in the Dark Ages when the holiday was May 31. I remember walking beneath fully leafed trees and seeing a pile of snow about 3 feet high. The ice typically left the lake back then the third or fourth week of April, and I went swimming in water that had been ice-covered a scant 5 or 6 weeks later. It was invigorating!

I now live in central FL which is covered in shallow, murky, gator filled lakes I wouldn't dream of swimming in, but lots of people do. I would live on one in a heartbeat if I had the financial where with all. I'd live on any fresh water so long as it was safe from flooding. Salt water is OK, but I find the enormous flat expanse of water uninspiring and a bit boring lol.

On our drive up to our lakehouse yesterday, we were, coincidentally, listening to a podcast about the positive effect of watching changing water on your psyche.

Our lake is huge and clean. Even in the winter, we love it here. Watching it change through the seasons brings me incredible joy. I have an aunt who lives in Marin County, CA and, while I get that unchanging weather has it's perks, I would find it boring, year after year. But, as Elmer says, to each their own and our extreme weather is def not for everyone.

"Salt water is OK, but I find the enormous flat expanse of water uninspiring and a bit boring lol."

I find when out in the ocean (on a boat) the flat expanse of ocean is boring, yes, I know others love boating? Being on the shore, watching the waves roll in constantly is wonderful for me.

Thankfully we all enjoy different. things.

I love the Great Lakes, especially the one I share with ChiSue. I don’t know that i’d want to live on top of it though. DH and I took the canoe and paddled the shore for a mile or two early one morning, before the powerboats and seadoos were out. it was magnificent.

But to live down on the beach, in the rare Beach house like this? Well, I’ll just say that when the winds and surf are up, i want to go down there and see what it’s like, but i’d have to walk too far in the weather that is causing the winds and surf. i did, however, happen to chat with a resident there, who said that it is actually very quiet because their windows are good. But me, i’d never live with a bluff above me and a sea before me.

Michigan lakes offer year round fun. My parents were never "snowbirds" but one Grandmother was. We plan to have two small places in Michigan when we retire. One in the UP and one here in Holland. No plans to drive south. I love snow and winter.

One of my kids spent the last years of their professional training in another part of MI, not near Holland or the UP. We went to visit regularly but found that by early November, already a month plus into the time of year when wintery weather was possible, it was more than we wanted to deal with.

We learned to visit in Spring and Fall because the humid summers weren't a lot to our liking either. That kid couldn't wait to leave and because they could choose their next and permanent location, went to a mild weather place.

I believe there are some people who do like snowy and cold weather. I think there are a lot more whose circumstances, either occupational or because of limited finances, don't allow them to leave or to spend the cold and snowy months elsewhere.

Elmer, I am one of those people who love snowy and cold weather. I used to love going outside after a snowstorm to shovel snow off my sidewalks. With my back I can't do that now unfortunately. I also love being near the water in the winter. I like watching the ice breakers or listening to freighters as they plow through the ice. Love the sound of the ice breaking up. Some of the most beautiful winter scenery is at Point Pelee as the ice from Lake Erie is pushed up along the shoreline. Summers can be horrendous with the humidity but we get used to it. My cousin who moved here 2 years ago from Toronto can't stand the humidity. Along with living near the water there comes the yearly migration of fish flies or shad flies. Stinky creatures who live to die. I love having 4 seasons and sometimes we can experience them all in one week.

I have traveled to warmer climates in the winter and can well afford to do so if I wish. I have such northern blood that when it gets near 80 I feel ill. Humidity really sickens me. I guess I don't understand how people can live in a sauna. Well, to each his own.

I can't imagine living anywhere but in a maritime Mediterranean climate. I'm addicted to the 12-month growing season, and the ease of living in this climate -- no need for cold-winter clothing, snow tires, etc. No need for air conditioning either in my little corner.

@Judy Good, We had planned on buying in the UP for retirement. We had our honeymoon there. But the scarcity of doctors and hospitals (and distance to grandkids) changed our minds. We are in northeast Michigan, on a lake and near Lake Huron. Works for us!

BTW, my DD went to Hope College!

I see many people equate warmer weather with humidity, that isn't necessarily true. Many places are warm but not humid. When I lived at the beach it was more humid than where I live now inland a few miles. As I've aged I now dislike living in the cooler weather at the beach, by cooler I mean high sixties many days in the winter.

Marlin, I lve Arizona. Spent two summers there, besides some lovely winter and spring weeks. Summer there is like winter up north: park under cover, stay inside, wear gloves to drive. Once the temperature is over 95°, who cares what the humidity is! (actually, i take it back. i lived in Dallas and Visited Houston, and 95° in both places felt very different.)