Family-friendly Lake Meade offers year-round recreation
Surrounded by the rolling farmland of South Central Pennsylvania, Lake Meade offers families and retirees an active lifestyle. The private and gated enclave, anchored by a 300-acre artificial lake of the same name, is one of 55 resort-style communities developed by American Realty Services Corporation in the 1960s and early 1970s. Today, around 2,500 people live here, enjoying access to the lake, community parks and social clubs. “About 40% of people are part-time residents who have a second home here. Sixty percent are full-time,” says Petula Yingling, a Realtor with Keller Williams Keystone Realty, who’s lived in Lake Meade for more than 15 years. “I love the community and everything they have to offer. It’s just a great place for families, kids and grandkids.”
Lake Meade is self-governed, with a board of directors, a property owners association and staff members. A fire station and a wastewater treatment facility are on site. Public schools are nearby, and restaurants and retailers are more than 15 miles away outside York. Commuters have four major cities within driving distance, including the capital city of Harrisburg and Baltimore.
A variety of waterfront and inland single-family homes
More than 1,000 single-family homes wrap around Lake Meade, resting along a network of unmarked private roads. No two houses are the same, with ranch-style homes and split-levels neighboring neotraditional homes and custom designs that range from rustic cabin-inspired builds to open-concept contemporary homes. Most homes cost between $250,000 and $500,000. However, Yingling says waterfront properties can range from $650,000 to more than $1 million.
Established in 1968, the Lake Meade Property Owners Association maintains the lake, the dam and community amenities. Homeowners pay a one-time initiation fee, an annual membership fee and annual membership dues. According to flood maps from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, waterfront properties are at risk of flooding.
All three Bermudian Springs schools are around 6 miles away
The Bermudian Springs School District serves Lake Meade and earns a B-minus overall rating from Niche. The district has three schools: the B-minus-rated Bermudian Springs Elementary, the B-minus-rated Bermudian Springs Middle and the C-plus-rated Bermudian Springs High. The newly built middle school, completed in 2021, features an outdoor courtyard with stone pavers in the shape of an eagle, the school’s mascot.
Outdoor fun on and around Lake Meade
Recreation here centers around Lake Meade, which offers calm waters for water sports, including boating, kayaking and paddleboarding. “In the winter, we get snow, and if the lake freezes, they’ll be ice skating, ice hockey and ice fishing,” Yingling says. The lake is stocked with a range of fish, including largemouth bass, walleye and shad. Boaters can drop their vessels into the water at Lake Meade Marina, which has two boat ramps. “We have community slips, so if you live off the water, you can pick a slip and your boat can be there all season,” Yingling says. Ten community parks and a sports complex feature a variety of amenities from playgrounds and picnic areas to courts and fields for sports such as soccer and beach volleyball. Pickleball is a popular pastime at Lake Meade Community Center, which has an outdoor pool with a curving water slide and snack shack. The region offers more outdoor adventure, from hiking and camping in Gifford Pinchot State Park to skiing down the slopes at Roundtop Mountain Resort.
Annual events and social clubs foster community
The Lake Meade Property Owners Association and its list of social clubs and organizations put on events throughout the year, including a Fourth of July fireworks show. “The fireworks are set off from the dam, so you can watch them on your boat on the water, or you can be anywhere on the shoreline,” Yingling says.
Residents drive to York and Hanover to shop and dine
Lake Meade is nearly entirely residential, aside from Driftwood at the Lake, a new restaurant serving American fare inside Lake Meade Marina. So, residents typically dine out and shop outside the community. The nearby boroughs of East Berlin and York Springs offer mom-and-pop shops, diners and pizza joints. Commercial corridors in York and Hanover are about 15 miles away and feature national brands, supermarkets and malls, such as West Manchester Town Center, which has over two dozen name-brand stores and chain restaurants. Both cities are home to full-service hospitals and medical centers, including UPMC Hanover and WellSpan York Hospital. “Since we’re a rural area, there are farmers markets. I’ll just pick one on my way home and pick things up,” Yingling says.
Lake Meade is a car-dependent community
While residents can walk and bike in Lake Meade, a personal vehicle is needed to get around most of South Central Pennsylvania. Two-lane country roads meet up with highways, such as state Route 94 and U.S. Route 15. Harrisburg , home to Harrisburg International Airport, is about 24 miles north. Baltimore is a little over 70 miles south.
