Getting Around in Lake Wylie

Have you ever asked for directions from Charlotte to places around Lake Wylie? Quite likely, you received an answer such as "Go across the Buster Boyd Bridge, drive a couple of miles, then turn left onto Hwy 49. Then, when you get to Five Points, hang a right onto . . ."

Now, first of all, you never saw anything that identifies Buster Boyd Bridge. There are lots of bridges in the area. How do you know Buster Boyd's??

Then, you were ON highway 49 coming from Charlotte. Why would you have to turn to get onto Hwy 49? And where was this Five Points, anyway? Five Points would generally describe a place where five roads (not four, not three) would come together at one point.

I remember asking directions one time while in Yadkin County, North Carolina. I was told to go just past the place where Jim's Grill used to be, then cut back on the dirt road. That was really great, since I had no idea where Jim's Grill USED to be, and I didn't know what "cut back" meant. Left? Right? Reverse? Who knew.

So - - allow me to enlighten you on getting around in Lake Wylie. First of all, the Buster Boyd Bridge. It USED to be a grand thing (see picture above, courtesey of the Lake Wylie Pilot.) It was a bridge that joined North & South Carolina, just past what now is The Palisades on Highway 49. Buster Boyd was a farmer who used to own the land in that area, and the bridge was named after him. The two lane bridge was torn down and replaced by the 4-lane, rather ordinary looking bridge, around 2001. It was sad to lose such a landmark, but commuters are much happier now! As far as I know, there is no sign that identifies the bridge as "Buster Boyd", but we all still call it by that name.

As for turning left on Highway 49 . . . if I remember correctly, the road used to curve around the intersection of Hwy 49, Hwy 274, and Hwy 557. That area was actually called "Three Points", and sometimes still is. When the shopping centers with Food Lion and Bi-Lo were built, an intersection was redesigned with a traffic light. Highway 49 now turns left at that intersection. Of course, some people traveling to York on Hwy 49 sort of miss that turn and end up in Clover. I've done it several times myself!

The highway around "Five Points" has been redesigned a couple of times in the past ten or fifteen years. Lake Wylie Road, Hwy 274, Hwy 55, and Hwy 49 north and south used to converge right in front of North's Grocery. The most recent redesign added an intersection, so there are now two traffic lights rather close together. Don't try to do the math, just know that we describe that area as "Five Points".

Hopefully that clears things up a bit! If you really want to start sounding like a local (with or without the Southern accent), go ahead and start incorporating these "used to be" landmarks into your conversations and directions. If nothing else, the recipients of these directions will get a lovely tour of our countryside!

For local expertise on the Lake Wylie area, information on events and activities, and resources for Lake Wylie real estate, please visit my website: Lake Wylie Waterfront Real Estate