High on a hill overlooking the shimmering northern quadrant of Lake Lanier, the panoramic views and rustic landscape challenge the perception that life on this massive reservoir is all about boats.

Certainly, you do see plenty of them --- from yachts to fishing boats --- in growing communities such as elegant Harbour Point Yacht Club on Ga. 53 and nearby Marina Bay, a luxurious neighborhood northwest of downtown Gainesville. Private marinas with electric hookups, as well as gated dry boat-storage areas, are becoming commonplace in such lakeside subdivisions in booming Hall County, where the population has increased 50 percent in a decade. Lake Lanier's 692 miles of shoreline host many picturesque parks, and its 38,000 surface acres of shimmering waters are enjoyed by millions of visitors each year.

But in talking to residents of these communities, other alluring aspects of the area also come to the forefront. Both neighborhoods have magnificent views of the Blue Ridge Mountains, elegant pools and other land-based amenities as varied as the residents who live there.

At Harbour Point, where homes sell in the $400,000 to $2 million-plus range, those amenities include walking trails around 3 1/2 miles of lake shoreline, a cascading two-tier pool with a view of the lake and a pavilion for outdoor concerts. At Marina Bay, which has a similar price range and the same expanse of shoreline, there is a private ballfield, tennis courts with grandstand seating and a 14,000-square-foot clubhouse.

In both gated communities, property is purchased, then a group of selected builders bid on the construction of each house. Terraced lots with masters-on-the-main and finished daylight basements are among the most popular designs --- giving some homes the surprising dual appearance of a ranch- style home from the front and a sprawling multistory estate from the back.

Marge and Alan Fortier, who maintained a primary home in St. Petersburg, Fla., until 2001, initially planned for their Harbour Point home to remain a second house, a place to stay when they wanted to be closer to their adult children in Atlanta. When their Florida home sold, they found themselves gravitating toward the Gainesville community, with its New England-style row of villas on the water and larger big- view houses high up on the hills.

But it wasn't to pursue a life of recreational boating. "Coming from Florida, we thought to ourselves, who would want to own a boat?" Marge Fortier explained. "When you're around salt water, they just seem like too much expense and trouble. But by our second summer here, we owned a boat. And I have to say, it's been really nice."

As for lakes, she said, "We had always associated them with alligators." She glanced toward the expansive lake view from her living room and smiled. "Obviously, this one is different. But what really makes this neighborhood special is the sense of community that exists, " she said, pointing to a list of planned community activities.

Dr. Brennan Wood, an ear, nose and throat specialist with a private practice near North Georgia Medical Center in Gainesville, and his wife, Dawn, consider Marina Bay an ideal place to put down roots and raise a family. Their three-story home is near the ball field. They don't own a boat but will shop for one when the weather gets warmer.

"I hope that we'll be here a long time, maybe another 60 to 70 years, " he said with a laugh. "We picked this area for a reason. Our choice to move here had a lot to do with the small-town quaintness of this area. There's a good sense of community and safety, and we like the lake opportunities. And we're close enough to Atlanta to enjoy what the city has to offer."

According to Harbour Point property developer Steve Eiberger, the area's appeal is fueled in part by its growing reputation as a great place to retire. Nearly half of the new-home buyers are retirees and semi-retirees coming to his community from out of state, he said. But there is another trend underlying the area's growth: Metro Atlanta's northward expansion has brought corporate headquarters to such places as Windward Parkway in Alpharetta.

Suddenly, a reverse commute to and from Gainesville is looking good to many. "Executives working at Winward can go against the traffic and be home in about 30 minutes, " he said. "And they're realizing that they don't have to wait until retirement to live on the lake. They want to enjoy it now."

In 2004, Hall County joined other counties as an official part of metropolitan Atlanta. Still, the rolling hills and plentiful poultry farms abound, even as the area's business and real estate portfolio expands. And there appears to be something for just about everyone. Rustic Chestatee Road, in particular, between Ga. 400's Exit 17 and I- 985's Exit 20, is dotted with new subdivisions with a vast price range: from the $160,000s to $2 million-plus.

Not all the neighborhoods are on the lake, but many have lake views or at the very least, easy access to public marinas and child-friendly parks along the water. Ga. 60, which links downtown Gainesville with nearby mountain communities such as Dahlonega and Cleveland, also is dotted with a range of neighborhoods, from the plush retirement community of Lanier Village Estates to Cherokee Forest, an established high-end neighborhood with big houses in the $300,000 to $2 million range and marinas abutting expansive backyards. Here is a sampling of other communities:

> In Sequoia Springs off Chestatee Road, lovely new homes are in the $160,000s to low $200,000s and feature wooded and lake-view lots, brick, stone and cedar shake exteriors, Jacuzzi-style tubs in master bathrooms and vaulted ceilings. Some of the homes are being bought as second homes, but the family-oriented neighborhood also has full-time residents.

> Off Dawsonville Highway near downtown Gainesville, ground is being cleared for a new community called The Shores at Lyncliff with lake and wooded lots and a dock with elevated party deck. The gated community will have lots up to 2 acres, as well as a soccer field and covered boat storage.

> An active-adult Levitt and Sons community called Seasons on Lanier is in the design stage for a lakeside area off Browns Bridge Road south of Dawsonville Highway. The community will have a large ballroom and a greenhouse, among other amenities. And ground is being prepared for another high-end retirement community, The Village at Deaton Creek off Thompson Mill Road by developer Del Webb.

Getting there

From downtown Atlanta, there are two main routes to downtown Gainesville: Take Ga. 400 north to Exit 17 (Ga. 306/Gainesville). Turn right onto Keith Bridge Road/Ga. 306). Go eight miles, taking a slight left to enter Dawsonville Highway/Ga. 53. Go right onto Dawsonville Highway and go 15 miles into Gainesville. To enter downtown Gainesville, turn left on Jesse Jewell Parkway/Ga. 369. Or take I-85 north to I-985 to Exit 20 (Ga. 53/Candler Road). Exit left and go west on Ga. 53. Turn right onto Jesse Jewell Parkway/Ga. 369.

HISTORY

Hall County was founded in 1818, when native Cherokee tribes still populated the flourishing trading center, according to the Greater Hall Chamber of Commerce. The 19th-century gold rush made it a boom area, bringing in settlers from all directions. In 1871, the arrival of the Atlanta and Charlotte Air Line Railroad continued to fuel growth.

In the early 1900s, cotton and lumber industries flourished in the area, but tough times were ahead for the area: The Great Depression of the 1930s was accompanied by a boll weevil infestation that hampered cotton production. One of the nation's deadliest tornadoes struck Gainesville in 1936, killing 200 and injuring another 1,000. Many historic homes in the area were destroyed by the storm.

After World War II, the economy of the area began to recover, and poultry replaced cotton as the primary industry. In the 1950s, Buford Dam was built by the Army Corps of Engineers, creating 540 miles of controlled shoreline along a lake named after Georgia poet Sidney Lanier. The area is evolving as a major banking and medical community. The historic downtown square has been the focus of a revitalization push by the well-endowed Main Street Gainesville program that has attracted many clothing shops, galleries, restaurants, law firms and other businesses.

A quick look