On a Saturday in July, Tim Hong and his family spent the morning at a festival at Lake Oconee Village with kids' activities, a car and boat exhibit, food, music and other activities.

The festival-goers at the event, which was held at the Publix-anchored shopping center at the entrance to Reynolds Plantation in Greensboro, were a mix of retirees and young families.

"It would not have looked like that a couple of years ago, " said Hong, a financial manager who moved from northern Atlanta about 75 miles east to the Lake Oconee area three years ago. "Since we've been here, you can tell a change in the number of young families that have come here."

Hong, his wife, Kimberly, and their 4-year-old daughter, Anna Claire, decided to move to Lake Oconee after falling in love with the laid-back lifestyle while visiting Kimberly's parents on weekends.

They initially rented a home in Port Armor and laterbuilt a home in the community, which was the first golf and lake development in the Lake Oconee area when it opened in 1986. It was renamed Reynolds Landing last fall after being acquired by Linger Longer Development Co., the developer of Reynolds Plantation.

Reynolds Landing is operated as a separate community from Reynolds Plantation, and the company is investing more than $15 million in improvements to the golf course, new amenities and other additions.

It's just one example of the changing communities at Lake Oconee, the state's second largest lake, spanning 19,000 acres in Greene and Putnam counties.

In addition to improvements in existing communities, some projects are offering more affordable homes and lakefront condos.

"Reynolds Landing could best be described as a community under transition, " said Chuck Walsh, vice president of sales for Reynolds Landing.

Home prices range from $300,000 for existing structures that could be more than 15 years old to $4 million for lake homes, he said. Of the nearly 600 home sites in Reynolds Landing, about 200 have existing homes, about 200 are lots owned by individuals who have not yet built on them and the rest are owned by Linger Longer Development.

Lake lots are the most expensive, costing $500,000 to more than $1 million. There also are golf and pond views. About 25 percent of the lots are along the lake.

"View dictates value, " Walsh said.

But the developers also realize that the lake isn't the only amenity attracting buyers. They have spent more than $1 million to upgrade the golf course. Plans include spending close to $10 million to convert the Inn on the Green to a clubhouse with meeting space, a dining room and lounge, a golf shop and a few guest rooms. Funds would also be earmarked for a new complex with a pool, tennis courts, multipurpose field and a park by the lake. Approximately $3 million in road improvements also are in the works.

The company is collaborating with Southern Living architects to design several 1,400- to 2,400-square-foot cottages within walking distance of the amenity complex, some with lake and golf course views. Prices are still to be determined, and construction is expected to start in September.

Another new project, South Bay at Lake Oconee, is offering 114 Craftsman-style waterfront condominiums in a development that will include a full-service marina and a restaurant. The two- and three-bedroom condos, which are expected to be complete by early next summer, range from the $400,000s to the low-$600,000s.

"We want to be the low-price provider" for a quality development, said Cecil Phillips, chairman and CEO of Atlanta-based Place Properties, developer of South Bay.

The condos will have such features as 9-foot ceilings and granite countertops. Amenities include a pool with an outdoor kitchen, clubhouse, exercise room and a full-service marina with gas, a restaurant and storage for 200 boats.

"It really is going to be a full-blown community for folks who just want to be on the lake, " said Phillips.

Of the more than 60 contracts it has for South Bay, about two-thirds to three-quarters of buyers plan to use the condos for second homes, and the remainder plan to spend up to six months at the lake.

Phillips cites the same reasons as residents in his decision to build his first project on Lake Oconee. The lake is close to Atlanta, clean, and not overcrowded, he said.

After living for a decade on Lake Oconee, Vince Mancuso has seen the lake community grow around him. But even with the addition of residents, he likes that it's not crowded.

"There aren't so many people, so that when you use the amenities in Harbor Club, it's like having your own private pool, your own private golf course, " said Mancuso, who is retired from the military.

Harbor Club also spent $1.5 million last summer to renovate its award-winning golf course, which encompasses 1,000 acres on nine miles of Lake Oconee shoreline.

Glenn Kendall and his wife, Donna Jean, considered other developments popular with retirees --- including The Cliffs outside Greenville, S.C., and Lake Norman near Charlotte --- before making Harbor Club on Lake Oconee their home.

They bought property in the community eight years ago and built a 4,800-square-foot French country-style lakefront home with three bedrooms and 4 1/2 baths.

Kendall, 59, who moved from Minnesota after retiring from Unilever, said Harbor Club seems more like a residential community than a resort. After Kendall, who serves as president of Harbor Club's men's golf association, broke his shoulder in a golf cart incident this summer, neighbors volunteered to cut his grass and help in other ways.

"I've never run into more people that are as friendly as the people here, " he said. "They're genuine; they're friendly, and when they say things, they mean it."

The Hongs' two-story, four-bedroom, 3 1/2-bath home in Reynolds Landing is along the golf course, across the street from the lake and about a block from the marina.

"Every day when I come home from work, " Tim Hong said, "it's like I'm on vacation."

HISTORY

Lake Oconee --- the second-largest lake in Georgia --- was created in 1979 by Georgia Power Co. The 19,000-acre hydroelectric lake is controlled by Wallace Dam. It's situated within a 75-minute drive from Atlanta, bounded by Greene, Putnam and Morgan counties. With 374 miles of shoreline, the lake is known for its bass fishing, and has more than 430 pounds of fish per acre. The area's resort-style atmosphere is evident through its communities that have attracted college football coaches, politicians and executives as residents, and The Ritz-Carlton Lodge at Reynolds Plantation in Greensboro, which overlooks the lake.

HARBOR CLUB

REYNOLDS LANDING

SOUTH BAY AT LAKE OCONEE