Looking for perfect lake town? Cool Summers, Restaurants, Live on Lake (for sale, 2015)

[directimports3]

We are trying to find the perfect lake to have a summer home. We are currently living in Florida and although it is beautiful most of the year we would like to escape the summer heat. We lived in Wisconsin very close to Minneapolis most of our lives so we are familiar with that area. Does anyone have any recommendations for lakes that meet the following criteria?

Must have a lot of properties for sale on the lake
Have plenty of dining options we can access by boat
Cooler climate with average summer temps ranging from 70 to 80
Close to a decent sized city

Thanks for all of your help

[ckhthankgod]

Any of the Great Lakes...

[Vegabern]

Originally Posted by ckhthankgod

Any of the Great Lakes...

Lol!

For some smaller options,

Lake Winnebago, WI
Houghton or Higgins Lake, MI
Lake Charlevoix, MI
(What do you consider a decent size city?)
Lake St. Clair, MI
Flathead Lake, MT
Lake Champlain, NY/VT
Lake Winnipesaukee, NH

Perhaps one of the Finger Lakes in NY?

[gtt99]

Chicago?

[calgirlinnc]

Niigara-on-the-Lake, outside of Toronto.

[projectmaximus]

Originally Posted by calgirlinnc

Niigara-on-the-Lake, outside of Toronto.

That's what I was gonna say. I thought it was beautiful. No idea how expensive or tricky it is to buy in Canada.

fwiw it is closer to Buffalo than Toronto...under an hour to Buffalo if the border crossing is smooth.

[Syringaloid]

The big lakes in North Idaho are worth a look and fit your wish list.

Bayview is on Lake Pend Oreille.

Bayview | North Idaho LIfe

https://goo.gl/images/puJNGR

https://crop-v3.agentfirecdn.com/our...o-pano-big.jpg

[ckhthankgod]

Originally Posted by Vegabern

Lol!

For some smaller options,

Lake Winnebago, WI
Houghton or Higgins Lake, MI
Lake Charlevoix, MI
(What do you consider a decent size city?)
Lake St. Clair, MI
Flathead Lake, MT
Lake Champlain, NY/VT
Lake Winnipesaukee, NH

Perhaps one of the Finger Lakes in NY?

Specifically I'd say Skaneateles Lake, Cayuga Lake, Owasco Lake, Canandaigua Lake, Keuka Lake and Seneca Lake would fit what the OP is looking for. They are all in between Rochester and Syracuse and have small cities/villages(Ithaca, Geneva, Skaneateles, Auburn, Seneca Falls, Waterloo, Watkins Glen, Canandaigua, Penn Yan, Aurora, Hammondsport, etc) nearby that offer what they are looking for.


This would help and for other states as well: https://www.lakehomes.com/new-york


https://www.lakehomes.com/

[cornsnicker3]

Originally Posted by directimports3

We are trying to find the perfect lake to have a summer home. We are currently living in Florida and although it is beautiful most of the year we would like to escape the summer heat. We lived in Wisconsin very close to Minneapolis most of our lives so we are familiar with that area. Does anyone have any recommendations for lakes that meet the following criteria?

Must have a lot of properties for sale on the lake
Have plenty of dining options we can access by boat
Cooler climate with average summer temps ranging from 70 to 80
Close to a decent sized city

Thanks for all of your help

Are you considering Great Lakes or only smaller lakes?

[James Bond 007]

Coeur d'Alene.