Start with Virginia's Smith Mountain Lake. Bring together some of the best developers in Central Virginia, and a plan to build a great community. But don't think about communities that you've seen in the past: instead, focus on the possibilities of a development that follows the land and works with it rather than taking away from the natural beauty.

Think about a community where neighbors get together at one another's homes, enjoy one another's company by the pool, go out with one another for an afternoon of boating on the lake and cap off the evening with a great meal at a restaurant on the waterfront. Combine all of these elements, and you'll have a sense of the promise of Craddock Oaks.

Built on the area's natural beauty, Smith Mountain Lake along with the Blue Ridge Mountains and wooded lands, and drawing on the number of people who gravitate to the area for vacationing, Craddock Oaks aims to be a community for those who want to remain active and to enjoy all of the finer points of what life has to offer.

For some, this will mean taking short trips from home to visit historical landmarks. For others, it will mean browsing for antiques or seeing what is new in local art galleries. For others still it will involve trips for shows or other entertainment options including fine dining restaurants and shops offering high end fashions. After all, Craddock Oaks at Smith Mountain Lake is less than an hour away from both Roanoke and Lynchburg and less than three hours from Richmond as well as Raleigh, North Carolina.

Of course, that isn't to suggest that there will not be plenty of opportunities for activity much closer to your Craddock Oaks home. Residents of Craddock Oaks will be able to enjoy rounds of championship golf as well as to take advantage tennis courts, a fitness center and both volleyball and basketball courts. Covered boat slips and private beaches make it easy to enjoy time on the lake, but if you would prefer to swim laps you'll also have the opportunity to use the pool - all located within the community.

Numerous home styles will be available within the Craddock Oaks development - each at varying elevations and with different features. Given that the homes - as well as the various community amenities - will be built on over 500 acres of land, despite all that is offered, everyone will still find that they have plenty of space.

However, just because Craddock Oaks residents will have as much space as they'd like coupled with the ability to enjoy life in the way that best suits them doesn't mean that additional services if they need them. Built into the plans for the community is a program called CALM. This Community Assisted Lifestyle Management program is designed to provide interior and exterior property upkeep, meal planning and grocery shopping services and other care that may be needed.

Affordable Green in Craddock Oaks allows homeowners to participate in the preservation of our environment by buying into a development that uses energy efficient building materials and appliances, is designed to be pedestrian and golf cart friendly rather than promoting the use of cars, makes recycling easy and is investigating the use of additional recycled landscaping materials and geothermal energy for heating and cooling its homes.

Regardless of what your needs may be and regardless of what you're looking for in a community, chances are good that Craddock Oaks will make it available. A visit to the area is often enough to seal the deal.