LAKE WYLIE, SC — Lake Wylie can expect a rush of people this Independence Day. They should be used to it because they’ve seen a rush of people moving there for decades. Lake Wylie’s population has nearly doubled since 2000. A lot has changed since then. Just ask the chairman of the Lake Wylie Chamber of Commerce, Jeff Ledford. “There are folks here that were here before there were any stores,” said Ledford. “We obviously have seen a  lot of growth in businesses. The challenges there are getting the right types of businesses,” explained Ledford. Ledford said they’d like to bring in business that skews towards the early 30s-mid 40s age demographic. “We have one of the top school systems in the entire state, and that has been extremely attractive to younger families moving in,” Ledford said. The school system, and of course the lake, are the crown jewels. The groundwork has been laid for Lake Wylie High School and a brand new elementary school set to open in 2026. “We’ve known that was going to be an absolute necessity for about four years now with the projected growth,” explained Ledford of the high school. The new high school will be just a couple of miles south of the intersection of highways 49, 55 and 274, better known as Five Points. There’s not much there now, but it will soon be the location of the newest Harris Teeter, and likely a lot more. “Long term, Five Points is going to end up being really the center of Lake Wylie,” said Ledford. Lake Wylie is unincorporated. Meaning, all major decisions and funding come from York County. About eight years ago, there were discussions about becoming its own municipality. Ledford says those talks ended quickly. There’s been a lot of growth since then. For that reason, there’s now new plans to create a committee to weigh the pros and cons of going it alone. “I believe it will be a positive step forward. But until we all get through the study and see the actual numbers, um, who’s to say?” Ledford asked.