Fun Facts

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• The Finger Lakes is the largest U.S. wine producing region outside of California.
• Ontario County farmers are the world's largest producers of cabbage.
• There are a total of eleven lakes in the Finger Lakes Region.
• Seneca Lake is the deepest of the Finger Lakes (618 ft. depth).
• Geneva is known as the "Lake Trout Capital of the World."
• The Ring of Fire is an annual tradition of lakefront residents who light flares around the western Finger Lakes signifying the start of harvest season.
• Humphrey Bogart used to spend his summer vacations on Canandaigua Lake.
• The official New York state bird is the Bluebird.
• Susan B. Anthony was tried for treason in the Ontario County Courthouse (Canandaigua). The women's rights leader was fined $1.00 for voting in the 1872 Presidential Election.
• There are nine public golf courses in Lake Country.
• It is estimated that nearly 70,000 grape pies, a Finger Lakes specialty, are sold annually in Naples, NY.
• The Finger Lakes Performing Arts Center (Canandaigua) is known as the summer home of the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra.
• During its active time, the Sampson Naval Training Station (on Seneca Lake) was the country's second largest Naval Training Station -- processing 411,429 recruits between October 1942 and August 1945.
• Myron Clark (of Naples) became the first Republican governor of the State of New York.
• Milk is the official New York state beverage.
• Ganondagan of Victor is the only Historic Site in New York State dedicated to Native Americans.
• Hobart College (Geneva) has a storied tradition in the sport of Lacrosse. Its men's Lacrosse team won a record 13 NCAA Division III championships, before moving up to the Division I-A level in 1994.
• The Phelps Sauerkraut festival is one of the oldest ongoing festivals in New York State.
• The Lady Bug is the official New York State insect.
• Despite its Native American translation meaning "Long Lake," Canadice Lake is the smallest of the Finger Lakes - measuring just 4 miles long.
• The average annual snowfall in Ontario County is 99 inches.
• The last surviving combat veteran of the Civil War was James A. Hard (of Victor). Mr. Hard died in 1953 at the age of 111.
• Bristol Mountain (Canandaigua) has the largest vertical ski drop (1200') of any winter resort between the Adirondacks and Rocky Mountain Ranges.
• Several apple varieties originated in Ontario County. Among them are: Cortland, Empire and Northern Spy.
• Ontario County, once called the "Mother of Counties," was the first and largest settlement in western New York dating back to 1789.
• Seneca Lake is Ontario County's waterway connection to the world, due to its accessibility from the Erie Canal, St. Lawrence Seaway and the Atlantic Ocean.
• The entire Sampson Naval Training Station (Seneca Lake) was built in 270 days. It included: 498 training and administration buildings, roads, rail lines, infrastructure for sewage and water, fire station, 300 dwelling units and dormitories for 250 civilian workers.
• Hill Cumorah (Ontario County) is celebrated as the legendary birthplace of the Mormon Religion.
• In order to meet the shortage of farm hands during World War II, over four thousand German and Italian prisoners of war were allocated to the New York State Agriculture Department - many of these prisoners were sent to farm the fields of Geneva and surrounding areas. They manned local processing plants and harvested grapes, carrots and cabbage.
• On April 1, fishing season begins in Lake Country with the "shocking" of fish in Naples Creek. The procedure involves bringing fish to the top of the water so they can be analyzed.
• Port Gibson is the only area in Lake Country that is accessible from the original Erie Canal.
• The Finger Lakes were formed by glacial activity over 100 million years ago, during the Ice Age. Glacial activity also formed the Bristol Hills and its surrounding valleys.
• Lake Country is home to a unique phenomenon of nature - a Burning Spring. The spontaneous water-turned-fireball eruptions, are actually a result of pent-up natural gases that escape into the air.
• In the 1800's, Clifton Springs became a mecca for men and women seeking a healthier life. Visitors were drawn by the natural sulphur springs - which were thought to have curative powers through drinking and bathing.
• Theodore Roosevelt gave a speech from the platform of his railroad car at the Victor station in 1898