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Canandaigua/ By Nancy and Richard Woodworth The Seneca Indians were on the mark
when they named this area Kanandagua, “The Chosen Place.” The settlement at the northern end of
Canandaigua Lake became the capital of the western frontier. It was the
seat of the vast Phelps-Gorham land purchase, the shire town of Ontario,
mother of all counties west of Seneca Lake. In 1789 the first office was
established here for the sale of land directly to settlers. Leaders of
the young nation, four cabinet members among them, lived in stately
mansions that still line the broad main street more than 200 years
later. The westernmost of New York's major
Finger Lakes lies cradled between hills. They are particularly majestic
at Canandaigua Lake’s southern end, an area that has been called
“The Switzerland of America.” The village there was renamed Naples
after a French dignitary proclaimed during a visit two centuries ago
that the only area of comparable beauty was Naples, Italy. New York's
wine industry was born in Naples, and the town paints its fire hydrants
purple for the annual Grape Festival in September. Canandaigua, the western gateway to
the Finger Lakes, is a busy summer resort town. Its location beside a
lake at the edge of the Rochester metropolitan area makes it the
fastest-growing city in upstate New York State (approaching 15,000). The
workaday world and the world of summer cottages co-exist side by side.
The redevelopment of Lakeshore Drive and Kershaw Park improved a once
tacky lakefront. The renewal of waterfront activity contrasts with the
sound of outdoor music at the Finger Lakes Performing Arts Center and
the show of Gilded Age opulence at the Sonnenberg mansion and gardens. Just minutes away is the rural
tranquility of the Bristol Hills, rising sharply to the south and west
of Canandaigua Lake. Here are hidden towns, country shops, the highest
ski area between the Adirondacks and the Rockies, and a couple of the
wineries that help make the Finger Lakes famous. The area holds a fond
place in our hearts from our frequent visits when we lived nearby in
Geneva and Rochester. Poke along Canandaigua Lake's west
shore and the hills and byways above. You'll know, as we do, why the
Senecas called this their chosen place.
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