Conveniences and community in a rural pocket of upstate New York
With country roads winding through farmland and historic homes dotting quiet streets, Adams is a small town in upstate New York that's rural at heart. Still, the area has conveniences in the town's namesake village, and Interstate 81 takes drivers to Syracuse in under an hour. The community is also home to the Great Lakes Cheese manufacturing facility, and hamlets in the town, like Adams Center, have pockets of homes and businesses. "It's a really nice, cozy little place. Everybody helps everybody else," says Connie Elliott, member of the Six Towns Chamber of Commerce who has lived in Adams most of her life.
Historic homes include farmhouses and Victorians
The town has many farmhouses, traditional-style and Colonial Revival homes built throughout the 1800s. Ornate Victorian and Italianate homes from the same era are also popular. "We've got some big, beautiful houses here. A lot of people have lived here their whole life. Some have lived in the same house their whole life," Elliott says. Ranch-style homes, Cape Cods and cottages built throughout the 20th century are also common. Prices typically range between $100,000 and $400,000. Properties within the village of Adams or hamlet of Adams Center tend to have smaller lots on quiet residential streets, while properties on the outskirts may span several acres.
Historic buildings, businesses and Great Lakes Cheese on Church Street
The Historical Association of South Jefferson's museum operates in a spacious brick Italianate house on Church Street with three levels of exhibits and genealogy records for the county's six towns. The grounds have several other historic buildings as well. "My brother-in-law said that it's just like a small Smithsonian. It's really quite a testament to what we have there," Elliott says. As the name suggests, Church Street is also home to places of worship like Adams United Methodist Church and Adams Village Baptist Church. There are also chain restaurants like McDonald's and Dunkin' and local spots like Gram's Diner nearby. Notably, Great Lakes Cheese has a major manufacturing facility off Church Street where it produces its Adams Reserve cheddar. Great Lakes is a major employer in this area and sources much of its milk from local dairy farms.
The hamlet of Adams Center also has businesses in the town, including a pizzeria and cafe. Tops Friendly Market and Dollar General are off U.S. Highway 11 between Adams and Adams Center.
The Cheddar Cheese Festival celebrates the area's industry
Adams' Cheddar Cheese Festival each August attracts thousands of attendees annually. The event features local vendors, live music and plenty of cheese samples and sales. Great Lakes Cheese, the event's main sponsor, sells thousands of pounds of its products here each year. Elliott, who helped found the festival, explains that the event was created to bring people together and celebrate the village's cheese industry. "One day, I went to McDonald's to get my Coke, and of course, they have a view of this [cheese] factory. And I thought ... We need to honor them some way. Maybe we need a festival," she says. This plan was realized in 2010, and the festival has been held annually since.
The town hosts other seasonal events as well: the Chamber of Commerce puts on the town's Christmas parade each December, and the South Jefferson Historical Association hosts the Strawberry Festival. Locals can enjoy their barbecue platters with strawberry desserts or purchase quarts of the berry after checking out craft vendors and local history exhibits at this event each June.
A new community park and more recreation
Adams unveiled its community park in 2024. The large, ADA-accessible playground has slides, ramps, climbing walls and more new features. The village hopes to continue expanding the park with more pathways and a pavilion, though the timeline for this is not yet determined. More recreation is nearby: Adams Country Club has nine holes off U.S. Highway 11 and is open to the public. Xtreme SportsPlex has indoor fields used for youth soccer, baseball and cheerleading programs. Washington County Park has wooded trails for hiking and mountain biking. Snowmobiling and cross-country skiing is also permitted during the area's snowy winters. About 11 miles down the road, Southwick Beach State Park allows for swimming and sunbathing on the shore of Lake Ontario during the warmer months.
Hopes for future investment in Adams
In 2025, Adams applied for several million dollars in grant money from New York Forward and the Downtown Revitalization Initiative. The community created the proposal in hopes of implementing upgrades to the infrastructure downtown, expanding the community park, revitalizing a fishing area off Sandy Creek and adding a new village welcome sign, among other projects.
South Jefferson Schools serving Adams
Children are zoned for the South Jefferson Central School District, which has an overall B-minus rating from Niche. Students may begin at Maynard P. Wilson Elementary School, which has a B-minus rating from Niche and continue to C-plus-rated Clarke Middle School. South Jefferson High School earns a B-minus and offers extracurricular activities like chess club, drama club, key club and Future Farmers of America.
Interstate 81 takes drivers across New York
Fort Drum, the U.S. Army installation, is about 25 miles northeast of Adams, and Syracuse is about 60 miles south. Syracuse Hancock International Airport is about a 45-minute drive away. Interstate 81 takes drivers to either of these destinations. Watertown, about 13 miles northeast, has medical facilities such as the Samaritan Medical Center nearby.
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Written By
Faith Wakefield
