Fairport

“On the canal, there are restaurants, breweries, local events and an active music scene,” says Realtor Lee Houghton with Howard Hanna Real Estate Services. “Fairport is an up-and-coming village in the Finger Lakes region.” Houghton lives in Geneva, about halfway between Rochester and Syracuse, and has been selling real estate in the area for the past two years. “The Erie Canal runs through downtown and has been the focus of development in recent years.”

The homes in Fairport are just as historic as its canal district. Investors can find two-bedroom fixer-uppers built in 1910 for as little as $70,000 and four-bedroom, craftsman-style houses built as recently as 2003 for $790,000. Many homes throughout the village are two-story colonials with wood siding, front porches and detached garages or midcentury ranch-style houses with picture windows. Both offer three to four bedrooms, a good size for growing families. “Events like Canal Days and the Scarecrow Festival are designed for families,” Houghton says. “They take place on the waterfront and include children’s activities.” With so much focus on the canal, it may come as no surprise that new construction is happening there too. Luxury town houses with canal views, two-car garages and private rooftop decks are being sold for over $1 million, and two-bedroom condos with amenities like underground parking and fitness and yoga studios are listing at $500,000.

Several schools serve the Fairport community, each receiving an overall grade of B+ or higher from Niche. They include Dudley School, a K-2 elementary with a student-teacher ratio of 12:1. Teachers at Northside School, where grades three to five are taught, were ranked among the best in New York. Johanna Perrin, a 6-8 middle school, and Minerva Deland School, a ninth-grade junior high, both offer low 10:1 student-teacher ratios, and Johanna Perrin has been recognized as one of the top New York public middle schools. Students at Fairport Senior High, serving grades 10 through 12, scored well on state test scores, achieving a 96% proficiency in math. With high participation in boys and girls athletics, this high school was named one of the best New York high schools for athletics.

Located on the canal, Kennelley Park was named after a former mayor and is the site of a free concert series that takes place around the park’s gazebo. The Main Street bridge runs next to the park and connects to the northern bank, where boaters and kayakers can take advantage of the Erie Canal Dock and Canoe Launch, and bicyclists and hikers can hop on the Empire State Trail, a 750-mile multiuse trail that runs from New York City to Buffalo. South of the Parker Street bridge, the Thomas Creek Wetlands Walk provides an ideal spot for birdwatching on its raised boardwalk, and Potter Park in the center of the Fairport offers many of the village’s recreational amenities, such as basketball, pickleball and tennis courts, baseball and soccer fields, and a community garden.

Fairport Village Landing, one of the main shopping centers along the canal, features a dozen shops and businesses, including the Fairport Public Library. Red Bird Market is one, a specialty grocery store owned by a mother-daughter duo. The Fairport Farmers Market is held in the parking lot of the shopping center on Saturdays from May until November. Across the canal, Lombardi’s Gourmet Foods prides itself on providing quality products, gift items and kitchen equipment for customers who enjoy fine dining at home. For a night out, visit the dining room or outdoor heated patio of The Porterhouse. This premium restaurant offers aged Angus steaks, fresh seafood, an extensive wine list and 15 aged, hand-selected scotches. For something hipper and more casual, B-Side is a vibrant food and live-music venue serving bar favorites, like burgers, wings and tacos, with local bands and DJs in the evening.

Only 10 miles southwest of Rochester, Fairport gives residents easy access to the city and all its cultural attractions without the city address. Yet, with several festivals and plenty of shops, bars and restaurants to explore, Fairport gives villagers plenty of reasons to stick close to home.