Livonia blends rural quiet with a growing luxury lake scene
Vibrant lakefront living, country charm and a connected community form the fabric of Livonia, a Livingston County community that serves as a western gateway to the Finger Lakes. Located on the east side of Conesus Lake, the rural town includes the village of Livonia and the hamlet of Lakeville as well as several smaller hamlets. “You have this idyllic small town without a stoplight, and then you have a very budding lake community,” says Matthew Sharman, a Realtor with Empire Realty Group who was born and raised in Livonia. “People are coming in and renovating the cottages and fishing shacks, and it’s becoming more of a luxury market.” The area also receives a CAP Index Crime Score of 2 out of 10, lower than the national score of 4 out of 10.
Year-round lake activities and scenic parks draw locals
Conesus Lake, the most westerly of the Finger Lakes, is a year-round hub of activity. Summer brings boating, swimming and water sports to the 3,000-acre lake, while portable fishing huts and hockey nets dot the lake once the winter freeze sets in. Vitale Park in Lakeville features a boat launch, playground and walking trails with plenty of benches to stop and enjoy the scenery. “Hemlock Lake is kind of forgotten,” Sharman says. “It’s a popular destination for people because it’s an untouched lake. It’s a water source for the surrounding area and you can only have certain-sized boats on there, and there’s no swimming and no houses.” The placid lake is especially popular for fishing, kayaking and stand-up paddleboarding. The nearby Old Hickory Golf Club is open to the public. Locals are also about 20 miles from Letchworth State Park, a vast valley with deep gorges, cascading waterfalls and brilliant fall foliage.
Rural properties, historic homes and lakefront estates
Lakefront living is a major draw for the area, and options range from small cottages and prefabricated homes to spacious waterfront estates. Buyers can also find historic homes from the 1800s in the village core as well as rural homes on multiple acres. Some homeowners have enough space to hunt on their own land. Many homes were built after the 1970s, and common designs include Colonial Revival, split-level and ranch-style. The median price is about $300,000, on par with Geneseo , although sprawling waterfront homes with docks and private lake access can cost up to $1 million.
A growing brewery scene in Lakeville and local farms
West’s Shurfine is the only grocery store in Livonia, but nearby Geneseo also has Walmart and Aldi. “I think the area will become kind of a lakeside commerce area. It’s already kind of changing that way,” Sharman says. “For Lakeville, it has an up-and-coming brewery scene that’s exploding. There are four or five breweries and a cidery.” Options include Old Stump Blower (OSB) Ciderworks, Solitude Brewing Company, little Lake Brewing and No BS Brew Company. Deer Run Winery, the only winery on Conesus Lake, grows its own grapes and sources additional fruit exclusively from the Finger Lakes region. The local dining scene features destination restaurants like Galene, an upscale New American eatery on the water, and Ember Woodfire Grill, where seasonal small plates and sourdough pizzas are served in a restored train station. Locals can get fresh produce from farm stands and Community Supported Agriculture programs, a subscription-like service where consumers prepay for “shares” of the farm’s harvest and receive regular allotments of goods.
Livonia schools getting $43 million in facility improvements
Kids can start at Livonia Elementary School, which receives a B-minus rating from Niche, before heading to the combined Livonia Middle/High School, rated C-plus. The district is primed to complete a $43 million facilities project in 2026, which includes the new Saunders Sports Complex and Field House, classroom upgrades, infrastructure improvements and security enhancements at each building. “The athletic compound is almost campus-like,” Sharman says. The State University of New York at Geneseo, also known as SUNY Geneseo, is about 10 miles away.
Rochester is about 30 minutes away
Residents have easy access to Interstate 390, which leads to Rochester and Frederick Douglass Greater Rochester International Airport about 30 miles away. Nearby Geneseo has two urgent care centers, but the closest emergency department is about 20 miles away at Noyes Memorial Hospital in Dansville.
Locals look forward to the Ring of Fire
Livonia’s year-round events include summer concerts at Vitale Park as well as Autumn in the Village, a fall craft and vendor fair. “The Ring of Fire is a summer tradition that everybody waits for, and it’s the busiest time of year for the entire community,” Sharman says. “At some point, everyone agreed to celebrate the Fourth of July on the third, and that’s unique to the area. People still do stuff on the fourth, but the third is the big deal. Everyone gets a flare on the lake, and it’s a huge ring of fire.”
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Written By
Leslie Klosterman
