A focus on rural, outdoor living in Portage
Homes are tucked away on acres of farmland and woods in Portage, a small town about an hour outside Rochester. The town borders Letchworth State Park, an over-14,400-acre park with striking waterfall views and trails that attracted over 1 million visitors in 2024. “It’s all about outdoor living in Portage,” says Matthew Sharman, Realtor at Empire Realty Group in Dansville. He stresses that the state park is a large draw, and buyers looking for land and space find a strong value here in Livingston County. “It’s prime for the ‘unpluggers,’ the people that want to move out of large metro areas and find a simpler type of life,” he says.
Homes on acreage and land for sale
Rural roads wind through fields and forest in Portage. Land comes up for sale here more frequently than homes do in Portage, with land typically selling for between $3,000 and $6,000 per acre. Common home styles include National and Colonial Revival houses from the 1800s and early 1900s, while newer homes built between the late 20th century and today include ranch styles, log cabins and cottages. Home values are typically between $70,000 and $500,000, with an average value of around $185,000. Portage has a CAP Index Crime Score of 1, below the national average of 4.
Letchworth State Park has impressive views
Just north of Portage, Letchworth State Park has waterfalls and 66 miles of hiking trails along the Genesee River. Sometimes referred to as the “Grand Canyon of the East,” the river drops off a 600-foot gorge. “You have international travelers that come to look at Letchworth State Park. It’s breathtaking,” Sharman says. Families can also visit Portage Town Park, which has an open field, picnic shelter and playground equipment off Maple Street.
Students attend the Keshequa Central School District
Students are zoned for the Keshequa Central School District, which scores a C from Niche. Keshequa Elementary School has a C-minus Niche rating, while Keshequa Middle School and Keshequa Secondary School both earn C ratings. The high school participates in the Genesee Valley BOCES program. Students in the program can take career and technical education courses in subjects like culinary arts and cosmetology, or earn an associate's degree in applied science by the time they graduate through the Early College High School Program.
Necessities in Nunda, Dansville
The post office, town hall and Hunt Baptist Church are off Portage’s Main Street, but locals will have to drive for restaurants and other amenities. The neighboring town of Nunda has casual restaurants like Lightyear’s Bar & Grill, serving drinks alongside staples like wings and burgers. For groceries, TOPS Friendly Markets is about 17 miles east in Dansville. “For a lot of people, if you plan right, you can go to the grocery store once a week. And is it really that big a deal to travel 25 minutes so you can enjoy the rest of the week in natural beauty?,” Sharman says.
Driving to Rochester and Buffalo from Portage
Rochester is about 50 miles northeast of Portage, and drivers can get there on Interstate 390. State Route 78 connects Portage to Buffalo, about 60 miles northwest. The Rochester and Buffalo areas both have commercial airports. For medical care, the Wyoming County Community Health System in Warsaw and the Noyes Memorial Hospital in Dansville are both about 20 miles away.
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Written By
Faith Wakefield
