Seneca offers rural living among the Finger Lakes of New York
The small community of Seneca comprises a couple of sparsely populated hamlets and a few hundred acres of farmland in New York’s Finger Lakes region. It’s quintessentially rural and relatively quiet. “It’s country out there,” says Realtor Tamarah DeWolf of Empire Realty Group. She’s sold homes across the region for over a decade and has lived nearby for 45 years. “There’s a lot of farmland, and the towns are really small.” The community’s farms supply dozens of local stands and markets where folks grab fresh produce. “There are a lot of roadside stands,” DeWolf says. “There are fruit stands, and veggie stands… I stop at them randomly here and there.” Seneca also sits near Seneca Lake, a massive regional draw for fishing, boating and its surrounding wineries.
Historic homes on large rural lots
Seneca’s rural landscapes includes large farms and sizable hunting properties with established homes. A few smaller lots are across the area, but homes generally sit on at least an acre; a few recently sold homes sit on 10-plus-acre lots. Roads wind around fields of soybeans and corn. Several houses are historic, including a diverse mix of colonial, Greek revival and farmhouse-style homes. “There are a lot of old-style homes… many from the late 1800s and early 1900s,” DeWolf says. Several mid-20th-century ranch-style homes pepper the community. New construction is limited in the area. Homes on less than an acre can sell for around $100,000, while those on nearly 20 acres can sell for $460,000.
Local schools offer various student clubs and extracurriculars
Multiple school districts serve Seneca, including Gorham-Middlesex Central School District, which has a B-minus on Niche. Pre-kindergarten through second-grade students attend Middlesex Valley Primary School, which receives a B-minus, and third through fifth-grade students attend the C-plus-rated Gorham Intermediate School. Marcus Whitman Middle School scores a C-plus, and Marcus Whitman High School has a B-minus. The high school features a robust list of student clubs, including the ukulele club, jazz ensemble and outdoor adventure club. The Geneva City School District and Phelps-Clifton Springs Central School District also serve the community, scoring a B-minus and a C, respectively.
A day on Seneca Lake, plus a popular hiking and biking trail
Residents benefit from Seneca’s location near several Finger Lakes. Seneca Lake is the closest to most homes in the community. It has about 35 miles of shoreline and reaches depths just shy of 300 feet. Lake-goers enjoy a mix of water activities, from boating to kayaking, and fishing is popular; it hosts the annual National Lake Trout Derby. Lakefront Park in Geneva offers public access to Seneca Lake, with several concrete launches. Seneca Lake State Park, about 9 miles east, offers additional lake access with playgrounds, a swimming area and plenty of space to dock a boat. Geneva also has several parks off the water. Jefferson Park has playgrounds and sports facilities. Cyclists and hikers enjoy Ontario Pathways, which winds toward Canandaigua.
Small businesses and shopping in Geneva
Seneca has some locally owned businesses scattered across the community. New Hall Diner offers country dishes from a historic home off Route 14A. The diner serves breakfast staples and sandwiches before it closes at 2 p.m. Sweet Acres Creamery has milkshakes and ice cream crafted with local dairy products products, along with sandwiches, wraps and full breakfast plates. The creamery also has a market of regional goods, like honey, meats and cheeses. Walmart Supercenter is accessible within a mile east of the creamery.
Locals often head into Geneva for additional shopping and dining. The historic lakefront village has a collection of shops, a few taverns, ice-cream parlors and cafés. It’s also home to Wegmans. Several vineyards overlook Seneca Lake, just east of the community, home to wineries, like White Springs Winery. “Seneca Lake is very well known for wine tours,” DeWolf says. “There are a lot of wineries around the lake.”
Navigating Ontario County
Residents depend on cars to get around, and U.S. Route 20 cuts through the community’s northern end. The highway connects Seneca with nearby villages like Geneva, about 7 miles east, and Canandaigua, around 12 miles west. Commuters also have access to New York state routes 245 and 14A. Geneva General Hospital is one of the nearest full-service medical facilities. Rochester is around 40 miles northwest of Seneca, and is home to the Frederick Douglass Greater Rochester International Airport.
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Written By
Brennen Martin
