About Geneva

About Us...

The great City of Geneva is located on the northern shore of Seneca Lake. The City is rapidly becoming a center for tourism in the renowned Finger Lakes Wine Region of upstate New York. The wine industry is illustrative of an economy rooted in agriculture and cultural development.

Our posture as a tourism center is only one component of our robust local economy. The City also boasts tremendous manufacturing and service sectors, and a post-secondary educational environment that rivals larger communities throughout the U.S.

At its core, Geneva remains a community of neighborhoods, rooted in small town Americana; with the sounds of Junior Football crowds and after-work softball leagues drifting in the distant breeze of front porch cocktails at dusk.

Neighborhoods

Geneva is comprised of eleven distinct neighborhoods, ranging from large, sprawling lakefront estates to quaint cottages and live-work condominiums in historic downtown. Our Office of Neighborhood Initiatives provides support to grass-roots neighborhood associations. These groups are the voice of the residents, driving local policy and operational decisions, geared at making Geneva an incredible place to live and raise a family.

Education

The City is home to four post-secondary educational institutions including two world-class private colleges, the agricultural research arm of Cornell University, and an extension of upstate New York’s premier community college campus.

Hobart and William Smith Colleges, headed by former White House Communications Director Mark Gearan, boasts an amazing tradition of liberal arts education; with a focus on community-based collaborative learning initiatives and environmental sustainability.

Cornell University’s Agricultural Experiment Station is host to the Grape Genetics Unit charged with exploration of enhancement of New York’s burgeoning wine industry.Additionally, programs like the Integrated Pest Management initiative ensure sustainable agricultural practices in the Empire State and beyond.

Finger Lakes Community College charges its student body with continued diversification of the region’s workforce and tax base. Expanded programming in viticulture and the culinary arts continue to cement Geneva in its position as regional host to the world.

Industry

As America’s industrial rebirth buds, Geneva serves as a leader. With major manufacturers like Guardian Glass, boasting over 300 employees producing millions of dollars in domestic glass products, and Zotos International, with its environmentally sustainable beauty product lines (powered by the City’s first wind turbines!) Geneva remains an industrial hub.

In the shadow of these major employment and production centers, entrepreneurial efforts like the new Vere Sandals, America’s first sandal manufacturer, and Space Manufacturers, developers of niche, high end office, home, and hotel furniture thrive with City incentives and low cost municipal incubator space.

Tourism

At the heart of Geneva’s local economy is an ever-evolving culture and wine-centered tourism industry. Downtown Geneva serves the region well as Main Street Wine Country. Our hundreds of hotel rooms and dozens of restaurants play host to destination weddings, corporate training and networking events, and the casual traveler exploring the Seneca, Cayuga, and Keuka Wine Trails.

Visitors are dazzled by the natural beauty of our sixty acre waterfront park, flanked by museums and performance venues like the renowned Smith Opera House; featuring international performing acts from Pink Floyd to Pavarotti.

Come to town for a quick pint at the local Irish pub, followed by a filet wrapped in bacon, before Rusted Root on stage at the Smith, capped off with a moonlit stroll along the Seneca to your lakeview suite…and that’s just Friday night! There’s also coffee and a scone topped off with a park bench and plenty of peace and quiet if that’s your thing…