Geneseo

Geneseo is a village of 8,000 people (2020) in the Finger Lakes region of New York. The Geneseo Historic District has been designated as a National Historic Landmark.

Understand
Agriculture is a large contributor to Geneseo's economy. Geneseo is also used by many as a bedroom community for jobs in Rochester, 30 miles (48 km) to the north.

In its addition of Geneseo to the National Register of Historic Places in 1991, the National Park Service said,
 * "One of the most remarkably preserved villages in northwestern New York, Geneseo is one of the best examples of "picturesque" architecture and town planning as expounded by American landscape architect Andrew Jackson Downing (1815−1852) in his enormously popular and influential books. The cohesive quality of the surviving town displays a textbook of styles and is almost unique in American architectural history. The relatively sophisticated and imposing structures included in the district reflect the village's early-19th century prosperity as a market place for the valley's farming communities."

Get in
At the junction of State Routes 39 and 63 with U.S. Route 20, Geneseo is about 30 miles (50 km) south of Rochester International Airport in Rochester, New York.

Get around
As it's such a small village (and a college town), Geneseo is pretty pedestrian-friendly. It's also car-friendly, but finding a parking space can be difficult.

See

 * The foundation of Geneseo lies in the center of Main Street, in the form of a bronze bear statue who appears to be holding up a light pole in the middle of Main Street.

Do
Geneseo is a college town. It is the location of one of the colleges in the State University of New York. In the 1960s its campus began to be too big. When the drinking age was lowered to 18, the market for bars ruined Main Street. The college is now very selective, and the village has been registered as an historic landmark, because the village values highly its rural heritage. A mile or two away is a WWII aircraft museum, with dirt airfield and yearly air show. Six miles away is Letchworth State Park, with planted trees now quite tall. People who own horses come to events nearby, and there is a yearly 5K road race.

Buy
There are always all kinds of cute little shops coming in and out of town. A perennial favorite is Touch of Grayce, which is located at 65 Main Street.

Go next

 * Letchworth State Park &mdash; five minutes down the road on NY 39; it feature three major waterfalls and 66 miles (105 km) of hiking trails