Canandaigua () is a

city A city is a human settlement of a substantial size. The term "city" has different meanings around the world and in some places the settlement can be very small. Even where the term is limited to larger settlements, there is no universally agree ...

Ontario County, New York Ontario County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 112,458. The county seat is Canandaigua. The county is part of the Finger Lakes region of the state. Ontario County is pa ...

, United States. Its population was 10,576 at the 2020 census. It is the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

of Ontario County; some administrative offices are at the county complex in the adjacent town of Hopewell.Google Maps (3019 County Complex Drive, Canandaigua, New York)
Retrieved Jan. 14, 2015.Ontario County, New York
Retrieved Jan. 14, 2015. The city is surrounded by the Town of Canandaigua. The City of Canandaigua is on the northern end of Canandaigua Lake, one of the Finger Lakes, southeast of Rochester, west of Syracuse, and east of Buffalo. Canandaigua is part of the Greater Rochester area and is Rochester’s southernmost suburb. Parts of six neighboring towns also share the Canandaigua mailing address and 14424 ZIP Code.

History

Overview

Developed near Canandaigua Lake at the site of the historic Seneca village of ''Tganödä:gwëh,'' by the mid-19th century Canandaigua was an important railroad junction and home port for several steamboats that operated on the lake. After the

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

, local industries included two brick works, the Lisk Manufacturing Company, several mills, and the regionally prominent McKechnie Brewery. The shire town of the original county of western New York, Canandaigua was the site of the trial of Susan B. Anthony in 1873 on charges of voting illegally because only men were allowed to vote. In the 21st century, the town is a center for business, government, health care, and education. Canandaigua is the home of Constellation Brands, founded as Canandaigua Wine Company, which produces Manischewitz wine; Finger Lakes Community College; Thompson Health System; the Constellation Brands – Marvin Sands Performing Arts Center (CMAC); Granger Homestead; the ''

Canandaigua Lady Canandaigua () is a City (New York), city in Ontario County, New York, United States. Its population was 10,576 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Ontario County; some administrative offices are at the county complex in the adjacent t ...

'' paddle-wheel tour boat; and Sonnenberg Gardens and Mansion State Historic Park.

Chronological

French explorers Robert de La Salle and René de Bréhant de Galinée visited the region in 1669. They recorded seeing a burning spring known to the Seneca in what is now known as the nearby Town of Bristol. The water of the spring appears to burn as a flame; this is caused by escaping

natural gas Natural gas (also fossil gas, methane gas, and gas) is a naturally occurring compound of gaseous hydrocarbons, primarily methane (95%), small amounts of higher alkanes, and traces of carbon dioxide and nitrogen, hydrogen sulfide and helium ...

, and several such burning springs have been noted in the Canandaigua area. The city was the historic site of ''Tganödä:gwëh,'' a Seneca village. The village site was later used for West Avenue Cemetery. The village was formed by former residents of the Ganondagan Seneca village, destroyed by the French in 1687. The Tganödä:gwëh Seneca village, consisting of 23 longhouses, was destroyed during the American Revolutionary War by the

Sullivan Expedition The 1779 Sullivan Expedition (also known as the Sullivan-Clinton Expedition, the Sullivan Campaign, and the Sullivan-Clinton Campaign) was a United States military campaign under the command of General John Sullivan (general), John Sullivan duri ...

on September 10, 1779. American rebels had mounted this attack in reprisal for an attack by Mohawk and other British allies on Cherry Valley in the eastern part of the territory. The American forces attacked Iroquois villages throughout western New York, destroying 40 and burning the winter stores of the people. The Iroquois fled to Fort Niagara as refugees, and many died of starvation that winter. After the war, pioneer settlers came from eastern New York and New England. They founded the city's public high school, Canandaigua Academy, in 1791. On November 11, 1794, the Treaty of Canandaigua was signed in the town by representatives of the United States of America and the Six Nations of the

Iroquois The Iroquois ( ), also known as the Five Nations, and later as the Six Nations from 1722 onwards; alternatively referred to by the Endonym and exonym, endonym Haudenosaunee ( ; ) are an Iroquoian languages, Iroquoian-speaking Confederation#Ind ...

; the British had ceded Iroquois lands without consulting them, and the US forced most of the Iroquois Native Americans out of the state. It established two small reservations for the Seneca and Oneida, who had been allies of the American rebels, but they suffered considerable enmity and discrimination after the war. What is now the city, separated from the Town of Canandaigua to become the Village of Canandaigua in 1815 and a city in 1913. In 1807–1808, Jesse Hawley, a flour merchant from

Geneva Geneva ( , ; ) ; ; . is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland and the most populous in French-speaking Romandy. Situated in the southwest of the country, where the Rhône exits Lake Geneva, it is the ca ...

, served 20 months in the Canandaigua debtors' prison. He was an early proponent of building a canal through the Mohawk Valley to improve shipping and connect the Hudson River with Lake Erie. During his time in prison, he published 14 influential essays on the canal concept.

Stephen A. Douglas Stephen Arnold Douglas (né Douglass; April 23, 1813 – June 3, 1861) was an American politician and lawyer from Illinois. As a United States Senate, U.S. senator, he was one of two nominees of the badly split Democratic Party (United States) ...

was a student at Canandaigua Academy between 1830 and January 1833; he later moved west and was elected as US senator from Illinois. He was the 1860 Democratic Party presidential nominee, losing to Republican

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was the 16th president of the United States, serving from 1861 until Assassination of Abraham Lincoln, his assassination in 1865. He led the United States through the American Civil War ...

. This area of New York was a center of activism for women's suffrage and other progressive movements. In 1873, the Ontario County Courthouse, located in the City of Canandaigua, was the site of the trial of Susan B. Anthony, a leader of the

women's suffrage Women's suffrage is the women's rights, right of women to Suffrage, vote in elections. Several instances occurred in recent centuries where women were selectively given, then stripped of, the right to vote. In Sweden, conditional women's suffra ...

movement, who was arrested for voting at a time when only men were allowed to vote. She was found guilty and fined $100, which she did not pay.

John Willys John North Willys (; October 25, 1873 – August 26, 1935) was an American automotive pioneer and diplomat. His company, Willys-Overland Motor Company, Willys-Overland Motors, became the second largest carmaker in the United States after the For ...

, born in Canandaigua in 1873, operated a bicycle sales and repair shop there, before later becoming a successful automobile manufacturer. On October 30, 1900,

Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Jr. (October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), also known as Teddy or T.R., was the 26th president of the United States, serving from 1901 to 1909. Roosevelt previously was involved in New York (state), New York politics, incl ...

made a brief stop in Canandaigua to give a campaign speech at Atwater Park. In 1945, Marvin Sands founded Canandaigua Wine Company. With a growing American market for wine in the late 20th century, the company expanded rapidly through acquisitions in the 1980s and 1990s. It joined other companies in forming Constellation Brands, and became the world's largest wine and spirits distributor. In 2006, Canandaigua Wine Company rebranded as Centerra Wine Co., a subsidiary of Constellation Wines, U.S., Inc. On March 14, 2006, President

George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician and businessman who was the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Bush family and the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he i ...

visited Canandaigua, giving speeches at Canandaigua Academy and Ferris Hills, an independent residential living community for seniors. He was describing

Medicare Part D Medicare (United States), Medicare Part D, also called the Medicare prescription drug benefit, is an optional United States federal-government program to help Medicare beneficiaries pay for self-administered prescription drugs. Part D was enact ...

for senior citizens. The text of his speech at Ferris Hills can be foun
here

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, Canandaigua has an area of 4.8 square miles (12.5 km), of which 4.6 square miles (11.9 km) are land and 0.2 square mile (0.6 km) (4.75%) is covered by water. The city is at the northern end of Canandaigua Lake, in the

Finger Lakes The Finger Lakes are a group of eleven long, narrow, roughly north–south lakes located directly south of Lake Ontario in an area called the ''Finger Lakes region'' in New York (state), New York, in the United States. This region straddles th ...

region, the largest wine-producing area in New York. The city is on U.S. Route 20 and NY Routes 5 and 21.

Climate

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (1951–2014), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author ...

''Dfa'', hot summer humid continental climate.

Demographics

As of the census of 2010, there were 10,545 people, 4,789 households, and 2,470 families residing in the city. As of the census of 2000, there were 11,264 people, 4,762 households, and 2,666 families residing in the city in the year 2000 census. The population density was . There were 5,066 housing units at an average density of . The city's racial makeup was 96.04%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 1.53%

Black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.22% Native American, 0.66% Asian, 0.06%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 0.26% from other races, and 1.23% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 1.02% of the population. There were 4,762 households, out of which 27.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.7% were married couples living together, 12.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 44.0% were non-families. 35.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.25 and the average family size was 2.95. In the city, the age distribution of the population shows 23.3% under the age of 18, 8.1% from 18 to 24, 27.7% from 25 to 44, 22.0% from 45 to 64, and 18.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.5 males. The median income for a household in the city was $37,197, and the median income for a family was $47,388. Males had a median income of $31,950 versus $26,538 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the city was $20,153. About 5.9% of families and 9.5% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 8.9% of those under age 18 and 8.9% of those age 65 or over.

Education

The Canandaigua City School District serves Canandaigua and the surrounding region. The district includes Canandaigua Academy as its

high school A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary schools provide both ''lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper secondary education'' (ages 14 to 18), i.e., ...

. The main campus of Finger Lakes Community College is located just east of the city.

Culture and landmarks

* Sonnenberg Mansion and Gardens, a Victorian mansion and 50 acres (200,000 m²) of gardens, is now a state historic park; it is open from May through mid-October and requires an admission fee. * The New York Wine & Culinary Center, hosting a variety of exhibits, programs and classes related to New York State wine and agriculture products, opened in 2006 in downtown Canandaigua. * Kershaw Beach at the north end of Canandaigua Lake (on Lakeshore Drive) is open to the public for a small fee. * Canandaigua Lake State Marine Park is located in the city and offers several hard-surface boat ramps for access to Canandaigua Lake. * At 116 Gorham Street is located one of the relatively few remaining Octagon Houses in New York, which were popular for a time in the state. * The town of

Hopewell, New York Hopewell is a Administrative divisions of New York#Town, town in Ontario County, New York, Ontario County, New York (state), New York, United States. The population was 3,931 at the 2020 census. The Town of Hopewell is in the north central part ...

hosts an annual steam fair, called the Pageant of Steam, in August. * Finger Lakes Community College (partially located in the town of

) has the Constellation Brands – Marvin Sands Performing Arts Center, which features a variety of performances available to the community. *Canandaigua Farmer's Market is located in the Beeman and Lafayette St. Parking Lot and runs from June–October. *The ''Canandaigua Lady'' is a double-decker paddle wheel

steamboat A steamboat is a boat that is marine propulsion, propelled primarily by marine steam engine, steam power, typically driving propellers or Paddle steamer, paddlewheels. The term ''steamboat'' is used to refer to small steam-powered vessels worki ...

replica that offers public cruises on Canandaigua Lake from May–October. *Canandaigua hosts several festivals and large events throughout the year, such as the Finger Lakes Riesling Festival, Waterfront Art Festival, Canandaigua Art and Music Festival, LakeMusic Festival, Festival of Trees at the Granger Homestead and Carriage Museum, Christkindl Market, and the Finger Lakes Plein Air Festival. *Bristol Mountain is a winter resort in the Finger Lakes area. There are views from the summit and the 38 slopes and trails with provide a variety of inclines. It is 13.2 miles southwest of Canadiagua.

National Register of Historic Places

Within the City of Canandaigua, the following buildings, properties and districts are listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

Notable people

* George H. Boughton, former New York State Senator *

Phil Bredesen Philip Norman Bredesen Jr. (; born November 21, 1943) is an American politician and businessman who served as the 48th governor of Tennessee from 2003 to 2011. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he was elected in ...

, 48th

Governor of Tennessee The governor of Tennessee is the head of government of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the commander-in-chief of the U.S. state, state's Tennessee Military Department, military forces. The governor is the only official in the Government of Tenne ...

* Beriah Brown, former mayor of

Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...

* Caroline Chesebro' (1825–1873), writer * Timothy Childs, former US Congressman * Myron H. Clark, former

Governor of New York The governor of New York is the head of government of the U.S. state of New York. The governor is the head of the executive branch of New York's state government and the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The governor ...

(1855–1857) *

, former US Congressman and

senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or Legislative chamber, chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the Ancient Rome, ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior ...

from

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

known for his political rivalry with

. * Arthur Dove,

modernist Modernism was an early 20th-century movement in literature, visual arts, and music that emphasized experimentation, abstraction, and Subjectivity and objectivity (philosophy), subjective experience. Philosophy, politics, architecture, and soc ...

artist * Max Eastman, political activist, philosopher * Francis Granger, former US Congressman, US Postmaster General under presidents

William Henry Harrison William Henry Harrison (February 9, 1773April 4, 1841) was the ninth president of the United States, serving from March 4 to April 4, 1841, the shortest presidency in U.S. history. He was also the first U.S. president to die in office, causin ...

and

John Tyler John Tyler (March 29, 1790 – January 18, 1862) was the tenth president of the United States, serving from 1841 to 1845, after briefly holding office as the tenth vice president of the United States, vice president in 1841. He was elected ...

in 1841; son of Gideon Granger * Gideon Granger, US Postmaster General under President

Thomas Jefferson Thomas Jefferson (, 1743July 4, 1826) was an American Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the third president of the United States from 1801 to 1809. He was the primary author of the United States Declaration of Indepe ...

from 1801 to 1814; father of Francis Granger * Scott Greene, born in Canandaigua and played high school football at Canandaigua Academy, two-time team MVP at

Michigan State University Michigan State University (Michigan State or MSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan, United States. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State o ...

, former

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

running back *

John Greig John Greig (born 11 September 1942) is a Scottish former professional Association football, footballer who played as a Defender (association football), defender. He spent his entire career with Rangers F.C., Rangers, as a player, manager and d ...

, former US Congressman * Mary P. Hamlin (1871–1964), playwright"Mary Hamlin, Playwright, 93, Dies"
''Democrat and Chronicle''. June 27, 1964. p. 2B. * Jason Hawes, founder of The Atlantic Paranormal Society (TAPS), Paranormal investigator, star of Syfy series '' Ghost Hunters'' * Stanton Davis Kirkham, author and naturalist * James H. Knowlton, former member of the

Wisconsin State Assembly The Wisconsin State Assembly is the lower house of the Wisconsin Legislature. Together with the smaller Wisconsin Senate, the two constitute the legislative branch of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The Assembly is controlled by the Republican ...

* William H. Lamport, former US Congressman * Elbridge G. Lapham, former US Senator * Ryan Lochte, Olympic swimmer * Dudley Marvin, former US Congressman * Henry McDonald, professional football player * Brian Meehl, puppeteer and author * Michael O'Hanlon, foreign-policy expert and commentator * Michael Park, actor and Broadway star, born in Canandaigua, played Jack Snyder on ''

As the World Turns ''As the World Turns'' (often abbreviated as ''ATWT'') is an American television soap opera that aired on CBS for 54 years from April 2, 1956, to September 17, 2010. Irna Phillips created ''As the World Turns'' as a sister show to her other so ...

'' * Ryan Poles, general manager of the

Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They are one of two remaining ...

* Augustus Seymour Porter, Mayor of Detroit and U.S. Senator of Michigan * Emily James Smith Putnam (April 15, 1865–1944), author and educator * John Raines, former New York State Senator * Neil Rogers, Miami-based radio personality. * Howard J. Samuels, New York gubernatorial candidate, Undersecretary of Commerce, head of the U.S.

Small Business Administration The United States Small Business Administration (SBA) is an independent agency of the United States government that provides support to entrepreneurs and small businesses. The mission of the Small Business Administration is "to maintain and str ...

, first chairman of the New York City Off-Track Betting Corporation, commissioner of the

North American Soccer League The North American Soccer League (NASL) was the top-level major professional soccer league in the United States and Canada that operated from 1968 to 1984. It is considered the first soccer league to be successful on a national scale in the ...

* Sy Sanborn, sportswriter * Caroline Severance (1820–1914), abolitionist, suffragist, and founder of women’s clubs * Mark H. Sibley, former US Congressman * Philip Spencer, US

Naval Officer An officer is a person who holds a position of authority as a member of an armed force or uniformed service. Broadly speaking, "officer" means a commissioned officer, a non-commissioned officer (NCO), or a warrant officer. However, absent ...

, hanged without

court-martial A court-martial (plural ''courts-martial'' or ''courts martial'', as "martial" is a postpositive adjective) is a military court or a trial conducted in such a court. A court-martial is empowered to determine the guilt of members of the arme ...

for planning to mutiny and become a pirate * Troy Stark, former

University of Georgia The University of Georgia (UGA or Georgia) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university with its main campus in Athens, Georgia, United States. Chartered in 1785, it is the oldest public university in th ...

football player and NFL player, played at Canandaigua Academy * Thomas Benton Stoddard, first mayor of

La Crosse, Wisconsin La Crosse ( ) is a city in La Crosse County, Wisconsin, United States, and its county seat. Positioned alongside the Mississippi River, La Crosse is the largest city on Wisconsin's western border. La Crosse's population was 52,680 as of the 202 ...

, former member of the

* Mary Clark Thompson (1835–July 28, 1923), born Mary Lee Clark, noted philanthropist and wife of banker Frederick Ferris Thompson * Richard C. Wesley, federal judge on the

United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit The United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit (in case citations, 2d Cir.) is one of the thirteen United States Courts of Appeals. Its territory covers the states of Connecticut, New York (state), New York, and Vermont, and it has ap ...

* Kristen Wiig, born in Canandaigua, actress, comedian and former cast member of ''

Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (''SNL'') is an American Late night television in the United States, late-night live television, live sketch comedy variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Michaels and Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC. The ...

'' * Eloise Wilkin, award-winning American illustrator, best known as an illustrator of Little Golden Books * Roy Wilkinson, former

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

player *

, automotive pioneer

References

External links

City of Canandaigua

Downtown Canandaigua
{{DEFAULTSORT:Canandaigua (City), New York Populated places established in 1815 Cities in New York (state) County seats in New York (state) Cities in Rochester metropolitan area, New York Cities in Ontario County, New York 1815 establishments in New York (state)