Canandaigua

History

Developed near Canandaigua Lake at the site of the historic Seneca village of , 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, 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 original 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 paddle-wheel tour boat; and Sonnenberg Gardens and Mansion State Historic Park. 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, 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 on…

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, 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 region, the largest wine-producing area in New York. The city is on U.S. Route 20 and NY Routes 5 and 21. Köppen Dfa, hot summer humid continental climate.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  13,164
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  11,814
• American Goldfinch

  Spinus tristis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  10,805
• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  9,913
• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  9,527
• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  9,274
• Black-capped Chickadee

  Poecile atricapillus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  9,238
• Red-winged Blackbird

  Agelaius phoeniceus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  9,077

Most recent

• M 2.6 — 2022-03-15
  5 km SSW of Warsaw, New York
• M 2.91 — 2009-06-05
  4 km SSE of Attica, New York
• M 2.6 — 2007-12-13
  7 km NW of Warsaw, New York
• M 2.59 — 2007-04-11
  6 km NNE of Sodus Point, New York
• M 2.59 — 2005-10-31
  7 km NNW of Ontario, New York