Living here is the closest to paradise that a person will likely experience in this world

National Geographic magazine ran a spread on the Finger Lakes Region over 20 years ago under the heading, “Unparalleled in all the World.”

The signature photo was taken on the hills overlooking Owasco Lake, about two miles from our lakeside home where we reside from late spring through early fall.

Most of the other prime lakes — Skaneateles, Cayuga, Seneca, Kueka, and Canandaigua — are also named for the Indian tribes that migrated and settled this lush land. Natives know that the lakes were formed by the southernmost penetration of finger-like glaciers eons ago, but few understand how this phenomenon affects the underlying soil (mineral-rich silt ground fine by the glaciers) and the modifying effect on climate, all of which contributes to a perfect area for growing fruits and vegetables, particularly wine grapes.

The finest wines in the world come from this region and outclass those from France, Italy and California. Ironically, California winemakers purchase grapes from Finger Lakes vineyards and market them under California brands.

Beyond providing one of the finest growing climates in the world, the Finger Lakes also offer one of the most ideal living climates. These deep-glacially formed and spring-fed waters encompass heat sinks that modify the local weather. The unique bodies of water are surrounded by hills, which entrap cool breezes and cause late springs, extended autumns and brilliantly colored fall foliage.

Autumn puts on a show on the shores of the Finger Lakes not to be found anywhere else. Trees bud about three weeks later in spring and hold their leaves later in the fall. Also, winters are milder immediately adjacent to the lakes. Snowfall levels are usually lower than in nearby Syracuse, Rochester and Buffalo.
Early Indian settlers built their hogans (long communal buildings) adjacent to the lakes, thereby taking advantage of natural air conditioning (cooler in summer, warmer in spring and fall).

The Indians brought corn to America, and to this day the Finger Lakes region produces the best corn to be found anywhere.

Only the locals can enjoy some of the exotic species such as “butter and sugar,” which comes in late summer and is the sweetest of all sweet corns. Of course our Native Americans brought many other customs and attitudes that still cling to the area and contribute to the “laid-back life style” referred to in the National Geographic piece.

Since the turn of the 20th Century, the Finger Lakes have served as a summer escape for presidents, and potentates, pundits and poets, and many others who wish to escape the sweltering heat of the cities — as well as the “madding crowd.”

Presidents Theodore Roosevelt and Andrew Jackson, secretary of state William Seward, General Ulysses S. Grant, General George Armstrong Custer, John D. Rockefeller — all had summer getaways in the Finger Lakes. Even Jenny Lind, the “Swedish Nightingale,” sang her sweet songs by a grove at the lakefront adjacent to the site of our lakeside townhouse at Martin Point on Owasco Lake.

The Finger Lakes form an oasis in a sea of urban and suburban sprawl that stretches from Albany to Buffalo in Upstate New York. Shermans Travel LLC, a widely respected New York City review and rating agency, rates the Finger Lakes Region as the top lakeside retreat in the world, rating Lake Kawaguchi in Japan as No. 2, and Lake Cuomo in Italy No. 3. “The 11 Finger Lakes are interspersed by pastoral landscapes of quaint waterfront villages and scenic vistas of gushing waterfalls and rocky gorges. To the rest of the world it’s largely a secret,” read Shermans’ report.

The accompanying and inspiring photo that illustrates this article was taken by local photographer John McCarthy and is titled “The Finger Lakes Photographer.” It shows the five main lakes at sunset from east to  west (Skaneateles, Owasco, Cayuga, Seneca and Canandaigua). This epic portrait of the lakes decorates many walls in the area, including ours. We have seen this awesome sight, from our airplane, over the years, as we approached Skaneateles Airdrome for landing. On a personal note, I can tell you that having traveled the world and seen Lake Cuomo as well as many other of the worlds resorts, there is no sight that tops this and no other place on earth that beats living in the Finger Lakes. We can leave our office in Syracuse on a hot sticky day and in less than 30 minutes arrive at the lake (always three or four degrees cooler) and be swimming in the fresh, clear water minutes after.

Dinner on the deck and watching the sun set in a pink and purple sky brings the day to a beautiful and peaceful end.

Living in the Finger Lakes is the closest to paradise that a person will likely experience in this world.