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Location and Setting of Area
Geographically, the Finger Lakes RC&D area is located in the west central portion of New York State, with its southern boundary touching the Pennsylvania state line. The total population of the area is 367,207 with approximately 79% being considered rural. The major urban concentrations are found in the cities of Corning (10,842); Canandaigua (11,264); Elmira (30,904); Hornell (9,019), and Geneva (13,617). The majority of Chemung & Steuben Counties lie within the Susquehanna River Basin; all of Seneca and Yates Counties along with most of Ontario & Schuyler Counties lie within the Oswego River Basin.
Agriculture makes up 31.8% of the total land use of the region or 707,200 acres. In addition agriculture is the number one industry of the region. The 4420 farms in the area annually produce agricultural goods valued at $289,848,000. Dairy farming is the dominant commercial enterprise, with grape production and the growing of other cash crops such as potatoes, oats, and vegetables contributing significantly to the total gross receipts of agriculture in the region. The annual mean precipitation for the region lies between 30-38 inches.
Recreation and tourism also play major roles in the local economy. All six counties lie within the world-renowned region of the Finger Lakes. In fact four of the largest Finger Lakes (Canandaigua, Cayuga, Keuka, and Seneca) are found at least partially within the RC&D area boundaries. Boating, fishing, hiking, hunting, water & snow skiing (cross country & downhill) are all recreational pursuits which lend themselves to the geography of the region.
The Corning Museum of Glass located in the Southern reaches of the Finger Lakes RC&D area, is recognized as New York State’s third most popular tourist destination after New York City, and NiagaraFalls. The region is also home of numerous museums including the National Women’s Hall of Fame; the National Soaring Museum; the Rockwell Museum of Western Art, the Glen H. Curtis Museum (the birthplace of Naval Aviation); the National War Plane Museum; M.M. Weaver Tile Drainage Museum; Memorial Day Museum; and the Women’s Rights National Historic Park. The world famous Watkins Glen International Race Course plays host to one of only two road races on NASCAR’s Winston Cup Series.
The region's forest resources constitute 1,080,148 acres or approximately 48.6% of the area's total land use. The region is known worldwide for its hard maple, white oak, and black cherry. This resource also contributes significantly to the economy of the area. Located in both Schuyler and Seneca Counties is the Finger Lakes National Forest consists of 16,176 acres.
Established industries such as Birkett Mills; Corning Inc.;
Dresser-Rand; Gould Pumps; Hardinge Inc.; Gunlocke; Mercury Aircraft;
Kodak Polychrome Graphic, LLC; Schweizer Aircraft Corp.; Seneca Foods;
and Toshiba-Westinghouse continue to provide additional employment opportunities.
New industrial employers include GEC Alsthom and Guardian Glass.
Regional planning efforts which complement the RC&D area plan are
coordinated by two separate regional planning boards, the Southern Tier
Central RPB and the Genesee Finger Lakes RPB. All six counties lie within
the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation Region 8 jurisdiction,
which is headquartered in Avon, N.Y. while two NYS Dept. of Economic Development
regions Southern Tier and Finger Lakes cover the six county region.