Overview - Livingston County

Livingston County is in the Finger Lakes Region of New York State, south of Rochester and east of Buffalo. Monroe County, the biggest county in the area, is north. To the east is Ontario County and more of the Finger Lakes. The sprawling Letchworth State Park, a hugely popular attraction for outdoor enthusiasts and often called “The Grand Canyon of the East,” runs along the western border with Wyoming County. Geneseo, the centrally located county seat, is home to the State University College at Geneseo, which draws students from throughout the state.

The enormous Mount Morris Dam, which protects the Genesee Valley from flooding from the Genesee River, is in Mount Morris, the home of Francis Bellamy, author of the Pledge of Allegiance. Conesus Lake, one of the smaller Finger Lakes and popular with boaters, campers and picnickers, is in the central part of the county, between Geneseo and Livonia.

Livingston is primarily an agricultural county with plenty of wide-open spaces. The lakes – the other is Hemlock Lake, a small, protected and undeveloped Finger Lake – provide relaxing entertainment. Many of the towns have villages with small shopping districts; Livingston County has no cities within its borders. Bigger retailers like Walmart and Wegmans have been moving into Geneseo, providing more options.

Recreation & Entertainment

Avon has one of the few drive-in movie theaters in the region. A large open-air flea market also is held on the grounds during warm-weather months. There’s a National Warplane Museum in Geneseo that hosts an annual air show in the summer. The Empire Dragway, with drag racing, is in Leicester. There’s a monastery, the Abbey of the Genesee, in the hamlet of Piffard. The first chapter of the American Red Cross was formed in Dansville. Genesee Country Village & Museum is in Mumford, just north of Caledonia in the northern part of the county.

Livingston County is a quick drive to Rochester via Interstate 390. Livingston County has about 65,000 residents, with most of the more-populated towns in the north.