On behalf of the Watkins Glen Area Chamber of Commerce, welcome to Schuyler County! We’re pleased you stopped by our website and look forward to personally welcoming you to our community in the near future!

 

Schuyler County is a place where vineyards and forests flourish, where waterfalls chisel their way through the rolling hillsides and where Seneca Lake stretches beyond the horizon. It is a natural setting, ripe for discovery for the whole family. Visitors are welcomed with turn-of-the 19^th century hospitality, a tradition since Watkins Glen gained prominence as a summer resort in the early 1900’s.

 

Schuyler County is steeped in history and tradition. Native Americans dwelt in upper Watkins Glen even before Columbus’s time. Once the land of the Indians of the Great Long House, it is now known throughout the world as the home of the famed Watkins Glen State Park, one of the oldest public parks in America (it opened in 1863). 

 

The community recently celebrated its 60^th anniversary of road racing. The checkered flag first dropped here in 1948 … a time when man and machine used the village streets and hillsides for its race course. Today, Watkins Glen International hosts a full calendar of international motor racing events on a world-class raceway. The original racetrack has been recognized on the National Register of Historic Places … the Village celebrates its road racing heritage each year with the Watkins Glen Vintage Grand Prix Festival…where the cars return to streets for a day of racing on the original course.

 

Schuyler County is comprised of rural communities with a combined population of just a tad over 19,000. Tourism, agriculture and salt production are its major industries. Watkins Glen, the County Seat with a population of 2,149 is located at the southern tip of Seneca Lake. Under the leadership of the Watkins Glen Area Chamber of Commerce (formerly known as the Schuyler County Chamber of Commerce) our business community has developed and expanded, offering significant opportunities for economic growth. Schuyler County boasts of community excellence in numerous areas.

 

Tourism is the number one growth industry in Schuyler County. Annual visitors to the Watkins Glen Area have been estimated at 2,000,000. In 2009, our Visitors Center saw tourists from 47 states and over 20 countries! We hope to see visitors from Iowa, Wyoming, and Hawaii in 2010.

 

Agriculture remains a prominent industry with our County. Seneca Lake provides the ideal climatic environment for the areas wine-making enterprises and we lay claim to being the second largest wine producing region in the United States … second only to Napa Valley. Over 700 feet deep, Seneca Lake’s glacial “lake effect” shelters the lush vineyards that flank her shores. Retaining residual summer warmth in the winter and winter’s cold in the spring, the vineyards receive protection from disastrous spring frosts during grape formation and early fall frosts before the harvest. In 2005 the area boasted 42 wineries on Seneca Lake … currently, more than 50 wineries, of the over 90 in the Finger Lakes region, open their doors to visitors from all over the world.

 

Salt production is one of the county’s most significant industries. The salt on your table undoubtedly was mined in the salt caverns located under Seneca Lake. Two major salt companies are located on our shores … Cargill Salt, Inc. and US Salt LLC produce hundreds of thousands of tons of salt annually, packaging under many different brand names.

 

Schuyler County is a small, rural community and is extremely fortunate to have Schuyler Hospital within its geographical boundaries. Daily, the Hospital and its competent staff meet the diverse health care and wellness needs of the community offering care to walk-in patients; 24 hour, fully staff emergency care and full hospital services. It supports a labor force of 400 employees making it the largest employer in Schuyler County.

 

Schuyler County is governed by an eight member Legislature, all elected for four year terms. Recently, the community voted to hire a County Administrator.   Schuyler County local government structure comprises eight towns directed by Town Boards and Supervisors and four villages governed by Mayors and Village Boards.

 

Our economic development initiatives are led by the Schuyler County Partnership for Economic Development (SCOPED) .. an organization dedicated to fostering economic, growth in Schuyler County. The Watkins Glen Area Chamber of Commerce works closely with this economic development arm of the community to promote the area to visitors, people seeking to relocate and the business community. In 2008, a new four-star waterfront lodging/conference facility opened its doors, propelling the business community into a dynamic and visionary approach to further enhancing business and tourism opportunities.

 

Schuyler County represents a vitality … a force … a spirit. Communities within the County are fiercely proud of their heritage and tradition and are supremely confident and optimistic as they look to future. Schuyler County considers itself fortunate to have so many jewels in its crown … and it is eager to share its many assets and opportunities with its friends throughout the world!

 

Our door is open … hope to see you soon!

Rebekah LaMoreaux

President

Watkins Glen Area Chamber of Commerce