Ontario County, New York

Ontario County is a county in New York, United States, in the Finger Lakes region east of Rochester. It had a population of 112,458 at the 2020 census and covers 663 square miles (1,720 km2), of which 644 square miles (1,670 km2) is land and 18 square miles (47 km2) is water, centred near 42°51′N 77°17′W.

Canandaigua is the county seat, and its postal code is 14424. The county has 2 cities, 16 towns, 8 villages and 5 census-designated places, plus scattered unincorporated hamlets. It sits in the Eastern time zone; the county’s FIPS code is 36069.

Towns & Villages in Ontario County

Ontario County’s 31 named places split into 2 cities, 16 towns, 8 incorporated villages and 5 census-designated places (CDPs) — unincorporated communities the Census Bureau counts but that have no village government. Several villages share a name with the town that contains them (Manchester, Naples, Phelps and Victor each have both a town and a village of the same name), which is normal in New York and not a duplication error.

Rushville straddles the Ontario–Yates county line, with most of the village lying in Yates County — only its northern edge sits in Ontario. Beyond the incorporated places and CDPs above, the county also has a scatter of small unincorporated hamlets such as Centerfield, Cheshire, Fishers, Ionia, Oaks Corners, Seneca Castle and Stanley, none of which have their own Census population figures.

ZIP Codes

• 14424 — Canandaigua (also serves the town of Canandaigua)
• 14456 — Geneva (also serves the town of Geneva)
• 14564 — Victor (city and village)
• 14425 — Farmington
• 14469 — Bloomfield (also serves East Bloomfield)
• 14585 — West Bloomfield
• 14432 — Clifton Springs
• 14512 — Naples
• 14532 — Phelps
• 14548 — Shortsville
• 14471 — Honeoye
• 14561 — Stanley
• 14504 — Manchester
• 14475 — Ionia

Hall, Port Gibson, Fishers, Oaks Corners, Gorham and Seneca Castle are served by PO-box-only ZIP codes rather than street delivery.

Geography

Ontario County sits in the Finger Lakes region on a landscape of glacially carved hills and lake basins. Canandaigua Lake, one of the eleven Finger Lakes, runs north-south through the middle of the county and gives the county seat its name; Honeoye Lake lies in the county’s southwest corner. The terrain rises from lowland farm country in the north to steeper hill country toward the Pennsylvania-facing Southern Tier in the south.

Ontario County borders Wayne County to the north, Seneca County to the east, Yates County to the south, Steuben County to the southwest, Livingston County to the west, and Monroe County to the northwest. Wayne County, Yates County, Steuben County, Livingston County and Monroe County each have their own directory page.

Demographics

The 2020 census counted 112,458 residents. Geneva (13,261) and Canandaigua (10,545) are the two largest communities, together holding about a fifth of the county’s population. Ontario County’s median household income runs close to the New York median of $82,095, buoyed by manufacturing and corporate jobs around Victor and Farmington and by farm income from the county’s berry and wine sectors. Population density works out to roughly 175 people per square mile of land.

Economy & Local Life

Constellation Brands, one of the world’s largest wine, beer and spirits companies, is headquartered in the town of Victor, and Eastview Mall nearby anchors regional retail. Agriculture remains significant — the county ranked fourth in New York for berry production in 2022 — and Canandaigua Lake’s shoreline supports a cluster of Finger Lakes wineries and tasting rooms. Finger Lakes Community College, based in the town of Hopewell just outside Canandaigua, and F.F. Thompson Hospital are among the county’s larger employers. The Ontario County Fair, held each summer in Canandaigua, is the county’s best-known annual event.

History

Ontario County was formally organized in 1789 and takes its name from Lake Ontario, even though the lake itself lies well to the north. The original county was vast, stretching across most of western New York; more than a dozen present-day counties, including Monroe, Steuben and Yates, were carved out of it after 1796. In 1873, suffragist Susan B. Anthony was tried and convicted of illegal voting in a federal courtroom in Canandaigua, a trial that remains one of the best-documented episodes in the women’s suffrage movement. The town of Manchester was also home to Joseph Smith in the 1820s, in the years leading up to the founding of the Latter Day Saint movement.

Getting There

Interstate 90, the New York Thruway, clips the county’s northern edge near Manchester and Farmington, and Interstate 490 has its eastern terminus just over the Monroe County line. US Routes 20 and 20A run east-west through Canandaigua, and New York Routes 5, 14, 21, 31, 64 and 96 provide the main north-south links.

• Rochester — 25 miles northwest of Canandaigua
• Syracuse — 55 miles east of Geneva
• Ithaca — 45 miles south of Canandaigua
• Buffalo — 75 miles west of Canandaigua

Greater Rochester International Airport, about 25 miles northwest of Canandaigua, is the nearest commercial airport.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Ontario County?
It is in the Finger Lakes region of western New York, east of Rochester and centred near 42°51′N 77°17′W.

What is the population of Ontario County?
112,458 people, per the 2020 census.

How big is Ontario County?
663 square miles (1,720 km2), including 18 square miles of water.

What is the county seat of Ontario County?
Canandaigua is the county seat.

How many towns and villages are in Ontario County?
16 towns, 2 cities and 8 villages, plus 5 census-designated places and several unincorporated hamlets.

What ZIP codes are in Ontario County?
Canandaigua uses 14424 and Geneva uses 14456; Victor, Farmington, Phelps, Manchester, Naples, Clifton Springs, Shortsville, Honeoye and several smaller communities each have their own ZIP code.

Why is Constellation Brands based in Ontario County?
The company grew out of the Canandaigua Industries winery founded in the town of Victor in 1945, and its global headquarters remains in Victor today.

More counties in this state: Towns and villages in New York.