Jamesville,
New York is a hamlet found within the town of
De Witt.
Both are part of scenic Onondaga County in
Upstate New York's
internationally known Finger Lakes
Region. This exquisite area
contains some of nature's finest marvels, with glacier-formed lakes
and gorges, sparkling waterfalls and old-growth forests.
Syracuse is the chief city of Onondaga County and dynamically
expands each year. Jamesville lies six miles east of Syracuse. The
town of De Witt covers thirty-four square miles, with Jamesville in
the southern portion. De Witt contains the highest concentration of
hotels in Central New
York. Interstate highways 481 and 90 serve the
area. Nine business parks flourish in De Witt. Census 2000 recorded
the population of Jamesville as 8,417. De Witt's population was 25,000
with 43,000 entering the town to work each day.
Settled directly after the Revolutionary
War, De Witt became
established in 1835. Early pioneers worked mostly in agriculture,
utilizing the rich fertile soil. Jamesville was the site of early
quarries, with valuable coal, dolomite and limestone discovered here.
The Erie Canal opened the area up to new growth in 1825, as did the
New York Central Railroad in the later 1800's. The book Water, Wheels
and Stone: Heritage of the Little Village by the Creek, Jamesville,
New York by Jean Schutz Keough, records the early history of
Jamesville. The Jamesville Community Museum carefully preserves relics
of the past.
Jamesville settlers built their hamlet on the banks of the
delightful Butternut
Creek, which fills the Jamesville
Reservoir. The
town protects these waters from motorboats, but allows paddle boats,
canoes, kayaks and rowboats. The Jamesville Beach Park, located on the
shores of the reservoir, offers a 9-hole disc golf course. It is also
the site of the annual Balloon
Fest, when colorful and creative
hot-air balloons fill the skies above the reservoir. The Glen Loch
Restaurant perches on the banks of Butternut Creek. Housed in an 1827
barley mill, this rustic restaurant holds a reputation for being one
of the finest dining establishments in Central New
York.
The Clark Reservation State Park provides a different type of
natural beauty. Carved by the last ice age and moving glaciers, this
park contains a fossil waterfall. The water no longer flows, but the
stupendous rock formations left behind delight the eye and create a
geologist's Paradise.
Jamesville, New York provides a sense of serenity and prosperity
for its residents. Only minutes away from the opportunities in
Syracuse, natural splendor surrounds the citizens of Jamesville.
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