This lake is our tax base. Without the lake, this whole area around here would be dead. There's a lot of growth going on in the town of Jerusalem. But the development we're seeing here is young families and retirees building new homes. It's not the urbanization going on around other lakes.
Bumper crops One of the best buffers against overdevelopment, say planning experts, is farming.
Another key element in the watershed's agricultural renaissance has been the resurgence of New York state wines made from grapes that flourish in the veritable greenhouse created by Keuka Lake. Wine-savvy Europeans who settled in the area recognized the lake's similarity to the vineyard regions of France and Italy and established the first winery in western New York. Pleasant Valley Wine, precursor of the former Taylor and Great Western wine empires, was established in Hammondsport in 1860. The geography and climate help winemakers produce exquisite wines. Water cure Unlike many other Finger Lakes, Keuka offers numerous public beaches.