MADISON COUNTY
County Offices
138 North Court Street
Wampsville 315-366-2261
www.madisoncounty.ny.gov
Chamber of Commerce
136 Lenox Avenue
Oneida 315-363-4300
www.oneidachamberny.org
Ideally located in the center of New York State, Madison County claims a strong economy based on traditional agricultural activity and progressive diversification. In addition to modern business and industry, the county is the proud home of Oneida Limited—famous for its tableware products since 1818. Home to three colleges and first-rate healthcare services, this area features miles of scenic trails and recreational sites in state, county, and national parks and forests. A strong network of major thoroughfares including Interstate 90 ensures convenient commutes to regional destinations. Domestic and international air travel is as close as Syracuse Hancock International Airport.
Services
Outstanding educational opportunities begin in highly rated public school districts and private schools, complemented by some of New York’s finest institutions of higher education. Colgate University in Hamilton, part of the State University of New York (SUNY) system, offers a highly selective liberal arts education distinguished by academic excellence and interdisciplinary inquiry. Drawing students from across the nation and 42 countries, Colgate has been listed by US News & World Report among the nation’s best liberal arts colleges and praised by Newsweek as one of the “New Ivies.” Another SUNY institution, Morrisville State College has also been acclaimed by US News and World Report as a “Top Tier Best Regional North College.” With campuses in Norwich and Morrisville, the college is ideally located just 30 miles from Syracuse and Utica. Consistently ranked as one of “America’s Best Colleges” by US News & World Report, the private Cazenovia College is a nationally recognized College of Distinction.
Healthcare services and facilities are no less impressive in Madison County, where Memorial Hospital in Hamilton incorporates the most advanced equipment and techniques in a patient-centered environment. Hamilton is also home to Community Memorial Hospital, ideally located near Colgate University. Providing primary care, sophisticated surgeries, advanced diagnostics and imaging, and skilled nursing facilities, Community Memorial annually serves 45,000 patients in Madison and neighboring counties. Long-term care is available at Crouse Community Center near SUNY Morrisville, while Bassett Healthcare Network in Hamilton offers physicians for primary care and specific specialties. Oneida Healthcare provides a 101-bed acute-care hospital, extended care, and short-term rehabilitation in a system that serves 24 communities in Madison and western Oneida counties. The system includes primary health centers, a maternal health clinic, a physical therapy center, laboratory stations, imaging centers, neurological services, and orthopedic specialists among other services.
Lifestyle
Newcomers to Madison County will discover an unspoiled landscape traversed by trail systems that showcase natural and historic legacies, from the Madison County Hop Heritage Trail to Underground Railroad sites along the Madison County Freedom Trail and the Madison County History Trail. Take scenic nature walks, mountain bike, or picnic along the seven-mile Chenango Canal Towpath Trail. Chenango Canal offers great trout fishing stream, while the Canal Cottage Museum displays artifacts including vintage photographs. Offering public and private boat launches and picturesque marinas, Oneida Lake area is famous for world-class fishing, sailing, boating, and ice fishing. Those who enjoy hiking, cycling, camping, hunting, horseback riding, cross-country skiing, snowmobiling, and every imaginable winter sport will find thousands of acres of woodland beauty, hundreds of miles of trails, and pristine preservations. Highlights include the Canastoga’s Great Swamp Conservancy, Chitanango Old Erie Canal State Park, Helen L. McNitt State Park, Stoney Pond State Forest, Muller Hill State Forest, and Chittenango Falls State Park along with DeRuyter and Cazenovia lakes.
Combining art and nature, Stone Quarry Hill Art Park perches above a breathtaking landscape of hills, meadows, and forests. The presence of area colleges and universities adds cultural richness in fine art galleries and performance venues. Colgate University offers the Picker Art Gallery and Longyear Museum of Anthropology, while Palace Theater in the heart of Hamilton Village provides an intimate setting for diverse programs and performing arts. Morrisville’s Cazenovia College is home to the historic Catherine Cummings Theatre, presenting a lineup of cultural events, lectures, plays, and musicals as well as hosting the Jazz-N-Caz festival. Fine examples of historic preservation are crowned by the 93,000-square-foot Oneida Community Mansion National Historic Site, the remnant of a highly successful utopian community. The Madison County Historical Society is housed at Cottage Lawn in Oneida, an 1849 Century Gothic Revival home showcasing exhibits and hosting events. Residents enjoy golf courses, equine centers, wonderful cafes and restaurants, farmer’s markets, colorful celebrations, and some of the nation’s finest antique shopping. For an exceptional quality of life that revolves around country charm, simple pleasures, and rural beauty, few locales in American can rival Madison County.
COMMUNITIES
Oneida City
City Offices
315-363-4800
http://oneidacity.com
Chamber of Commerce
315-363-4300
www.oneidachamberny.org
The only city center in Madison County, small but bustling Oneida provides a regional commercial and cultural hub. Renovated and repurposed for a new generation, the historic Kallet Civic Center now provides a community event center. The remarkable remnant of a utopian community, Oneida Community Mansion House, combines a living museum with an event venue and fine hotel. The Madison County Historical Society preserves and interprets the area’s rich history in a majestic Gothic Revival home that also hosts events. Residents and visitors alike enjoy shopping at Oneida Commons, a vender mall filled with new and used treasures, or dining at popular restaurants that feature delicious cuisine and farm-fresh ingredients. Since 1880, the city has been the proud home of Oneida Limited, distinguished as one of the world’s largest manufacturers of tableware products. Wonderful schools, welcoming neighborhoods, and a local hospital add to the quality of life.
Morrisville Village, Eaton Town, Madison Town
Morrisville Village Hall
315-684-7007
www.morrisvilleny.com
Eaton Town Hall
315-684-9111
www.townofeaton.com
Madison Town Hall
315-893-7020
www.townofmadisonny.org
Chamber of Commerce
315-363-4300
www.oneidachamberny.org
Surrounded by rural Eaton Town, Morrisville offers a quaint village setting for one of the most innovative schools in the State University of New York (SUNY) system, Morrisville State College. One of the first “laptop colleges,” Morrisville State has been a leader in equine, travel and tourism, and renewable energy studies among others. Residents and visitors alike can experience fine cuisine prepared by future restauranteurs at the college-operated Copper Turret restaurant on Main Street. Madison Town and quaint Bouckville Village host a popular antique mall with more than 30 shops and draw enthusiastic crowds to the annual Madison-Bouckville Antique Week. Other local treasures include the shops along US Route 20, Ye Olde Landmark Tavern with a menu designed by Chef Andrew Hengst, and Hotel Solsville—a popular place to refresh and relax along the area’s snowmobile trail.
Hamilton Village/Town, Brookfield Town
Hamilton Village Hall
315-824-1111
http://hamilton-ny.gov
Hamilton Town Hall
315-824-3380
www.townofhamiltonny.org
Brookfield Town Hall
315-899-3364
www.brookfieldny.us
Chamber of Commerce
315-363-4300
www.oneidachamberny.org
Home to Colgate University—praised in the Princeton Review as the “Most Beautiful Campus in America”—Hamilton has been named among “America’s Most Friendly Towns” by Forbes magazine. The Hamilton Village Green is lined with restaurants, specialty shops, Evergreen Gallery, the Palace Theater for performing arts, coffee houses, the Colgate Inn, and the Colgate University Bookstore. The Village Green also hosts special events crowned by the Great Chocolate Train Wreck Festival. This progressive community functions like a city with a full-service hospital and locally owned utilities, police, and fire departments—even a municipal airport and industrial park. Miles of trails and nearby parkland encourage outdoor enjoyment around the four seasons. Surrounding the village, the town of Hamilton blends rolling farmland with several small hamlets and the historic village of Earlville. Rural Brookfield Town hosts the Madison County Fair and offers the Brookfield Trail System.
Cazenovia Village/Town, Nelson Town, Fenner Town
Cazenovia Village Hall
315-655-3041
http://villageofcazenovia.com
Cazenovia Town Hall
315-655-9213
http://townofcazenovia.org
Nelson Town Hall
315-655-8582
www.townofnelson-ny.com
Fenner Town Hall
315-655-2705
www.townoffenner.com
Chamber of Commerce
315-363-4300
www.oneidachamberny.org
Just 20 minutes from Syracuse, lovely Cazenovia Village nestles along Cazenovia Lake shoreline to offer a picturesque setting for the historic private school, Cazenovia College. The entire village appears to be the subject of a Norman Rockwell painting. Yesterday’s lakefront mansions serve as elegant bed and breakfast inns, crowned by a grand 1763 mansion celebrated today as the Lorenzo State Historic Site. The former home of Standard Oil partner Benjamin Brewster, now the Brewster Inn and restaurant, welcomes regional guests and celebrities. Other highlights include the National Abolition Hall of Fame and the National Parks’ Gerrit Smith Estate National Historic Landmark along the Heritage New York Underground Railroad Trail. Rural towns expand the options for country living near urban amenities, with Fenner contrasting ancient rock formations at Chittenango Falls with the high-tech Fenner Wind Farm.
Chittango Village, Sullivan Town
Village Hall
315-687-3936
www.chittenango.org
Town Hall
315-687-9190
http://townofsullivan.org
Chamber of Commerce
315-363-4300
www.oneidachamberny.org
The quaint Village of Chittenango is distinguished as the proud home of L. Frank Baum, author of the legendary Wizard of Oz, a story that was later immortalized by Hollywood. This whimsical theme can be seen and felt everywhere, from the All Things Oz Museum to the name of the farmer’s market: “There’s No Place Like Home Grown.” Throngs of visitors join local and regional residents each June when the village celebrates its favorite son at the Oz-Stravaganza festival, a lively event that features fireworks, air balloon flights, a spectacular parade, amusement rides, character costume contests—and the main attraction of original Munchkins from the movie set. Located along the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor, this area also hosts the award-winning Chittenango Landing Canal Boat Museum. Wonderful parks provide recreational facilities and picturesque green space, while Sullivan Town expands the options for peaceful country living.
Canastota Village, Wampsville Village, Lenox Town, Lincoln Town, Stockbridge Town
Canastota Village Hall
315-697-7559
www.canastota.com
Wampsville Village Hall
315-363-5810
www.wampsvillecny.com
Lenox Town Hall
315-697-7547
www.lenoxny.com
Lincoln Town Hall
315-697-8837
http://townoflincoln.org
Stockbridge Town Hall
315-495-6581
Chamber of Commerce
315-363-4300
www.oneidachamberny.org
Proud of its status as an Erie Canal community, historic Canastota features the Canal Town Museum and a quaint hometown setting. Several unique features have evolved in this area of strong Italian roots, including an emphasis on the sport of boxing. The ultimate glory goes to native son Carmen Basilio, world champion in two weight categories, although his nephew Billy Backus garnered the welterweight world title in the ’70s. Dubbed “Title Town,” Canastota developed the International Boxing Hall of Fame and attracts boxing celebrities and international guests to its annual induction week celebration. The village is also known for cut glass, sleds, and wagons that are highly valued in the antiques market. Tiny Wampsville Village serves as the Madison County seat of government, chosen because Oneida and Canastota both wanted the distinction and refused to compromise. Surrounding townships expand the options for country living in close proximity to Oneida and Canastota amenities.
Deruyter Town, Georgetown Town, Lebanon Town
Deruyter Town Hall
315-367-1350
www.deruyternygov.us
Georgetown Hall
315-837-4299
Lebanon Town Hall
315-837-4220
http://townoflebanon.org
Chamber of Commerce
315-363-4300
www.oneidachamberny.org
Just 30 miles south of Syracuse, DeRuyter Town is located along State Route 13 in the southwest corner of Madison County. Home to a quaint village of the same name, the town is graced by the beauty of the Tioughnioga River. Premier recreational sites draw throngs of seasonal visitors to the village each summer. Nearby DeRuyter Lake offers breathtaking scenery along with outstanding fishing and boating, while the Toggenburg Mountain Winter Sports Center and Highland Forest Park are easily accessible. Local towns feature narrow valleys lined by magnificent hills that provide a scenic backdrop for every outdoor adventure, including hiking, cycling, mountain biking, camping, and rugged winter sports. Amish horse and buggies are a common sight, along with farm stands brimming over with freshly picked produce or fresh maple syrup.
