Overview - Orleans County
Nestled on the southern shore of Lake Ontario, Orleans County is about halfway from Rochester to Niagara Falls. Outdoor types will love the outstanding fishing and hunting in this mostly rural county, which also has wildlife refuges and charming historic villages on the Erie Canal. Oak Orchard Harbor, where the Oak Orchard River flows into Lake Ontario, is known for colossal Chinook salmon, brown trout and steelhead trout. Cobblestone masonry also is on display here, and Orleans County boasts the only museum devoted to cobblestone buildings. Albion has an historic Courthouse Square, and Medina’s Main Street is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Medina also has a well-known train museum.
Orleans County is bordered to the north by Lake Ontario, to the south by Genesee County, to the east by Monroe County and to the west by Niagara County. Orleans County has 10 towns and four villages, with the centrally located village of Albion as the county seat. Farm markets with fresh produce and homemade foods are all over Orleans County. Just off the Seaway Trail in Kendall is the Country Barn Quilt Trail, which passes 50 quilt blocks on farm buildings and homes. In Medina, you’ll find the only road that passes under the Erie Canal. On the east side of the county, you’re close to The College at Brockport; Orleans County also has two branches of Genesee Community College. Niagara Falls and the city of Lockport are a short drive away from the west side of the county.