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I was checking realtor websites and fell in love with some really nice homes that had spectacular views of Lake Ontario. I can't even imagine looking at that splendor from the windows of my house. Can any one tell me from experience what it's like to live on the Lake? What are the downsides? Is it always windy, cold, damp? Does your house get all musty?
Thanks!
I was checking realtor websites and fell in love with some really nice homes that had spectacular views of Lake Ontario. I can't even imagine looking at that splendor from the windows of my house. Can any one tell me from experience what it's like to live on the Lake? What are the downsides? Is it always windy, cold, damp? Does your house get all musty?
Thanks!
I can't help you with the actually living on the lake but I do have relatives on a lovely compound in the Hamlin area and it is absolutely gorgeous.....very ocean like feel to it and the breezes keep the heats tolerable in the summer.....our weather reports always say "cooler by the lake"....and from there lake front they have a very weird phenomenon occurr when the lighting and clarity is perfect: they can see the skyline of Toronto reflecting off the water....thought they were pulling my leg until I saw it for myself a few years ago....very cool
I've stayed in houses on both the Canadian and American sides of Lake Ontario (and some of the other Great Lakes), and I found that the beautiful breeze offsets any dampness. Yes, you can get misty, wet days, but these generally aren't limited to being right on the lakefront. The lakes can send that wetness far inland--for example, we sometimes get the tail ends of Great Lakes-caused snows down here in southwest Virginia. So by being on the lakefront itself, you're only marginally increasing your odds of/exposure to wetness. And a well-insulated, heated, vented house, off the ground, should handle that fine.
It's no exaggeration to say that lakefront living is splendid. I've never heard anyone regret moving there, or moving away because of dampness complaints. (I myself would like to retire to a spot I've loved for 25 years on Lake Huron.)
One very real issue, though, is snowfall. Some lakefront areas are much more prone to heavy, continuous snowfalls than others. Sgoldie on this forum can tell you all about the huge snow that Oswego got this past winter. She posted pictures, as well. You should look up her postings.
BUT if you like snow, you'd love that. And if you don't mind snow, it's worth living with the occasional (and due to global warming, perhaps, increasingly rare) heavy snowfalls in order to have those views and the otherwise gorgeous weather.
And if you're not in an area that gets hit with these heavy snows, you don't have much to worry about.
A quick scene: my wife and I were standing at the northern shore of Lake Michigan, atop limestone cliffs at Michigan's Fayette State Park, about six summers ago. There was a huge thunderstorm, with lightning spread far out into the lake. All the sailboats had tied up, so the little marina was full, and the boaters were having a little party in a (safely protected) shelter--one of those savor-the-long-summer-days parties that you have to live in the north to really understand. The storm soon passed--and there four, five, six rainbows, huge ones, rainbows in several directions, the biggest, brightest rainbows we'd ever seen. It was incredibly quiet--even from way up on the cliff, you could hear the sailboats bumping the docks, the occasional belch from the sailboaters, the jangling dogtags when someone's sopping wet golden retriever was scratching his neck. Then the birds came back out in force, all sorts, flying all over, making a festive racket of heir own. Seagulls tilting at our feet, swallows zipping everywhere, a heron fumbling overhead, the lake turning from slate to green to deep blue where the sky was clearing. We both had goosebumps.
I live on the Canadian side. Although not on the lake, we are very close to Port Dalhousie, our main harbour & beach area. As smalltownusa describes, it's always cooler by the lake. On a day like today (very hot), that would be a great bonus. The views that homeward bound describe are very real. I too have seen incredible storms and rainbows over the lake, while it remains sunny where we stand. The Toronto skyline can truly be very distinct from the Canada & US.
I know several people who have lakefront homes & cottages on both sides and I've never heard a complaint about weather, dampness or mustiness.
In Canada, Lake Ontario's shoreline is our 'southern coast', so lakefront property comes at a premium price. I've also looked at lakefront property along New York's "northern coast', and cannot believe the bargains to be had! That can't last forever. You can always count on waterfront property to be a sound investment - I say go for it.
Growing up in Rochester, we had a lakehouse in Kuckbille (a little less than an hour away) and I always wished we could live there year round. There was NOTHING better than the breezes we would get off the lake durring summer; sleeping with the windows open and listening to the sounds of the water hitting the shore. And watching storms roll in over the lake, one of the coolest things ever I have heard that winter on the lake can be rough, but we lived less than 5 minutes from the lake in Rochester and fared just fine. If you are moving to the Rochester area and considering living on the lake, the most scenic waterfront lots and neighborhoods are in Webster (also by far the most expensive) Hamlin, though a little far out, also has some really nice lakefront properties in less developed areas, and its also more afforable.
Well, NYTom, you're always welcome to come here for a personal tour. Other than the times I lived in Manhattan, Hollywood, and San Jose, I've always lived here on the water and it is grand.
I'm most familiar with the SE and Eastern part of Lake Ontario to the 1000 Islands. Oswego is about 18,000 souls, with a college on the outskirts of town right on the lake, and a city full of old colonials (think Cape May, NJ) with sidewalks that lead to downtown where we have an Art Deco multiplex and gorgeous municipal buildings. No place in town is more than 5 minutes from the lake, and in addition the city has two bridges in the center of town that cross a pretty good sized river lined with walkways and pavillions.
On a summer Wednesday night you can sit in one of two parks overlooking the marina, listening to a concert while watching the sailboat races and the sun go down. Heaven. The river also provides several impressive waterfalls which is what you see when you drive into town, or from the country club to downtown. The banks are often lined with fishermen. I get intl yachts criusing right thru my backyard here. We're often visited by tall ships too.
The Great Lakes are not what most people experience when they've been to other lakes. It's more like an ocean, but with fresh water, some rocky beaches, some sandy. If you get a chance NYS has several campgrounds along the lake on beaches with hilly golf courses nearby. It takes my breath away every time I drive the main road overlooking Henderson Harbor. We're very fortunate to be right in the middle of the 1000 Islands, the Adirondack Mtns, the Finger Lakes, and Lake Ontario, and so close to Canada's Gold Coast cities living in Oswego.
There's a mix of seasonal, weekender, and full-time homes on rural roads leading up to the shore all along the lake. Some are mansions, many more are refashioned older places on semi-wooded lots. Stores and restaurants are few and far between unless you're in a village, and then many are seasonal. It's hard to make a living in the area and taxes, especially those waterfront are stiff. Snow, we get snow. You either go away for the winter or hunker down and read near the fireplace. Those who drive an hour to work have it bad. It's buzzing in season along the lake, and dead the rest of the year. If the roads aren't bad you can get to the opera in Syracuse winters, otherwise we have our own small one here thanks to the college. Come visit!
Thanks for all the responses. I tried leaving feedback, but was told I had to spread it around...
How far off the beaten path is the lake from City of Roch? Also is there shopping close by?
Here are some pics I wanted to share...
I can get used to this easily!
The city of Rochester touches Lake Ontario....the unique and thriving Charlotte neigbhorood of the city of Rochester is on Lake Ontario...it's about 15 minutes from downtown though. Ontario Beach Park, known as Charlotte Beach, right on Lake Ontario at the northern edge of the Charlotte nieghborhood....also, Durand-Eastman Park, which is owned by the City of Rochester but basically in Irondequoit, is right on Lake Ontario and has a much nicer beach.
Yes, Greece has the largest lakehsore of any town in Monroe County...I honestly can't believe I forgot to mention it. North Greece is being built up right now, so there are a lot of new neighborhoods going up close to, but not on the lakeshore. The thing about Greece is that there are a lot of bays and inlets (braddock bay and long pond being the two largest), so there isn't a real broad shorline...but rather lots of long "barrier islands" if you will. There aren't many large lots on the lakeshore in Greece, and the houses tend to be closer together.
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