Charlotte - A Community that Cares

To the thousands who flock to Rochester's only beachfront neighborhood, Charlotte is a holiday destination spot par excellence. Charlotte's gently sloping, sandy shoreline, wide-open vistas and refreshing breezes of Lake Ontario delight young and old alike. Toddlers build sandcastles, young people play beach volleyball, music lovers enjoy the outdoor concerts and anglers cast from the pier. Weekend boaters hoist the sails, while children of all ages whirl on the genuine1905 Dentzel carousel. On blistering summer days frozen cones of authentic Italian Ice cool body temperatures and during the crisp February weekend of Winterfest, steaming bowls of "Chilly Chili" warm tummies.

In short, the Charlotte Neighborhood is a great place to visit. But talk to long-time residents or spend the day tooling around the neighborhood's intimate side streets and small shops and you will discover a less well known fact: Charlotte is an even nicer place to live.

Just a few blocks inland from the historic waterfront and harbor lies a friendly and stable community of year-round residents, many of whom were born and raised here or have purchased a second home in the neighborhood, because when it came time to upgrade they just couldn't imagine leaving.

"Like our town slogan says, Charlotte is a community that cares," confirms Brian Labigan, President of the Charlotte Community Association and a second-generation resident. Charlotte Neighborhood residents take special pride in keeping up their properties, knowing their neighbors and welcoming visitors.

Charlotte extends like a narrow outstretched limb from the city's center north along the Genesee River. It is bordered on three sides by open space: Turning Point Park along the Genesee, Ontario Beach Park on the lake, and the extensive Riverside and Holy Sepulchre cemeteries to the south. In between, the neighborhood is blessed with undulating topography. Many residential streets are built on small ridges with valleys in between, creating a pleasant wooded feel to the area.

Founded before Rochesterville, Charlotte was established as a port by the U.S. Congress in 1805 and its landmark stone lighthouse constructed in 1822. By the end of that century, the busy commercial port doubled as summer retreat. Widely advertised as the "Coney Island of the West," the area's popular strand, hotels, boardwalk, and amusement park attracted vacationers via the New York Central railroad. Grand summer homes sprang up on the beachfront and smaller cottages on the nearby streets. Today these turn-of-the-century homes are owned by full-time residents and represent some of the older housing in the neighborhood. Charlotte also includes significant pockets of Post World War II houses, including developments from the 1980s.

In recent decades residents have worked vigilantly to preserve and improve the quality of residential life in the village. In 1962, the Charlotte Community Association was created in response to concerns about noise, traffic and other neighborhood issues. A decade later the Association spearheaded a battle to halt the construction of huge oil tanks in the undeveloped land along the river. Instead, the neighborhood convinced the city to buy the 104-acre tract for a wilderness preserve and in 1977, after 15 years of struggle, Turning Point Park was dedicated. Today the Community Association boasts some 500 paying members, ranking it among the largest and oldest associations in the city. The all-volunteer Ontario Beach Park Program Committee  Kite Flight in May, Harbor and Carosel Festival in June and the Lakeside Winter Celebration in February and it provides college scholarships for local students.