Region of
New York State or the group of
lakes for which the region is named. Named such because the group of lakes are all
long and
thin, like
fingers.
The Finger Lakes region is in central upstate New York, southwest of Syracuse and southeast of Rochester. The lakes themselves were formed by glaciers.
There are 6 "major" Finger Lakes (as well as a number of smaller ones). From east to west, they are Skaneateles (pronounced like "skinny atlas") Lake, Owasco Lake, Cayuga Lake, Seneca Lake, Keuka Lake, and Canandaigua Lake. All of the names are Indian, showing the strong Iroquois history of the region.
The Finger Lakes region is home to a large number of wineries, and is the main reason New York is second nationwide in wine production (California is first). There's also numerous outdoors and water activities (as one could expect on lakes).
Major cities/towns in the area include Ithaca (home to Cornell University), Geneva, Canandaigua, Seneca Falls, Auburn, and Watkins Glen (home of the famous auto racetrack of the same name).
Major newspapers in the area include the Finger Lakes Times (in Geneva) and the Ithaca Journal (in Ithaca).
Weather in the summer is pleasant, and usually not unbearably hot. Winter's another story, as the region is often buried under several feet of snow. I should know...I lived there for 4+ years.