For accommodations, events and attractions contact the Cayuga County Office of Tourism at 800-499-9615
www.TourCayuga.com.

Visitor Information

 

Auburn’s Historical Overview
Geographically, Auburn is located in the heart of one of the most spectacular landscapes in the United States. Owasco Lake at the city’s outskirts, is closely flanked on either side by nearly a dozen other lakes which comprise the Finger Lakes Region. Summer sporting opportunities in the area include golfing, boating, swimming and fishing.

The Indians of the Iroquois Confederacy were the first recorded peoples to habitat this bountiful region. Later, American Revolutionary War veterans received land grants in lieu of cash payment, and, by the early 1800s, the woodlands in and around Auburn were transformed into productive farms. Water resources, such as the city’s Owasco River, ushered in the industrial age and fueled Auburn’s prosperity.

Auburn founder, Captain Hardenburgh profited greatly from Owasco River hydropower by constructing a gristmill in 1793. The location of Hardenburgh’s mill is still the center of Auburn’s downtown business district today. Although the manufacturers which flourished along the Owasco in the 19th century are now historical foot notes, the city has never ceased to be a center of industry. Plastics, bottling, steel, HVAC, pumps, fiber optics and transportation components are among the products of Auburn present-day skilled labor force, and the River continues to be a draw and source of community pride.

Auburn is a community rich in culture and history. As the seat of government for Cayuga County, social leaders, inventors, reformers and captains of industries alike built their impressive residences along Auburn’s main thoroughfares. Visitors enjoy the hustle and bustle of a busy town and the beauty and attractiveness of a rural city surrounded by open countryside. Ahead of the curve, both Auburn and Cayuga County recently celebrated their bicentennials.

Due to Auburn’s active preservation of its historic sites, the city has local, state and national designated Historic Districts, and is now coined a National White House Millennium Community. The many civic, cultural and historical groups represent an on-going effort to maintain pride in Auburn’s historic past and commitment to its future.