Gananda, New York facts for kids

Gananda is a small, specially designed community in Wayne County, New York. It's about 20 minutes away from the city of Rochester. Gananda isn't a city with its own zip code. Instead, it's part of two nearby towns: Walworth and Macedon.

Gananda was once planned to be a huge city with over 90,000 people. But a government agency called the Housing and Urban Development (HUD) stopped its funding. This changed Gananda's future. Now, it's a much smaller community with fewer than 6,500 residents.

A Big Dream for a New City

Gananda was one of 13 communities chosen for a special government program. This program, started in 1970, aimed to help build new, well-planned cities. The original idea for Gananda was very ambitious.

What the Original Plan Included

The new city of Gananda was supposed to cover a huge area. It would have been about 10,500 acres (42.5 square kilometers). After 30 years, it was expected to have over 90,000 people living there.

The plans for this big city included:

• Around 17,000 homes.
• 12 local community centers.
• One large main shopping center.
• Three smaller shopping areas.
• Many fun places like swimming pools and playgrounds.
• Lots of open green spaces for parks. These areas were called "Forever Wild." They were meant to be natural buffers between homes.

New York State even created a brand new school district just for Gananda. This was the Gananda Central School District. It had a special way of using school buildings. They could be used for classes during the day. Then, after school hours, the community could use them too. Today, this school district still serves about 1,200 students.

Financial Challenges and Changes

The new city of Gananda had its official flag-raising ceremony on September 20, 1973. The school system started operating from the first completed school building. This building was located at 1500 Dayspring Ridge. The first students to graduate from this new school were the Class of 1974.

Early Progress and Problems

By this time, a lot of the hidden infrastructure was already in place. This included pipes for water and gas, and cables for power and phone lines. Work on the main roads was also going well.

However, problems began in 1973. The company building Gananda, called Gananda Development Corporation, started having money troubles. They needed more money to keep building. They asked HUD for an extra $14 million. Without this money, they would run out of funds by early 1975. This was on top of the $22 million HUD had already promised.

The End of the Big City Plan

By the end of 1974, the dream of the big City of Gananda came to an end. HUD decided not to give any more money for the project. Instead, HUD sold back almost all the land. They kept only about 1,500 acres (6.1 square kilometers) of the original planned city.

What Remains of the Original Dream

When HUD finished ending its involvement in 1977, some parts of the new city had already been built.

Completed Structures

The completed structures included:

• One school and community building.
• One community swimming pool.
• One public park.
• The hidden underground utility lines (for electricity, water, sewer, gas, and cable TV).
• A water treatment facility.

The original school building housed all students from kindergarten to 12th grade. This continued until the 1980s. That's when Richard Mann Elementary School was built. It was constructed at 1366 Waterford Road. After some updates, the original HUD-funded building held grades 6-12. In the early 2000s, Ruben A. Cirillo High School was finished. Then, the original building only housed grades 6-8 and the school district offices.

The only completed community pool was at 3290 Wildflower Drive. The community ran it until the early 1990s. Then, due to money problems, it was sold to the YMCA. It operated as a YMCA facility until the early 2000s, when it closed. The pool and its building are now part of a private home.

However, the community still has a public pool. When Ruben A. Cirillo High School opened, Richard Mann Elementary School also got big renovations. One of these was a new indoor pool that is open to the public.

The only public park that was finished was Fox Tail Park. It's in the middle of the Wildflower Drive area. It used to have a playground and sports fields. Now, only the sports fields remain. The middle school uses them. The playground was removed in the early 1990s for a new parking lot and gym. In 2018, a new playground was built at Gananda Elementary School. The old grass sports field was also replaced with a new surface, track, bleachers, and security fence.

Unique Features of Gananda

Gananda is still special compared to its neighboring towns. All its utility lines, like power and phone lines, are buried underground. Once you leave Gananda, these lines are carried above ground on poles.

When HUD stopped funding the project, the roadbed for a four-lane Gananda Parkway was already built. It stretched from Eddy Road almost to State Route 441. Route 441 itself was also planned to be widened. But with no more money, only one side of the parkway was finished. This is the current Gananda Parkway. You can still see the roadbed for the other side of the original four-lane parkway. It's visible in person and on satellite maps. There's still a plan to complete it if the population grows enough in the future.