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Geneva Lake facts for kids

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This article is about Lake Geneva (disambiguation). For other uses, see Geneva Lake (disambiguation).
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Geneva Lake
Williams Bay, Wisconsin 042.jpg
Location of Geneva Lake in Wisconsin, USA.
Location of Geneva Lake in Wisconsin, USA.
Geneva Lake
Location in Wisconsin
Location of Geneva Lake in Wisconsin, USA.
Location of Geneva Lake in Wisconsin, USA.
Geneva Lake
Location in the United States
Location Walworth County, Wisconsin,
United States
Coordinates 42°33′54.04″N 88°30′13.50″W / 42.5650111°N 88.5037500°W / 42.5650111; -88.5037500
Primary outflows White River
Basin countries United States
Max. length 12 km (7.5 mi)
Surface area 5,401 acres (8.439 sq mi; 21.86 km2)
Average depth 61 feet (19 m)
Max. depth 135 feet (41 m)
Settlements Lake Geneva, Fontana-on-Geneva-Lake, Williams Bay


Geneva Lake is a body of freshwater in Walworth County in southeastern Wisconsin. On its shores are the city of Lake Geneva, and the villages of Fontana-on-Geneva-Lake, and Williams Bay. The lake is known as the only place in the world where mail jumping is practiced, an unusual mail delivery system maintained as a local tradition.

The lake covers an area of approximately 5,401 acres (8.439 sq mi; 21.86 km2), has a maximum length of 7.5 miles (12.1 km), mean depth of 61 feet (19 m) and a maximum depth of 135 feet (41 m). Geologists believe that it is a filled-in kettle formed from a receding glacier.

Lakeshore

The lake and the community of Lake Geneva were named for the town of Geneva, New York, located on Seneca Lake, which government surveyor John Brink thought it resembled. To avoid confusion with the nearby town of Geneva, Illinois, the city was renamed Lake Geneva; later the lake was renamed Geneva Lake.

Lakeshore attractions include Big Foot Beach State Park, Lake Geneva Yacht Club, the George Williams College campus of Aurora University, and Yerkes Observatory. The observatory is no longer owned by the University of Chicago, which transferred ownership of it to the non-profit Yerkes Future Foundation (YFF) in May of 2020.

Public access to the lake is allowed as the result of a decision by early European settlers that "20 feet of land leading up to the shoreline should be public domain." A shorepath, which is open to the public, completely surrounds the lake. Between 21 and 26 miles long, it follows the route taken by Potawatomi Indians. The path crosses the estates of the Schwinns, Swifts, Wackers, and Wrigleys.

  • Geneva Lake Shorepath Sign 1

    Geneva Lake Shorepath sign

  • Geneva Lake Shorepath Sign 2

    Geneva Lake Shorepath sign

  • Yacht Racing On Lake Geneva (NBY 428822)

    Yacht Racing On Lake Geneva, postcard

  • Untitled - Resorts (NBY 697)

    Olivet Camp, postcard

 (2.0 MB), report by USGS with history and environmental info.

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