The town is east of Geneva, New York, in the northern part of the Finger Lakes District.

Many also believe it to have been the inspiration for the fictional town of "Bedford Falls", portrayed in filmmaker Frank Capra's classic 1946 film It's a Wonderful Life.

[5] The region is the former realm of the Cayuga tribe, who were visited by Jesuit missionaries during the 17th century.

Cayuga villages were attacked and destroyed by the Sullivan Expedition of 1779 in retaliation for plundering and killing new colonists.

The region became part of the Central New York Military Tract, reserved for veterans, after the conclusion of the American Revolution.

More recently, efforts are underway to complete a scenic trail along the historic canal.

The eastern section of the town is part of Montezuma Marsh, an extensive wetland at the north end of Cayuga Lake.

The ethnic and racial makeup of the population was 93.6% non-Hispanic white, 1.3% African-American, 0.4% Native American, 0.3% Indian, 1.3% other Asian, 0.2% non-Hispanic from some other race, 1.4% from two or more races, 1.0% Puerto Rican and 0.7% other Hispanics.

The New York Central Railroad operated daily passenger train service on its Auburn Road division between Syracuse and Rochester until 1958, making a station stop at Seneca Falls.