Dansville, Livingston County, New York
Dansville is a small village in Livingston County, western New York. It sits mostly in the town of North Dansville, with a small part in the town of Sparta. The population was 4,433 at the 2020 census. The village covers about 2.6 square miles, all land.
It lies in a glacial valley with Canaseraga Creek nearby and the Genesee River as the larger water system. Interstate 390 runs along the west side, and New York State Routes 36, 63, 256, and 436 pass through the village. Cumminsville is to the northwest. Geneseo (the county seat) is about 18 miles to the northwest; Hornell about 17 miles to the south; Corning about 51 miles to the southeast; and Rochester about 44 to 53 miles to the north, depending on the route. Stony Brook State Park, with waterfalls and hiking, is about 3 miles south.
History: Dansville was named after Daniel Faulkner, an early settler. A spa opened here in 1854 and became famous for the water cure. In 1858 James Caleb Jackson, his wife “Mother Jackson,” and their adopted daughter Dr. Harriet Newell Austin ran the Jackson Sanatorium for many years. The spa era left a lasting mark on the town.
Castle on the Hill is a well-known former water-cure building that overlooks Dansville. The original building burned in 1882; the current structure opened in 1883. It later became the Physical Culture Hotel, attracting famous guests. It is now vacant, though a New York State grant in 2008 aimed to renovate it.
Facilities: Dansville Municipal Airport (DSV) opened in 1927 and hosts the New York State Festival of Balloons each year in early September. A branch of Genesee Community College operates in Dansville. Nicholas H. Noyes Memorial Hospital, a 72-bed facility, sits on Route 36 near Exit 4 of I-390 and serves Livingston, Allegany, Steuben, and surrounding counties. In 2000, about 4,800 people lived in the village, with a mix of families and individuals.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 18:23 (CET).