Wellesley Island in Jefferson County, New York

Jefferson County, New York

Jefferson County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2010 census, the population was 116,229. It is named after Thomas Jefferson, third President of the United States of America, and president at the time the county was created in 1805...

, USA is partially in the Town of Orleans

Orleans, New York

Orleans is a town in Jefferson County, New York, USA. The population was 2,789 at the 2010 census. The town is located in the northern part of the county and is north of Watertown. Orleans is named after the commune of Orléans in France.- History :...

 and partially in the Town of Alexandria

Alexandria, New York

Alexandria is a town in Jefferson County, United States. New York, USA. The population was 4,061 at the 2010 census. The town is named after Alexander LeRay, the son of an early developer....

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Geography

The island is located 44°19′N 76°00′W in the St. Lawrence River, which surrounds Wellesley Island on three sides. The island bounds an internal body of water, the Lake of the Isles, which nearly doubles its waterfront. The easternmost peninsula of the island lies across the Upper (American) Narrows from the Village of Alexandria Bay

Alexandria Bay, New York

Alexandria Bay is a village in Jefferson County, New York, United States. The population was 1,080 at the 2010 census.The Village of Alexandria Bay is in the Town of Alexandria.Keewaydin State Park is southeast of the village...

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An arterial highway, Interstate 81

Interstate 81

Interstate 81 is an Interstate Highway in the eastern part of the United States. Its southern terminus is at Interstate 40 in Dandridge, Tennessee; its northern terminus is on Wellesley Island at the Canadian border, where the Thousand Islands Bridge connects it to Highway 401, the main freeway...

, crosses Wellesley Island. Five segments composing the Thousand Islands International Bridge

Thousand Islands Bridge

The Thousand Islands Bridge is an international bridge system over the Saint Lawrence River connecting northern New York in the United States with southeastern Ontario in Canada. Constructed in 1937, with additions in 1959, the bridges span the United States-Canada border in the middle of the...

 link the island to the opposite shores of the river. Said to be "the smallest vehicular international bridge in the world," one of the bridges crosses a narrow channel, the International Rift, which separates Wellesley Island in the United States of America from Hill Island in Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

. The United States border-crossing facility at the port of entry

Port of entry

In general, a port of entry is a place where one may lawfully enter a country. It typically has a staff of people who check passports and visas and inspect luggage to assure that contraband is not imported. International airports are usually ports of entry, as are road and rail crossings on a...

 is located on the northeastern part of the island.

Wellesley, one of the largest of the Thousand Islands

Thousand Islands

The Thousand Islands is the name of an archipelago of islands that straddle the Canada-U.S. border in the Saint Lawrence River as it emerges from the northeast corner of Lake Ontario. They stretch for about downstream from Kingston, Ontario. The Canadian islands are in the province of Ontario, the...

 in the St. Lawrence River, is home to a growing number of full-time residents. Population increases dramatically during the summer months. The island has two State Parks, a nature center, and three golf courses. Located on its southern tip is the Thousand Island Park Historic District

Thousand Island Park Historic District

Thousand Island Park Historic District is a national historic district located on the south tip of Wellesley Island at Orleans in Jefferson County, New York. The district includes 294 contributing buildings...

, listed on the National Register of Historic Places

National Register of Historic Places

The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...

 in 1982. In addition to Interstate 81, which connects two portions of the Thousand Islands Bridge

Thousand Islands Bridge

The Thousand Islands Bridge is an international bridge system over the Saint Lawrence River connecting northern New York in the United States with southeastern Ontario in Canada. Constructed in 1937, with additions in 1959, the bridges span the United States-Canada border in the middle of the...

, Jefferson County Routes 100 and 191 serve the island.

Geographic features

• Barnett Marsh—A swamp
  Swamp
  A swamp is a wetland with some flooding of large areas of land by shallow bodies of water. A swamp generally has a large number of hammocks, or dry-land protrusions, covered by aquatic vegetation, or vegetation that tolerates periodical inundation. The two main types of swamp are "true" or swamp...
  
   in the south part of the island.
• Densmore Bay—A bay
  Bay
  A bay is an area of water mostly surrounded by land. Bays generally have calmer waters than the surrounding sea, due to the surrounding land blocking some waves and often reducing winds. Bays also exist as an inlet in a lake or pond. A large bay may be called a gulf, a sea, a sound, or a bight...
  
   on the south shore of the southeast peninsula.
• Eel Bay—A large bay between Wellesley Island and Grindstone Island.
• Lake of the Isles—A body of water connected to the St. Lawrence River, lying between the northeast and southeast peninsulas.
• South Bay—A bay on the southwest part of the island.

Communities on the Island

• Grandview
• Moore Landing
• Fineview
• Thousand Island Park
• Westminster Park

Parks on the island

• Wellesley Island State Park
  Wellesley Island State Park
  Wellesley Island State Park is located on Wellesley Island in the St. Lawrence River in the Town of Orleans in Jefferson County, New York at 44° 19'North, 76° 00' West. The park is divided into sections that are on different parts of the island. It has the largest camping complex in the Thousand...
  
   -- In several locations on the island.
• Dewolf Point State Park
  Dewolf Point State Park
  Dewolf Point State Park is a small park on Wellesley Island in the St. Lawrence River.-Location in the State of New York:Dewolf Point State Park is situated within the Town of Orleans.The Park forms part of Jefferson County, New York.-Opening season:...
  
   -- On the northeast peninsula.

• Mary Island State Park
  Mary Island State Park
  Mary Island State Park is located in the St. Lawrence River in the State of New York.-Location:It is situated in the Town of Town of Alexandria in Jefferson County, New York...
  
  -- Not actually on Wellesley Island but accessible only by water, this park is separated by a small channel from the easternmost tip of Wellesley Island