Live CHQ

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Live CHQ Affordable living. Career opportunities. Appealing quality of life. Chautauqua County, NY has all of this and more. Find out for yourself!

Live CHQ is intended to help individuals, professionals, businesses, families, and others to learn all about the western-most county in New York State and why it’s a wonderful place to live, work, conduct business, and recreate! Our initiative is maintained by the Chautauqua County Partnership for Economic Growth (CCPEG), a program of the Chautauqua Region Economic Development Corporation (CREDC), and the County of Chautauqua Industrial Development Agency (CCIDA) – and supported by funding from the Ralph C. Wilson Foundation and the 2021 American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA).

Chautauqua County in October hits different. 🍂The kind of stroll through a village where the tree-lined streets are so g...
10/18/2026

Chautauqua County in October hits different. 🍂

The kind of stroll through a village where the tree-lined streets are so good you have to slow down just to breathe it in. A bike ride along one of the five lakes where the water reflects every color the hillside. A drive through the hills of Chautauqua County where every turn looks like it was staged for a postcard.

This is just what fall looks like when you live here.

And we know we’re not the only ones with a camera roll full of it right now.

Drop your favorite fall photo in the comments — we want to see Chautauqua County through your lens. 👇
| | Tag Show us your Chautauqua County

10/17/2026

There’s a creek in Chautauqua County that serious anglers have been quietly talking about for years. 🎣

Every fall, when the water temps drop and the first heavy rains roll in, steelhead push out of Lake Erie and begin running the tribs. And Chautauqua Creek — 15 miles of water carving through one of the most beautiful gorges in Western New York — is where the fish move in hard.

Fresh chrome. 5 to 10 lbs. 20 to 30 inches of pure fight.

The DEC recorded a catch rate of 1.4 fish per hour here — one of the highest of any Lake Erie tributary in the country. 45,000 steelhead stocked annually. 8.5 miles of public fishing access in New York. Pools and deep runs tucked inside a gorge that most crowds never find.

Float fishing, fly fishing, spinning — all productive depending on conditions. When fish are holding in the deeper runs, indicator rigs with egg patterns and nymphs do the work. When they’re aggressive, swing a streamer through the pools and hold on.

The gorge section through Chautauqua Gorge State Forest is where locals go when they want the water to themselves. Low pressure. High reward. The kind of stretch that doesn’t make it onto the tourist maps. This is fall fishing in Western New York at its finest.

Anglers travel from across the country to fish Steelhead Alley. The people who live here just call it Fall. 🍂

Tag your fishing partner who doesn’t know about this yet. 🎣
| | Tag Show us your Chautauqua County

Chautauqua County, NY getting some love from our friends at Parks & Trails New York!!
10/14/2026

Chautauqua County, NY getting some love from our friends at Parks & Trails New York!!

10/14/2026

In 2007, Thom Wright, along with a group of volunteers from the Northern Allegheny Mountain Bike Association (NAMBA) and WNYMBA - Western New York Mountain Bicycling Association started building what would eventually become Harris Hill Extension, in Harris Hill State Forest in Chautauqua County, NY.

In 2019, WNYMBA assumed the Volunteer Stewardship Agreement for the mountain bike trails in Chautauqua County and has since assisted Thom in building and maintaining a trail system that is nearly 19 total miles.

This video provides a brief history of the trail network and demonstrates how an idea can become a reality with collaboration between the NYSDEC and WNYMBA.

Produced by the Chautauqua County Partnership for Economic Growth and WNYMBA to raise awareness about outdoor recreation in Chautauqua County!

10/13/2026

People keep asking us why anyone would want to move to Chautauqua County.

Watch this and follow us for more. 🌊

10/09/2026

🚀 We took Live CHQ on the road and into our schools today, showcasing local entrepreneurs at Cassadaga Valley Central School District!

We had a great time connecting with 11th-grade students as part of the school's Thrive at 25 program, highlighting the many career and workforce opportunities available right here in Chautauqua County, including entrepreneurship!

A big thank-you to our local entrepreneurs who joined us:
☕ Jake, Abbey and Baby JJ Landean, owners of 3 Lakes Cafe, who brought their coffee trailer

🍦 AJ Witkowski and his team, Jacob Toy and Daisia Draggett, from King Kone Cassadaga

🚣 Nathan Pownall, owner of Cassadaga Hook and Paddle.

Each entrepreneur brought a little piece of their business to share with students and talked about how they got started, what makes their business unique, and what it's like to own and operate a business in Chautauqua County.

It was a great opportunity for students to hear firsthand from local business owners, explore different career paths, and see how entrepreneurship can be part of their future!

Thank you to Cassadaga Valley Schools for inviting Live CHQ to be part of this wonderful program, and to our entrepreneurs for sharing their stories and inspiring the next generation!

🌟 Great careers and opportunities start right here in CHQ!

What if the lake life you’ve been dreaming about actually costs less than the city life you’re trying to leave? 🌊Let’s t...
10/08/2026

What if the lake life you’ve been dreaming about actually costs less than the city life you’re trying to leave? 🌊

Let’s talk real numbers.

🏡 Lakefront home — median price:
Lake Tahoe, CA: $800,000–$1,500,000+
Chicago’s Lake Michigan North Shore: $2,000,000–$8,000,000+
Chautauqua Lake, NY: Starting around $165,000

⚓️ Seasonal boat slip:
Lake Tahoe: $6,000–$25,000 per season
Chicago’s Lake Michigan: $3,000–$8,000 per season
Chautauqua Lake, NY: ~$930–$1,380 per season

👶 Infant childcare per month:
Lake Tahoe/California: $1,680–$1,800
Chicago metro: $1,500–$2,100
Chautauqua County, NY: ~$1,071

🏡 Homeowners insurance per year:
Lake Tahoe/California: ~$1,965
Chicago, Illinois: ~$2,945
Chautauqua County, NY: ~$1,469

🍎 Monthly groceries — family of 4:
Lake Tahoe/California: ~$1,444
Chicago, Illinois: ~$1,150
Chautauqua County, NY: ~$1,001

This isn’t a compromise. It’s the life you’ve been pricing yourself out of — finally within reach.

If you’ve been doing the math and wondering if there’s a better answer — there is. 📲 LIVECHQ.ORG

In Chautauqua County, w**e country isn’t a destination you plan for. 🍇It’s the drive home.September means harvest season...
10/06/2026

In Chautauqua County, w**e country isn’t a destination you plan for. 🍇

It’s the drive home.

September means harvest season across 20,000 acres of Lake Erie W**e Country — 23 w**eries within reach, vineyard rows turning gold, and air that smells like Concord grapes and autumn all at once.
On a Saturday afternoon, locals just pick one and go.

Not a bucket list moment. Not a special occasion. Just the life that comes with choosing the right zip code.

This is what fall looks like in Chautauqua County, NY — and it looks like this every single year.

If you’ve been picturing a life that actually changes with the seasons, start here.
📲 LIVECHQ.ORG

10/06/2026

👉 CHECK THIS OUT 👇
Collaborative Children's Solutions' Pat Smeraldo talked recently with Tonja Rinaldo from the Northwest Arena in Jamestown - who shared details about this long-time downtown attraction draws in people from outside the area and helps support downtown business!

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Chautauqua County, NY
14048-3424

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