Geneva Lake

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Geneva Lake
Location	Southeastern Wisconsin
Basin countries	United States
Max-length	12 km (7.5 mi)
Surface area	21.17 km² (8.14 sq mi)
Average depth	19.1 m (62.7 ft)
Max-depth	44m (144 ft)
Settlements	Lake Geneva, Fontana-on-Geneva-Lake, Williams Bay, Geneva

For the lake in Europe, see Lake Geneva. For Lake Geneva in Minnesota, see Freeborn County, Minnesota.

Geneva Lake is a body of freshwater in southeastern Wisconsin. On its shores are the cities of Lake Geneva and Fontana-on-Geneva-Lake, and the village of Williams Bay. The town of Geneva also borders the lake.

Lakeshore attractions include Big Foot Beach State Park, Aurora University George Williams campus, and the Yerkes Observatory. Only used as a teaching observatory, the latter has been sold to a developer who will create a mixed-use development on the property to finance the observatory's continued operation.

The lake covers an area of approximately 8.14 square miles (21.17 square kilometres), has a maximum length of 7.5 miles (12 km), mean depth of 62.7 feet (19.1 m) and a maximum depth of 144 feet (44m).

Lake Geneva is drained by the White River which then flows into the Fox River.

The lake and town were originally named after the town of Geneva, New York, located on Seneca Lake, in which early settler John Brink saw a resemblance. Geneva, to avoid confusion with the nearby town Geneva, Illinois, was renamed Lake Geneva; later the lake was renamed Geneva Lake. In practice both forms are used for the lake, but never for the city.