Chautauqua

Chautauqua: Athenaeum Hotel

Chautauqua, resort-colony and town (township), Chautauqua county, western New York, U.S. The resort-colony lies on Chautauqua Lake (18 miles [29 km] long, 1–2 miles [1.5–3 km] wide), near Lake Erie, 16 miles (26 km) northwest of Jamestown. It originated in 1874 with the establishment of the Chautauqua Institution, a lyceum and amusement series popular in the late 19th and early 20th centuries that was started by John Heyl Vincent as an attempt to educate Methodist Sunday-school teachers. The institution gave rise to the Chautauqua movement, in which similar programs were established throughout the United States. Though the movement has died out and the popularity of the original series itself has greatly diminished, the institution remains the centre of a resort area with a summer program of cultural pursuits (including art, drama, music, and religion) and youth activities. The town includes the village of Mayville. Area 67 square miles (174 square km). Pop. (2000) town, 4,666; (2010) town, 4,464.