September 2026 | Great Lakes Vibe

dstahl39

Aug 31

3 min read

Originally Published September 2026

What is the Lake Erie Grape Belt?

There is a narrow, 50 mile stretch of land along Lake Erie known as the Lake Erie Grape Belt. From Harborcreek to Westfield, this area is a geographic sweet spot for growing grapes. Lake Erie acts like a giant climate control device for the vineyards. Its water stays cold in the spring and warm in the fall, helping regulate temperatures along the shoreline and extend the growing season. The region's soil and snowfall also contribute to ideal growing conditions, particularly for Concord grapes. While we often associate local vineyards with wine, most of the Concord grapes grown here are actually used for grape juice, jellies, preserves, and other products.

Great Lakes and Grapes

Pennsylvania and New York are not the only vineyard laden areas around the Great Lakes. You will find ideal growing conditions in places like Ontario's Niagara Peninsula, Michigan's Leelanau and Old Mission Peninsulas, and the North Shore of Lake Erie in Ontario. If you're like me, you consider New York's Finger Lakes part of the Great Lakes family too. The Finger Lakes region is home to a thriving wine industry and miles of beautiful vineyards.

Squirrel Drama

This summer, I finally contracted with Siford's Wildlife Services to evict what I thought were chipmunks who had decided my ceilings and walls were their new home. Turns out, they were red squirrels, which I'm told are some of the toughest little critters to evict.

Siford's worked their magic and got them out. Unfortunately, those rascals found their way back in. We believe they found, or created, another entry point somewhere under my deck. Now I'm faced with taking apart at least part of my deck to figure out where they are getting inside.

Siford's can do the job, but if you're anything like me, the minute you hear, “We may need to remove that deck,” you start dreaming of a concrete patio! Neither option is in my current budget, so I will either have to get creative, or start charging the squirrels rent.

If you happen to have any tried and true home remedies for evicting red squirrels, please share!

All that to say, I still highly recommend Siford's Wildlife Services. They were professional, reasonably priced and came out to make sure that their original work was still holding. It was, and they explained that these squirrels can return to where they were born to make shelters for winter.

So while my squirrel saga continues, Siford's gets my vote for local critter control.

Yes, I Drive Across State Lines

One of the best decisions I made this year was getting my New York real estate license. Being licensed in both Pennsylvania and New York means my clients’ home searches do not have to stop at the state line, and neither do I. I can show a house in North East in the morning and another in Ripley or Westfield that afternoon.

And, of course, there is more to this area than Lake Erie. Pennsylvania and New York are dotted with some really cool smaller lakes that make wonderful places to live, whether you are looking for a year round home, a weekend getaway, or that little house by the water you have always wanted. From Conneaut Lake and Canadohta Lake in Pennsylvania to Chautauqua Lake and Findley Lake in New York, there are a lot of options within an easy drive of Erie.

It makes sense when you live here. The state line may matter on a map, but it does not have to define where you call home. So yes, if the right house happens to be across the state line, I drive across it.