village, seat (1854) of Schuyler county, central New York, U.S. It lies at the south end of Seneca Lake, in the heart of the Finger Lakes region, 20 miles (32 km) north of Elmira. Settled in 1791, it was incorporated (1842) as Jefferson and was renamed Watkins (1852) to honour Dr. Samuel Watkins, an early promoter. “Glen” was added to its name in 1926. A spectacular gorge, emerging in the centre of the village, has been set aside as Watkins Glen State Park (1906). A creek descends 600 feet (183 metres) through the 1.5-mile- (2-km-) long gorge, forming rapids, pools, and cascades.

Salt production from brine wells is an important industry, and the village is a tourist base for the Seneca Lake district and a trade centre for surrounding farm and orchard lands. The Watkins Glen Grand Prix automobile race was an annual event until 1981, when the International Auto Sports Federation removed the race from its schedule for failure to pay debts; a variety of automobile races are now held at the Watkins Glen International track. Pop. (1990) 2,207; (2000) 2,149.