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New York Counties

There are 62 counties in the State of New York. The first twelve counties in New York were created immediately after the British annexation of the Dutch colony of New Amsterdam, although two of these counties have since been abolished. The most recent county formation in New York was in 1912, when Bronx County was created from the portions of New York City that had been annexed from Westchester County. New York's counties are named for a variety of Native American words, British provinces, cities, and royalty, early American statesmen and generals, and state politicians.

Cayuga County, New York

Cayuga County History, Geography, Demographics, Cities and Towns, and Education

County Seat: Auburn
Year Organized: 1799
Square Miles: 693

Court House:

160 Genesee Street
County Office Building
Auburn, NY 13021-3433

Etymology - Origin of County Name

the name of the fourth tribe of the Iroquois League

Demographics:

County QuickFacts: Census Bureau Quick Facts

History

Cayuga was formed from Onondaga in 1799; but other counties have since been taken from it. Greatest length N. and S. 55, greatest breadth E. and W. 23 miles. From Albany, W., 156 miles, from New York, 301. Upon the S. the surface rises into ridges, along the Cayuga lake, the Owasco lake and inlet, and the Skaneateles lake. The principal streams are the Salmon and Fall creeks, tributaries of the Cayuga lake; the inlet and the outlet of the Owasco lake, and the Seneca river, which is the eventual recipient of all these waters. The river flows through a plain in which its sluggish course is scarce perceptible, and the marshes which it waters, extend to the western border of the county; in its way it passes through Cross lake, a basin 5 miles long by 2 wide, lying on the eastern boundary, in a low swampy district, whose surface is 370 feet above tide. The disposition of the waters shows an irregular surface. The Poplar ridge, E. of the Cayuga lake, rises in some places to 600 feet above, but has a gentle slope towards the lake, displaying finely-cultivated farms. The eastern declivity of this and other hills is more abrupt. On the N. of Auburn, the country is comparatively level, yet has a rolling appearance from the many large gravel hills scattered over the plain, assuming in many places the semblance of stupendous mounds formed by art. This gravel has much limestone, and produces excellent wheat. Few portions of the state possess more fertile lands, or can boast of higher cultivation. In all the fruits of the climate, this county is prolific. About two thirds of the land is under improvement. The southern portion is most thickly settled. The Cayuga lake, which forms a large part of the western boundary, is a beautiful sheet of water, 36 miles long, and from 1 to 4 broad. The county is divided into 22 towns. (Historical Collections of the State of New York, Past and Present, John Barber, Clark Albien & Co, 1851).

The earliest inhabitants of Cayuga County were Indians of the archaic period who lived along the shores of Cayuga Lake. Carbon dating established the time of occupance for these people around 3500 B.C. Archeological sites by Owasco Lake and along the Seneca River show the development of these early people so that by 1,000 A.D. in the Woodland Period, people of the Owasco Focus had begun farming and developed crops later copied by the Europeans. Full History at NYSAC

Geography

Cayuga County is located in the west central part of the state, in the Finger Lakes region. Owasco Lake is in the center of the county, and Cayuga Lake forms part of the western boundary. Lake Ontario is on the northern border, and Skaneateles Lake is at the eastern border. Cayuga County has more waterfront land than any other county in the state not adjacent to the Atlantic Ocean.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 864 square miles (2,237 km²), of which, 693 square miles (1,795 km²) of it is land and 170 square miles (441 km²) of it (19.74%) is water.

Neighboring Counties:

Oswego County, New York - northeast
Onondaga County, New York - east
Cortland County, New York - southeast
Tompkins County, New York - south
Seneca County, New York - west
Wayne County, New York - west

Cities and Towns:

- Auburn (County Seat)	city	Incorporated Area
- Aurelius	town
- Aurora	village	Incorporated Area
- Brutus	town
- Cato	village	Incorporated Area
- Cayuga	village	Incorporated Area
- Conquest	town
- Fair Haven	village	Incorporated Area
- Fleming	town
- Genoa	town
- Ira	town
- Ledyard	town
- Locke	town
- Mentz	town
- Meridian	village	Incorporated Area
- Montezuma	town
- Moravia	village	Incorporated Area
- Owasco	town
- Port Byron	village	Incorporated Area
- Scipio	town
- Sempronius	town
- Sennett	town
- Springport	town
- Sterling	town
- Summerhill	town
- Throop	town
- Union Springs	village	Incorporated Area
- Venice	town
- Weedsport	village	Incorporated Area

County Resources:

Enter County Resources and Information Here

County Resource Guide

Counties: US Map

The history of our nation can be seen as a prolonged struggle to define the relative roles and powers of our governments: federal, state, and local. And the names we've given our counties, our most locally based jurisdictions, reflects the "characteristic features of our country!"

But age, size and colorful names of our counties isn't the only reason to explore counties' role in American history, or the history of county government itself. In fact, the story of county government reflects the larger meanings of American history.

Today's counties are the most flexible, locally responsive and creative governments in the US. They are the most diverse, varying in size, population, geography, and governmental structure. In their politics and policies, they express a 1990's political slogan "Think globally, act locally."

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