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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.

Hamilton County, New York

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

County Seat: Lake Pleasant
Year Organized: 1816
Square Miles: 1,721

Court House:

PO Box 205
County Office Building
Lake Pleasant, NY 12108-0205

Etymology - Origin of County Name

in honor of Alexander Hamilton, the only member of the New York delegation who signed the original federal Constitution

Demographics:

County QuickFacts: Census Bureau Quick Facts

History

Named in honor of Alexander Hamilton, this county was formed from Montgomery on 12 Feb 1816; but its independent organization was not completed until it achieved its mandated population of 1288 taxable inhabitants qualified to vote. On 1 Jan 1838 it was partially organized and detached from Montgomery county and by 1847 it was fully organized. The county occupies the central portions of the Adirondacks and within its 1745 square miles of mountainous land is located some 77 lakes. The county seat was located in the village of Sageville, which is now a part of the village of Lake Pleasant. It is currently comprised of the following townships: Arietta, Benson, Hope, Indian Lake, Inlet, Lake Pleasant, Long Lake, Morehouse, and Wells. At one time there was also a town of Gilman, which was formed 23 Apr 1839 with land primarily taken from Wells and Lake Pleasant and it was abolished 6 Apr 1860. Full History at NYSAC

Located in the Mid-Adirondacks, Hamilton County offers its myriad forested mountains, seventy-seven major lakes, and countless streams, with beauties that only Nature can provide. Farming was the major occupation of its earliest settlers, who came to the county’s southern section just prior 1800. However, the rocky soil and short growing seasons in the county’s elevated lands proved discouraging.

Geography

Hamilton County is in the central part of the state, northwest of Albany. It lies entirely within Adirondack Park and consists mostly of publicly owned parkland.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,808 square miles (4,682 km²), of which, 1,720 square miles (4,456 km²) of it is land and 87 square miles (226 km²) of it (4.84%) is water.

The snowfall in Hamilton County averages 100 inches per year

Neighboring Counties:

Franklin County, New York - northeast
Essex County, New York - northeast
Warren County, New York - east
Saratoga County, New York - southeast
Fulton County, New York - south
Herkimer County, New York - west
St. Lawrence County, New York - northwest

Cities and Towns:

- Arietta	town
- Hope	town
- Indian Lake	town
- Inlet	town
- Lake Pleasant (County Seat)	town
- Long Lake	town
- Speculator	village	Incorporated Area
- Wells	town

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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