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New York Counties

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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.

Herkimer County, New York

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

County Seat: Herkimer
Year Organized: 1791
Square Miles: 1,412

Court House:

109 Mary Street, Suite 1310
County Office Building
Herkimer, NY 13350-1998

Etymology - Origin of County Name

Named in honor of General Nicholas Herkimer, who died of wounds received at the battle of Oriskany in 1777

Demographics:

County QuickFacts: Census Bureau Quick Facts

County History

This county was formed from Montgomery, Feb. 16, 1791. Onondaga was taken off in 1794, Oneida and a part of Chenango in 1798; the present territory of Hamilton co. was taken off and annexed to Montgomery in 1797; parts of Montgomery co. were annexed April 7, 1817; and parts of Richfield and Plainfield, Otsego co., were annexed in forming Winfield in 1816. It is centrally distant 80 mi. from Albany, and contains 1,745 sq. mi.

Agriculture forms the leading pursuit. The hilly character of the surface particularly adapts this co. to pasturage; and dairying has long been the leading branch of industry. Hops are largely produced. At Little Falls, and a few other localities, considerable manufacturing is carried on.

The county seat is located at the village of Herkimer. The courthouse is a fine brick building fronting Main St., near the center of the village. The jail is a stone building, on the opposite side of the st. from the courthouse. The clerk's office is a fireproof brick building, upon the courthouse lot, fronting Court St. The poorhouse is located upon a farm of 65 acres 6-1/2 mi. N. of the courthouse. The average number of inmates is 130, supported at a weekly cost of $1.30 each. The farm yields a revenue of about $700. A school is taught about 6 months in the year. The institution is in good condition and seems to be well managed. The works of internal improvement within the co. are the Erie Canal and the N. Y. Central R. R., both extending along the valley of the Mohawk. [Extracted from "Gazetteer of the State of New York", by J. H. French, 1860, the section on Herkimer County.

Herkimer County, founded in 1791, once covered a vast section of New York State - eleven counties! It could appropriately be called the "Mother of the Empire State's Heart Section." Full History at NYSAC

Geography

Herkimer County is in central New York State, northwest of Albany, and east of Syracuse. The northern part of the county is in the Adirondack Park. The Mohawk River flows across the south part of the county.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,458 square miles (3,777 km²), of which, 1,411 square miles (3,655 km²) of it is land and 47 square miles (122 km²) of it (3.23%) is water.

Neighboring Counties:

St. Lawrence County, New York - north
Hamilton County, New York - east
Montgomery County, New York - east
Fulton County, New York - east
Otsego County, New York - south
Oneida County, New York - west
Lewis County, New York - northwest New York

Cities and Towns:

- Cold Brook	village	Incorporated Area
- Columbia	town
- Danube	town
- Dolgeville	village	Incorporated Area
- Fairfield	town
- Frankfort	village	Incorporated Area
- German Flatts	town
- Herkimer (County Seat)	village	Incorporated Area
- Ilion	village	Incorporated Area
- Litchfield	town
- Little Falls	city	Incorporated Area
- Manheim	town
- Middleville	village	Incorporated Area
- Mohawk	village	Incorporated Area
- Morehouse	town
- Newport	village	Incorporated Area
- Norway	town
- Ohio	town
- Oppenheim	town
- Plainfield	town
- Poland	village	Incorporated Area
- Russia	town
- Salisbury	town
- Schuyler	town
- Stark	town
- Webb	town
- West Winfield	village	Incorporated Area
- Winfield	town

County Resources:

Enter County Resources and Information Here

County Resources

The history of our nation was a prolonged struggle to define the relative roles and powers of our governments: federal, state, and local. And the names given the counties, our most locally based jurisdictions, reflects the "characteristic features of this 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."