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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.

Jefferson County, New York

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

County Seat:
Year Organized:
Square Miles:
MSA:

Court House:

163 Arsenal Street
County Courthouse
Watertown, NY 13601-2528

Etymology - Origin of County Name

in honor of Thomas Jefferson, third President of the United States

Demographics:

County QuickFacts: Census Bureau Quick Facts

History

Jefferson County was formed, 28 March 1805, from Oneida County. Oneida, in turn, came 15 Mar 1798 from Herkimer and included all of present day Jefferson and Lewis County, along with parts of Clinton, Madison, and Oswego. Herkimer came out of Montgomery. Montgomery, under its first name, Tryon, was formed from Albany County, one of the original counties of New York Province.

Jefferson County was named in honor of our third president, Thomas Jefferson. It occupies that corner of New York State where the St. Lawrence River empties out of Lake Ontario, and thus has a Canadian border. The nearness of Canada and these waterways have been important to Jefferson County both historically and genealogically. It is bounded on the northeast by St. Lawrence County, on the east by Lewis County, and on the south by Oswego County.

When Jefferson County was created in 1805, it included parts of eight Oneida towns: Champion and Watertown came from Mexico 14 March 1800; Adams was formed from Mexico 1 April 1802, and at the same time Brownville from Leyden; Ellisburg from Mexico 22 February 1803; Lorraine, originally Malta, from Mexico 24 March 1804; Rodman, then called Harrison, from Adams 24 March 1804; Rutland from Watertown 1 Apr 1802. Watertown is the county seat, containing the usual county offices. Notable features of Jefferson County include the Thousand Islands, the international Thousand Island Bridge, a continuation of Federal Interstate Highway 81 right into Canada, and Fort Drum. The military reservation of Fort Drum has preempted a large area of western Jefferson County, obliterating many landmarks and making small cemeteries very difficult to access. Large areas of the Towns of Le Ray and Philadelphia, nearly half of the Town of Antwerp, and most of the Town of Wilna are included in the Fort Drum boundaries.

Rivers of Jefferson County: the Black River rises south of Jefferson County, runs through Watertown to empty into Black River Bay in Lake Ontario. Perch River drains Perch Lake, and is now a state game management area. It also discharges into Black River Bay. Indian River, flowing through the Town of Theresa, is a tributary of the Oswegatchie which eventually reaches the St. Lawrence River in St. Lawrence County. Chaumont River runs through the towns of Orleans, Clayton and Lyme to empty into Lake Ontario in Chaumont Bay. The two branches of Sandy Creek, in the southern part of the county, also discharge into Lake Ontario.

The section of New York State now comprising the county of Jefferson was a formidable frontier wilderness without permanent settlement either by Native American or European settlers until after the Revolutionary War. Ownership was claimed by the Oneida Indian nation because of exposure to frequent raids from hostile tribes across the St. Lawrence River, not even the Oneida tarried very long in the region while on occasional hunting or trapping expeditions. Full History at NYSAC

Geography

Jefferson County is on the western side of northern New York State, adjacent to the area where the Saint Lawrence River exits Lake Ontario. It is almost due north of Syracuse, and northwest of Utica. The county is at the international border with Canada.

The Black River, which empties into Lake Ontario, is an important stream in the county. Part of the Tug Hill Plateau is in the southern part of the county.

The county also includes nearby islands in the St. Lawrence River, including such large islands as Carleton Island, Grindstone Island, and Wellesley Island.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,857 square miles (4,810 km²), of which, 1,272 square miles (3,295 km²) of it is land and 585 square miles (1,515 km²) of it (31.49%) is water.

Neighboring Counties:

St. Lawrence County, New York - northeast
Lewis County, New York - southeast
Oswego County, New York - southwest
Leeds and Grenville United Counties, Ontario - north
Frontenac County, Ontario - northwest

Cities and Towns:

- Adams	village	Incorporated Area
- Alexandria	town
- Alexandria Bay	village	Incorporated Area
- Antwerp	village	Incorporated Area
- Black River	village	Incorporated Area
- Brownville	village	Incorporated Area
- Cape Vincent	village	Incorporated Area
- Carthage	village	Incorporated Area
- Champion	town
- Chaumont	village	Incorporated Area
- Clayton	village	Incorporated Area
- Deferiet	village	Incorporated Area
- Denmark	town
- Dexter	village	Incorporated Area
- Ellisburg	village	Incorporated Area
- Evans Mills	village	Incorporated Area
- Glen Park	village	Incorporated Area
- Henderson	town
- Herrings	village	Incorporated Area
- Hounsfield	town
- Le Ray	town
- Lorraine	town
- Lyme	town
- Mannsville	village	Incorporated Area
- Orleans	town
- Pamelia	town
- Philadelphia	village	Incorporated Area
- Rodman	town
- Rutland	town
- Sackets Harbor	village	Incorporated Area
- Smithville	town
- Theresa	village	Incorporated Area
- Watertown (County Seat)	city	Incorporated Area
- West Carthage	village	Incorporated Area
- Wilna	town
- Worth	town

County Resources:

Enter County Resources and Information Here

Online High Schools

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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