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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.

Montgomery County, New York

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

County Seat: Fonda
Year Organized: 1772
Square Miles: 405

Court House:

P.O. Box 1500
County Office Building
Fonda, NY 12068-1500

Etymology - Origin of County Name

Named in honor of Major General Richard Montgomery, who was killed in the attack on Quebec in 1775

Demographics:

County QuickFacts: Census Bureau Quick Facts

County History

This county was formed from Albany, March 12, 1772, under the name of "Tryon Co". Its name was changed April 2, 1784. Ontario was taken off in 1789, Herkimer, Otsego, and Tioga in 1791, Hamilton in 1816, and Fulton in 1838. It lies on both sides of the Mohawk, centrally distant 39 miles from Albany, and contained 436 sq. mi.

The uplands are finely adapted to pasturage, and dairying forms the leading pursuit. Upon the Mohawk Flats immense quantities of broomcorn are raised. There are several important manufactories in the co., consisting chiefly of woolen goods, carpets, paper, agricultural implements, sash and blinds, and castings. Quarrying is extensively carried on. {Stone from these quarries were used in the construction of canal locks and other public works.}

The principal public works are the Erie Canal, extending along the S. side of the Mohawk, and the N. Y. Central R. R., {Formerly "Schenectady & Utica R. R." The Catskill & Canajoharie R. R., Incorp. in 1830, was opened to Cooksburgh from Catskill at a cost of $400,000. In 1842 it was abandoned, the track sold for $11,000 and taken up.} on the N. bank. A wire suspension bridge crosses the Mohawk at Fort Hunter, and wooden bridges at Amsterdam, Fonda, Canajoharie, Fort Plain, and St. Johnsville. An iron bridge was built at Fort Plain, in 1858.

The county seat is located at Fonda, a pleasant village on the Mohawk built on the site of the ancient Dutch settlement of "Caughnawaga." The courthouse is a fine brick edifice, containing the usual co. offices. The jail is a stone building, adjacent to the courthouse. The co. poorhouse is located upon a farm of 150 acres situated in Glen, about 3 mi. E. of Fonda. The building is old and poor, and has few arrangements for the health, comfort, or convenience of its inmates. The average number of inmates is 125. The farm yields a revenue of $1,000. [Extracted from "Gazetteer of the State of New York", by J. H. French, 1860, the section on Herkimer County.

Tryon County, as Montgomery County was originally known, was set off from Albany County in 1772 on the petition of Sir William Johnson and named Tryon in honor of his friend, the Colonial Governor William Tryon. Johnstown was set up as the county seat. After the close of the Revolutionary War, the name of the county was changed to Montgomery in honor of General Richard Montgomery. All the land south of Oneida Lake and west of Utica to the present city of Buffalo was named Whitestown, in honor of early pioneer Hugh White, and was added to Montgomery County. Full History at NYSAC

Geography

Montgomery County is located in the central part of the state, west of the city of Schenectady and northwest of Albany.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 410 square miles (1,063 km²), of which, 405 square miles (1,048 km²) of it is land and 6 square miles (14 km²) of it (1.34%) is water.

Neighboring Counties:

Fulton County, New York - north
Saratoga County, New York - east
Schenectady County, New York - east
Schoharie County, New York - south
Otsego County, New York - southwest
Herkimer County, New York - west

Cities and Towns:

- Ames	village	Incorporated Area
- Amsterdam	city	Incorporated Area
- Canajoharie	village	Incorporated Area
- Charleston	town
- Ephratah	town
- Esperance	village	Incorporated Area
- Fonda (County Seat)	village	Incorporated Area
- Fort Johnson	village	Incorporated Area
- Fort Plain	village	Incorporated Area
- Fultonville	village	Incorporated Area
- Glen	town
- Hagaman	village	Incorporated Area
- Minden	town
- Nelliston	village	Incorporated Area
- Palatine	town
- Palatine Bridge	village	Incorporated Area
- Perth	town
- Root	town
- St. Johnsville	village	Incorporated Area

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."