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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.

Niagara County, New York

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

County Seat: Lockport
Year Organized: 1808
Square Miles: 523

Court House:

175 Hawley Street
County Courthouse
Lockport, NY 14094-2740

Etymology - Origin of County Name

from an Indian word meaning "bisected bottom lands"

Demographics:

County QuickFacts: Census Bureau Quick Facts

County History

Niagara County was taken from Genesee in 1808. Greatest length E. and W. 30; breadth N. and S. 21 miles. The word Niagara is of Indian origin, and signifies across the neck or straight. The streams are few, and with the exception of Eighteen Mile, Johnson's and Tonawanta creeka, and Niagara river, are inconsiderable. In 1796, exclusive of the occupants of Forts Niagara and Schlosser, there was but one white family in the territory now forming this county. The proposed line for a ship canal, from the Niagara river above the falls to Lewiston, lies wholly within the county, commencing near Gill creek and the site of old Fort Schlosser. A railroad runs from Lockport aand another from Buffalo to the Niagara Falls. A branch has been made from Lewiston to intersect the Lockport and Niagara Falls railroad, a distance of about 2 miles. The Erie canal enters Tonawanta creek near its mouth. The creek is used for 12 miles as a canal by a tow-path on its bank. At Pendleton village, the canal leaves the creek and turns in a northeasterly direction across the mountain ridge, with a deep cut of about three miles through rock averaging 20 feet; and then descending 60 feet, by five double combined locks of 12 feet each, it passes out of the county south of the Ridge road. The county is divided into 12 towns. (Historical Collections of the State of New York, Past and Present, John Barber, Clark Albien & Co. 1851)

Niagara County’s geographic position is the reason for its geo-political prominence as an Outpost of Empires and as stage for stories that are a significant part of American history. The international Niagara River borders Canada and Western part of the county while Lake Ontario is the northern boundry. Tonawanda Creek is the Southern boundry thus suggesting a peninsula feature. Full History at NYSAC

Geography

Niagara County is in the extreme western part of New York State, just north of Buffalo and adjacent to Lake Ontario on its northern border and the Niagara River and Canada on its western border. The border results in a fair number of Illegal Immigration cases, though these are more common to the east where the border is across land rather than a lake or river.

The primary geographic feature of the county is Niagara Falls, which has eroded seven miles south over the past 12,000 years since the last Ice Age. The Niagara River and Niagara Falls, are in effect, the drainage ditch for four of the Great Lakes which constitute the largest supply of fresh water in the world. The water flows north from Lake Erie, then through the Niagara River, goes over Niagara Falls, and then on to Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River, eventually emptying into the North Atlantic Ocean. Today, tourists and visitors to the Falls only see half of the natural water flow over the Falls, since the other half has been taken for hydroelectric power purposes. Both the American and Canadian side of the Niagara River have massive electrical power plants.

The spectacular Niagara Gorge is the path Niagara Falls has taken over thousands of years as it continues to erode. Niagara Falls started at the Niagara Escarpment which cuts Niagara County in half in an East-West direction. North of the Escarpment lies the Lake Ontario plain, which is a fertile flatland that is used to grow grapes, apples, peaches and other fruits and vegetables.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,140 square miles (2,952 km²), of which, 523 square miles (1,354 km²) of it is land and 617 square miles (1,598 km²) of it (54.12%) is water.

Neighboring Counties:

Orleans County, New York - east
Genesee County, New York - southeast
Erie County, New York - south - boundary is Tonawanda Creek
Province of Ontario - west - International border - boundary is the Niagara River
Lake Ontario - north - with Canada on the opposite shore.

Cities and Towns:

- Barker	village	Incorporated Area
- Cambria	town
- Hartland	town
- Lewiston	village	Incorporated Area
- Lockport (County Seat)	city	Incorporated Area
- Middleport	village	Incorporated Area
- Newfane	town
- Niagara	town
- Niagara Falls	city	Incorporated Area
- North Tonawanda	city	Incorporated Area
- Pendleton	town
- Porter	town
- Royalton	town
- Somerset	town
- Tonawanda Reservation	Reservation
- Tuscarora Reservation	Reservation
- Wheatfield	town
- Wilson	village	Incorporated Area
- Youngstown	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."