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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.

Oneida County, New York

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

County Seat: Utica
Year Organized: 1798
Square Miles: 1,213

Court House:

800 Park Avenue
County Office Building
Utica, NY 13501-2939

Etymology - Origin of County Name

Named in honor of an Indian tribe of the Iroquois League

Demographics:

County QuickFacts: Census Bureau Quick Facts

County History

Oneida County is located in central New York State. It was formed from Herkimer County by an act of the Legislature on March 15, 1798. The boundaries of the county were described as follows:
" All that part of Herkimer County beginning at the south-west corner of the town of Bridgewater, and running thence easterly on the line of said town to the Unadilla River, thence northerly and easterly on the line of Bridgewater to the town of Litchfield, thence northerly on the line of Bridgewater and Litchfield to the southeast corner of the town of Paris, thence the same line continued on the the eastern line of Paris and Whitestown to the southerly line of Cosby's Manor, thence north-easterly in a direct line to the northerly bounds of said Cosby's Manor, at a point where the same is intersected by the division line between Gage's and Walton's Patents, thence notherly on the line between the said Walton's and Gage's Patents to the West Canada Creek, thence northerly up the waters of said creek to the forks thereof, thence easterly up the east branch of said creek to the north-east corner of Service's Patent, thence northerly to the northern bounds of this State, thence westerly along the northern of this State to Lake Ontario, thence along the easterly shore of said lake to the mouth of the Oswego River, thence easterly up said river to the Oneida Lake, thence along the southern side of said lake to the Oneida Creek, thence up said creek on the eastern line of the County of Chenango to the northern line of the town of Hamilton, thence easterly along the northern bounds of said towns of Hamilton adn Sangerfield to the north-western corner of the town of Bridgewater, thence southerly on the western line of said town of Bridgewater to the place of the beginning"

Situated in the geographical center of New York State, Oneida County us a county of contrasts. Comprised of productive farmland, and forested areas, and of industrialized urban areas and suburban communities. The principal geographical feature, the Mohawk River Valley, bisects the county in an east-west direction. It was through this historic valley that early Native American trails, trappers’ routes and early military routes were located. When permanent settlement by the Europeans began, the Mohawk River Valley was a primary route of westward travel. Full History at NYSAC

Geography

Oneida County is in the central portion of New York State, east of Syracuse, and west of Albany. Oneida Lake is on the northwestern corner of the county, and the Adirondack Park is on the northeast. Part of the Tug Hill Plateau is in the northern part of the county. Interestingly, Oneida County's highest point does lies neither on the plateau nor in the Adirondack Park, but in the county's southern extremity. The peak's name is Tassel Hill. It is located slightly southeast of Hardscrabble Road (Tassel Hill Road), between the villages of Waterville and Cassville.

The Erie Canal bisects the county. Oneida Lake and Oneida Creek form part of the western boundary.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,257 square miles (3,256 km²), of which, 1,213 square miles (3,141 km²) of it is land and 44 square miles (115 km²) of it (3.53%) is water.

Neighboring Counties:

Lewis County, New York - north
Herkimer County, New York - east
Otsego County, New York - southeast
Madison County, New York - southwest
Oswego County, New York - west

Cities and Towns:

- Annsville	town
- Augusta	town
- Ava	town
- Barneveld	village	Incorporated Area
- Boonville	village	Incorporated Area
- Bridgewater	village	Incorporated Area
- Camden	village	Incorporated Area
- Clayville	village	Incorporated Area
- Clinton	village	Incorporated Area
- Deerfield	town
- Florence	town
- Floyd	town
- Forestport	town
- Holland Patent	village	Incorporated Area
- Kirkland	town
- Lee	town
- Marcy	town
- Marshall	town
- New Hartford	village	Incorporated Area
- New York Mills	village	Incorporated Area
- Oriskany	village	Incorporated Area
- Oriskany Falls	village	Incorporated Area
- Osceola	town
- Paris	town
- Prospect	village	Incorporated Area
- Remsen	village	Incorporated Area
- Rome	city	Incorporated Area
- Sangerfield	town
- Sherrill	city	Incorporated Area
- Steuben	town
- Sylvan Beach	village	Incorporated Area
- Trenton	town
- Utica (County Seat)	city	Incorporated Area
- Vernon	village	Incorporated Area
- Verona	town
- Vienna	town
- Waterville	village	Incorporated Area
- Western	town
- Westmoreland	town
- Whitesboro	village	Incorporated Area
- Whitestown	town
- Yorkville	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."