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New York State...
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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. |
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Ontario County, New York
Ontario County History, Geography, Demographics, Cities and Towns, and Education
County Seat: Canandaigua
Year Organized: 1789
Square Miles: 644 |
Court House: 20 Ontario Street
County Municipal Building
Canandaigua, NY 14424-1447
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Etymology - Origin of County Name
corruption of the Iroquois word meaning "beautiful lake"
Demographics:
County QuickFacts:
Census Bureau Quick Facts
History
When counties were established in New York State in 1683, the present Ontario County was part of Albany County. This
was an enormous county, including the northern part of New York State as well as all of the present State of Vermont
and, in theory, extending westward to the Pacific Ocean. This county was reduced in size on July 3, 1766 by the creation
of Cumberland County, and further on March 16, 1770 by the creation of Gloucester County, both containing territory now
in Vermont.
On March 12, 1772, what was left of Albany County was split into three parts, one remaining under the name Albany
County. One of the other pieces, Tryon County, contained the western portion (and thus, since no western boundary was
specified, theoretically still extended west to the Pacific). The eastern boundary of Tryon County was approximately
five miles west of the present city of Schenectady, and the county included the western part of the Adirondack Mountains
and the area west of the West Branch of the Delaware River. The area then designated as Tryon County now includes 37
counties of New York State. The county was named for William Tryon, colonial governor of New York.
Above the fireplace of the Ontario County Historical Society building in Canandaigua are carved the words NEH-KO,
GAH-GIS-DAN-YEN-DUK, a Seneca Indian phrase meaning “Other Council Fires Were Here Before Ours.” A great hill at the
south eastern end of Canandaigua Lake, originally in Ontario County, now in Yates County, marks the place where the
Seneca became one of the original five nations of the Iroquois Confederation and were the “Keepers of the Western
Door.” Full History at NYSAC
Online
History of Ontario County, NY Published 1878
Geography
Ontario County is in western New York State, east of Buffalo, southeast of Rochester, and northwest of Ithaca.
The county is within the Finger Lakes Region of the state. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a
total area of 662 square miles (1,716 kmē), of which, 644 square miles (1,669 kmē) of it is land and 18 square miles
(47 kmē) of it (2.72%) is water.
Neighboring Counties:
Cities and Towns:
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- Bloomfield |
village |
Incorporated Area |
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- Bristol |
town |
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- Canadice |
town |
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- Canandaigua
(County
Seat) |
city |
Incorporated Area |
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- Clifton Springs |
village |
Incorporated Area |
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- East Bloomfield |
town |
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- Farmington |
town |
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- Geneva |
city |
Incorporated Area |
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- Gorham |
town |
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- Manchester |
village |
Incorporated Area |
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- Naples |
village |
Incorporated Area |
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- Phelps |
village |
Incorporated Area |
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- Richmond |
town |
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- Seneca |
town |
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- Shortsville |
village |
Incorporated Area |
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- South Bristol |
town |
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- Victor |
village |
Incorporated Area |
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- West Bloomfield |
town |
County Resources:
Enter County Resources and Information Here
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County Resource Guide
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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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