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New York Counties
 Click Image to Enlarge New York CountiesThere 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. |
Oswego County, New YorkOswego County History, Geography, Demographics, Cities and Towns, and Education
Etymology - Origin of County Namefrom the Iroquois word meaning "the out-pouring," referring to the mouth of the Oswego Demographics:County QuickFacts: Census Bureau Quick Facts County HistoryOswego County was taken from Oneida and Onondaga counties in 1816; centrally distant from New York NW. 295, and from Albany 150 miles. Greatest length E. and W. 37 miles, greatest breadth N. and S. 30 milles. The surface is level upon the west, south, and southeast; in the interior rolling, and in the north rising into hills. The soil generally is of a medium quality, some of it highly fertile, better adapted to grass than grain. With the exception of the Oswego river, there are no large streams. "The towns west of the Oswego river constituted a part of the military tract. The towns east of the river constitute a part of "Scriba's patent." These lands were originally granted to Nicholas Roosevelt, of New York, who not complying with the terms of sale, they were sold to George Scriba, a native of Germany, and at that time a merchant in New York. The town of Richland, a large part of Volney, about one half of Scriba, and the town of Vienna, in the county of Oneida, upon a sale of part of Mr. Roosevelt's interest by process from chancery, were jointly purchased by Gen. Alexander Hamilton, John Lawrence, and John B. Church." The county has 20 towns. Pop.43,820. (Historical Collections of the State of New York, by John W. Barber and Henry Howe, New York; Published for the Authors by S. Tuttle, 194 Chatham-Square. Price Three Dollars. 1841.) Oswego County is bounded by the Oneida and Oswego rivers, Lake Ontario and Oneida Lake. Native people used the
rivers and lakes as highways for centuries and there were campsites with names such as Kah-ne-wo-nah (Iroquois)
“Place of the Tall Pines” in Phoenix, Caugh-de-noy (Iroquois) “Eel Lying Down” in the hamlet of the same name, and
Se-ugh-kay (Oneida) “Lake Pours Out” at the mouth of the Oneida River in Brewerton.
Full History at NYSAC GeographyOswego County is in northwestern New York State, just north of Syracuse and northwest of Utica, on the eastern
shore of Lake Ontario. Part of the Tug Hill Plateau is in the eastern part of the county and, at 1550', is the
highest point. Neighboring Counties:
Cities and Towns:
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." |
