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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.

Schoharie County, New York

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

County Seat: Schoharie
Year Organized: 1795
Square Miles: 622

Court House:

P.O. Box 669
County Courthouse
Schoharie, NY 12157-0669

Etymology - Origin of County Name

from the Mohawk Indian word meaning "floating driftwood"

Demographics:

County QuickFacts: Census Bureau Quick Facts

History

SCHOHARIE COUNTY was taken from Albany and Otsego counties in 1795; greatest length N. and S. 30, greatest breadth E. and W. 25 miles. Centrally distant NW. from New York 150, from Albany W. 42 miles. In the western part of this county is the dividing ridge between the waters of the Mohawk and those of the Susquehannah and Delaware. In the eastern part it has the Catskill and Helleberg mountains. It has the valley of the Schoharie creek north and south through its centre, along which the alluvial flats are very extensive, with a soil of loam and vegetable mould, peculiarly rich and fertile. Much of the surface of this county is hilly, with some of a mountainous character. The soil of the uplands is of various qualities, generally better adapted to grass than to grain. The Schoharie creek, a large tributary of the Mohawk, has its rise in Greene county, and flows northward through the centre of this county. In its course it receives several smaller streams, the principal of which are the Cobelskill on the west, and Fox creek on the east. The Catskill has its source in the eastern part of the county, and the Delaware and Susquehannah in the western. The county is well watered, and possesses many fine mill sites. In the towns of Summit, Jefferson, Blenheim, Broome, and the uplands of Middleburg and Fulton, the tenure of the soil is generally held by lease, the fee-simple being in proprietors of large tracts; but in these towns, there are many tracts upon the creek, which the Germans have taken up in fee, the common tenure of the northern towns. The towns of Schoharie, Cobelskill, Sharon, Fulton, Middleburg, and portions of Blenheim and Broome, have a population of German origin.

The German language prevails among the older inhabitants, but their children are educated and converse in English. The early settlers suffered much from Indian hostilities, and during the revolution the country was overrun by the British and Indians under Sir John Johnson, Brant, and the infamous Walter Butler. The county is divided into 12 towns. (Historical Collections of the State of New York, Past and Present, John Barber, Clark Albien & Co., 1851)

What is now known as Schoharie County was organized as a town in Albany County in 1788, governed from Albany with no representation from Schoharie. This situation was not entirely satisfactory to the inhabitants of the region, and many petitions were sent to the Albany Legislature urging them to set Schoharie Town up as a separate county. About 1795, George Tiffany and Jacob Gebhard, of Schoharie Village, Jonathan Danforth of Middleburgh, William Beekman, John Rice and Calvin Rich of Seward and Sharon, petitioned the State Legislature for the formation of a separate county. Their request was granted on April 6, 1795. Full History at NYSAC

Geography

Schoharie County is in central New York State, west of Albany and southeast of Utica.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 626 square miles (1,622 km²), of which, 622 square miles (1,611 km²) of it is land and 4 square miles (11 km²) of it (0.69%) is water.

Much of the southern portion of the county lies within the Catskill Mountains. Land rises in both directions quite rapidly from Schoharie Creek in the middle of the county. The Schoharie Creek is a northward-flowing tributary of the Mohawk River. The Schoharie Creek watershed spans an area of approximately 950 square miles. The course of Schoharie Creek includes two reservoir-dam systems. The Gilboa Dam and the Schoharie Reservoir are part of the New York City Water Supply System. The New York Power Authority operates the Blenheim-Gilboa Dam and its reservoir to produce hydroelectric power.

The highest point is found at the summit of Huntersfield Mountain on the southern boundary with Greene County, 3,423 feet (1,043 m) above sea level. The lowest point is where the Montgomery County line meets Schoharie Creek, 520 feet (158 m) above sea level. The most prominent geological feature is Vroman's Nose, in the town of Middleburgh.

Neighboring Counties:

Montgomery County - north
Schenectady County - northeast
Albany County - east
Greene County - southeast
Delaware County - southwest
Otsego County - west

Cities and Towns:

- Blenheim	town
- Broome	town
- Carlisle	town
- Cobleskill	village	Incorporated Area
- Conesville	town
- Gilboa	town
- Jefferson	town
- Middleburgh	village	Incorporated Area
- Richmondville	village	Incorporated Area
- Schoharie (County Seat)	village	Incorporated Area
- Seward	town
- Sharon	town
- Sharon Springs	village	Incorporated Area
- Summit	town
- Wright	town

County Resources:

Enter County Resources and Information Here

County Resource Guide

Counties: US Map

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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