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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.

Tioga County, New York

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

County Seat: Owego
Year Organized: 1791
Square Miles: 519

Court House:

56 Main Street
County Office Building
Owego, NY 13827-1250

Etymology - Origin of County Name

from the Indian word meaning "at the forks," referring originally to a famous Indian meeting place

Demographics:

County QuickFacts: Census Bureau Quick Facts

History

Tioga County, taken from Montgomery in 1794; bounds since much altered: still further reduced in 1836, bh the erection of Chemung County from its western portion. Greatest length E. and W. 31, greatest breadth N. and S. 29 miles. This, with Chemung county, is part of the broad and long belt extending westerly from Ulster and Greene counties to the vicinity of Lake Erie, preserving for a great part of the distance a mean height of about 1,600 feet above the level of the ocean. The soil of the county consists generally of sandy and gravelly loam, interspersed with patches of mud and clay. The uplands are commonly better adapted to grass than grain; but the valley gives fine crops of wheat and corn; oats, barley, peas, beans, and hops thrive almost everywhere. The Susquehannah is the principal stream in the county. The New York and Erie railroad crosses the county E. and W.; and the railroad from Owego to Ithaca N. and S. The county is divided into 9 towns. (Historical Collections of the State of New York, Past and Present, John Barber, Clark Albien & Co. 1851)

Tioga County is located in the south central part of New York State adjacent to the Pennsylvania border. Tioga has been referred to as the “mother county” since the counties of Broome and Chemung, as well as parts of Tompkins, Cortland and Chenango were formed from Tioga’s original boundaries. The earliest traceable inhabitants of the county were the Algonquin Indians, a primarily agricultural civilization that was later driven out by the Iroquois. Full History at NYSAC

Geography

Tioga County is located in southwest New York State, west of Binghamton and directly north of the border with Pennsylvania. The Susquehanna River flows into Pennsylvania from this county. The county is considered part of the Southern Tier region of New York State.

The highest elevation is an unnamed 1,994-foot (607.8 m) hill in the county's northern corner.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 523 square miles (1,354 km²), of which, 519 square miles (1,343 km²) of it is land and 4 square miles (11 km²) of it (0.81%) is water.

Neighboring Counties:

Cortland County, New York - northeast
Broome County, New York - east
Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania - southeast
Bradford County, Pennsylvania - south
Chemung County, New York - west
Tompkins County, New York - northwest

Cities and Towns:

- Barton	town
- Berkshire	town
- Candor	village	Incorporated Area
- Newark Valley	village	Incorporated Area
- Nichols	village	Incorporated Area
- Owego (County Seat)	village	Incorporated Area
- Richford	town
- Spencer	village	Incorporated Area
- Tioga	town
- Waverly	village	Incorporated Area

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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