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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.

Washington County, New York

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

County Seat: Fort Edward
Year Organized: 1772
Square Miles: 836

Court House:

383 Broadway, Building C
County Courthouse
Fort Edward, NY 12828-1015

Etymology - Origin of County Name

Named in honor of George Washington, first President of the United States

Demographics:

County QuickFacts: Census Bureau Quick Facts

County History

When counties were established in New York State in 1683, the present Washington 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. The other two were called Tryon County (later renamed Montgomery County) and Charlotte County.

In 1784, the name "Charlotte County" was changed to honor George Washington, the American Revolutionary War general and later President of the United States of America.

In 1788, Clinton County was split off from Washington County. This was a much larger area than the present Clinton County, including several other counties or county parts of the present New York State.

In 1791, the Town of Cambridge was transferred from Albany County to Washington County.

In 1813, Warren County was split off from Washington County.

In 1994, with the completion of the new municipal center, the county seat was moved from Hudson Falls to Fort Edward.

The first Europeans to claim land in today’s Washington County were the Dutch. However, substantial settlement only occurred toward the end of the French and Indian War (1755-1763), when the British crown awarded land to many soldiers of that conflict, and sold land patents to potential settlers and investors. Full History at NYSAC

Geography

Washington County is located in the northeastern section of the State. The eastern boundary of Washington County is the New York-Vermont border, part of which is Lake Champlain.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 846 square miles (2,191 km²), of which, 835 square miles (2,164 km²) of it is land and 10 square miles (27 km²) of it (1.23%) is water.

Neighboring Counties:

Essex County, New York - north
Addison County, Vermont - northeast
Rutland County, Vermont - east
Bennington County, Vermont - southeast
Rensselaer County, New York - south
Saratoga County, New York - southwest
Warren County, New York - west

Cities and Towns:

- Argyle	village	Incorporated Area
- Cambridge	village	Incorporated Area
- Fort Ann	village	Incorporated Area
- Fort Edward (County Seat)	village	Incorporated Area
- Granville	village	Incorporated Area
- Greenwich	village	Incorporated Area
- Hampton	town
- Hartford	town
- Hebron	town
- Hudson Falls	village	Incorporated Area
- Jackson	town
- Kingsbury	town
- Putnam	town
- Salem	village	Incorporated Area
- White Creek	town
- Whitehall	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."