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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.

Wayne County, New York

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

County Seat: Lyons
Year Organized: 1823
Square Miles: 604

Court House:

26 Church Street
County Courthouse
Lyons, NY 14489-1145

Etymology - Origin of County Name

in honor of General Anthony Wayne, whose victory over the confederated Indian tribes made possible the 1794 treaty that assured Western New York to the United States

Demographics:

County QuickFacts: Census Bureau Quick Facts

History

This county (Named in honor of Gen. Anthony Wayne) was formed from Ontario and Seneca, April 11, 1823. It lies upon Lake Ontario, w. of the center of the State; is centrally distant 171 mi. from Albany, and contains 624 sq. mi. ... Agriculture forms the leading pursuit. The branches, in the order of importance, are grain raising, stock growing, dairying, and wool growing. Fruit is extensively cultivated, and is rapidly becoming one of the most important agricultural products. ... The county seat is located at the village of Lyons, near the center of the co. ... The Erie Canal extends through the S. tier of towns; and along its course are the most populous and thriving villages of the co. The direct branch of the N. Y. Central R. R. between Syracuse and Rochester extends, along the course of the canal, through Savannah, Galen, Lyons, Arcadia, Palmyra, and Macedon. A ship canal route and a R. R. route have been surveyed, connecting the Erie Canal and Central R. R. with Lake Ontario. ... The earliest white inhabitants were hunters and trappers. The first permanent settlements were made in 1789, at Palmyra, under the auspices of General John Swift, agent of a company of settlers from Con.; and at Lyons, under Charles Williamson, agent for the Pulteney Estate. From 1790 to 1794, colonies came in from R. I., Long Island, and Maryland. The settlements did not progress with great rapidity for several years, owing to the diseases which prevailed. The fear of Indian hostilities and of British invasion during the War of 1812 greatly retarded settlement. On the return of peace, settlers began to arrive in considerable numbers, principally from New England and Eastern N. Y. The completion of the Erie Canal gave a new impulse to immigration; and in a few years the flourishing villages of Lyons, Clyde, Palmyra, and Newark were built up along its course. The N. Y. Central R. R. built through the co. in 1852-53, greatly benefited the co. and enhanced the value of the lands. The most notable of the later incidents of the co. have been the rise of Mormonism in Palmyra, and the commencement of spiritual rappings in Arcadia. (Excerpts from the "Gazetteer of the State of New York," by J. H. French, 1860)

The earliest inhabitants of the land now called Wayne County were members of the Algonkian Indian group. Artifacts found throughout the county, and especially in the town of Savannah, indicate that Indians at one time did have permanent or seasonal camps in the area. In fact as far back as 10,000 years ago, hunters following the retreating glacier moved into the area to hunt such animals as mastodon and moose elk. Once agriculture was introduced into the societies, permanent settlement moved to the south of Wayne County, into the area around the Finger Lakes. Full History at NYSAC

Geography

Wayne County is in the western part of New York State, east of Rochester and northwest of Syracuse, on the south shore of Lake Ontario. Sodus Bay is located on the north shoreline of the county. Wayne is bounded by five other New York counties: the northern boundary is Lake Ontario with Canada on the opposite shore; the western boundary is Monroe County; and the eastern boundary is Cayuga County; the south boundary is shared with Ontario and Seneca Counties.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,384 square miles (3,585 km²), of which, 604 square miles (1,565 km²) of it is land and 780 square miles (2,020 km²) of it (56.35%) is water.

The Clinton Formation, a band of red hematite across the county, led to a thriving iron industry during the 19th century. Furnaces were located in the Towns of Ontario and Wolcott.

Neighboring Counties:

Lake Ontario and Canada - north
Cayuga County, New York - east
Seneca County, New York - southeast
Ontario County, New York - southwest
Monroe County, New York - west

Cities and Towns:

- Arcadia	town
- Butler	town
- Clyde	village	Incorporated Area
- Galen	town
- Huron	town
- Lyons (County Seat)	village	Incorporated Area
- Macedon	village	Incorporated Area
- Marion	town
- Newark	village	Incorporated Area
- Ontario	town
- Palmyra	village	Incorporated Area
- Red Creek	village	Incorporated Area
- Rose	town
- Savannah	town
- Sodus	village	Incorporated Area
- Sodus Point	village	Incorporated Area
- Walworth	town
- Williamson	town
- Wolcott	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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