Chenango County, New York

Chenango County is a county located in the south-central section U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 47,220.[2] Its county seat is Norwich.[3] The county's name originates from an Oneida word meaning 'large bull-thistle'.

This article is about the county in New York. For other uses, see Chenango (disambiguation).

Chenango County
County
Chenango County Courthouse
Chenango County Courthouse
Flag of Chenango County
Flag
Official seal of Chenango County
Seal
Map of New York highlighting Chenango County
Location within the U.S. state of New York
Map of the United States highlighting New York
New York's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 42°30′N 75°37′W
Country United States
State New York
FoundedMarch 15, 1798
Named forOnondaga word for bull thistle
SeatNorwich
Largest cityNorwich
Area
 • Total899 sq mi (2,330 km2)
 • Land894 sq mi (2,320 km2)
 • Water5.1 sq mi (13 km2)  0.6%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total47,220[1]
 • Density52.8/sq mi (20.4/km2)
Time zoneUTC−5 (Eastern)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district19th
Websitewww.co.chenango.ny.us

History

This was long the territory of the Oneida people, one of the first Five Nations of the Iroquois Confederacy or Haudenosaunee. They occupied the area until after the Revolutionary War, when they were forced off the land, although they had been allies of the patriot colonists. They were granted a small reservation, which settlers continued to encroach on.

When English colonists organized counties in 1683 in what is now New York, the present Chenango 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. However, territories located to the west of present-day Pennsylvania were under effective French control as part of New France. Albany 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. One of the other pieces, Tryon County, contained the western portion (and thus, since no western boundary was specified, theoretically still extended west to the Pacific). The eastern boundary of Tryon County was approximately five miles west of the present city of Schenectady, and the county included the western part of the Adirondack Mountains and the area west of the West Branch of the Delaware River. The area then designated as Tryon County has since been organized as 37 counties of New York State. The county was named for William Tryon, the British colonial governor of New York.

In the years prior to 1776, during the increasing tensions most of the Loyalists in Tryon County fled to Fort Niagara on the Western Frontier. In 1784, following the peace treaty that ended the American Revolutionary War, the Americans renamed Tryon County as Montgomery County in honor of the US general, Richard Montgomery. He had captured several places in Canada and died attempting to capture the city of Quebec. The US residents replaced the name of the former British governor.

The "Twenty Townships" west of the Unadilla River, conveyed by the Oneida Indians in 1788 and known as "Clinton's Purchase"

In 1788, the Oneida Reservation was considerably reduced by what is known as Clinton's Purchase, when land was sold off west of the Unadilla River to create what are now 20 towns. (See map to the right.) Settlers from eastern New York and New England entered the area and began farming.

In 1789, Montgomery County was reduced in size by the splitting-off of Ontario County. The area split off from Montgomery County was much larger than the present Ontario County, as it included the present Allegany, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Erie, Genesee, Livingston, Monroe, Niagara, Orleans, Steuben, Wyoming, Yates, and part of Schuyler and Wayne counties. It was the practice to establish a large geographic county and divide it as settlement increased.

In 1791, Herkimer, Otsego and Tioga counties were organized from land separated from Montgomery County.

Chenango County was formed on March 15, 1798, from 1,610 square miles (4,170 km2) of Tioga and Herkimer counties. Its eastern border is formed by the Unadilla River. The land had been purchased the previous year from the Oneida, who were forced into a smaller reservation to the north.

On April 4, 1804, 70 square miles (180 km2) of Chenango County was partitioned to expand Oneida County; the communities of Waterville and Sangerfield were assigned to the new Oneida County.

On March 21, 1806, 650 square miles (1,680 km2) of Chenango County was partitioned to produce Madison County. This established the current borders of Chenango County, which have been maintained to the early 21st century. This area was developed for agriculture in the nineteenth century and is still largely rural.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 899 square miles (2,330 km2), of which 894 square miles (2,320 km2) is land and 5.1 square miles (13 km2) (0.6%) is water.[4]

Chenango County is in the approximate center of the state, located west of Albany, north of Binghamton, and southeast of Syracuse. The county is considered to be in the Southern Tier region of New York State.

The Chenango River, a tributary of the Susquehanna River, flows southward through the county.

Adjacent counties

Demographics
Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
180015,666—
181021,70438.5%
182031,21543.8%
183037,23819.3%
184040,7859.5%
185040,311−1.2%
186040,9341.5%
187040,564−0.9%
188039,891−1.7%
189037,776−5.3%
190036,568−3.2%
191035,575−2.7%
192034,969−1.7%
193034,665−0.9%
194036,4545.2%
195039,1387.4%
196043,24310.5%
197046,3687.2%
198049,3446.4%
199051,7684.9%
200051,401−0.7%
201050,477−1.8%
202047,220−6.5%
U.S. Decennial Census[5]
1790-1960[6] 1900-1990[7]
1990-2000[8] 2010-2020[2]

2020 Census
Chenango County Racial Composition[9]
Race Num. Perc.
White (NH) 43,153 91.39%
Black or African American (NH) 345 0.73%
Native American (NH) 93 0.19%
Asian (NH) 236 0.5%
Pacific Islander (NH) 15 0.03%
Other/Mixed (NH) 2,261 4.79%
Hispanic or Latino 1,117 2.37%

2000 Census

As of the census[10] of 2000, there were 51,401 people, 19,926 households, and 13,549 families residing in the county. The population density was 58 people per square mile (22 people/km2). There were 23,890 housing units at an average density of 27 per square mile (10/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 97.65% White, 0.82% Black or African American, 0.27% Native American, 0.28% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.22% from other races, and 0.74% from two or more races. 1.07% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 20.2% were of English, 14.5% German, 13.8% Irish, 12.3% American and 8.9% Italian ancestry according to Census 2000.[11] 96.7% spoke English and 1.3% Spanish as their first language.

There were 19,926 households, out of which 32.50% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.10% were married couples living together, 9.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.00% were non-families. 26.10% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.40% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.52 and the average family size was 3.01.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 26.20% under the age of 18, 7.00% from 18 to 24, 27.50% from 25 to 44, 24.40% from 45 to 64, and 14.90% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 97.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.70 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $33,679, and the median income for a family was $39,711. Males had a median income of $30,363 versus $22,429 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,427. About 10.70% of families and 14.40% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.50% of those under age 18 and 8.70% of those age 65 or over.

Government
United States presidential election results for Chenango County, New York[12]
Year Republican Democratic Third party
No. %No. %No. %
2020 13,496 60.38% 8,300 37.14% 554 2.48%
2016 11,921 59.13% 6,775 33.61% 1,464 7.26%
2012 9,713 50.29% 9,116 47.20% 485 2.51%
2008 10,337 49.59% 10,100 48.45% 410 1.97%
2004 11,582 54.27% 9,277 43.47% 482 2.26%
2000 10,033 49.55% 9,112 45.00% 1,105 5.46%
1996 7,319 37.96% 8,797 45.63% 3,163 16.41%
1992 8,114 37.24% 8,017 36.80% 5,656 25.96%
1988 11,727 58.92% 8,021 40.30% 154 0.77%
1984 14,254 69.03% 6,343 30.72% 51 0.25%
1980 10,400 53.08% 6,917 35.31% 2,275 11.61%
1976 12,384 62.43% 7,356 37.08% 97 0.49%
1972 13,770 70.58% 5,695 29.19% 44 0.23%
1968 11,785 63.86% 5,706 30.92% 964 5.22%
1964 7,293 38.48% 11,653 61.49% 6 0.03%
1960 14,533 71.93% 5,659 28.01% 12 0.06%
1956 16,314 81.09% 3,804 18.91% 0 0.00%
1952 16,062 79.66% 4,089 20.28% 13 0.06%
1948 11,988 70.59% 4,764 28.05% 230 1.35%
1944 12,745 71.69% 4,997 28.11% 37 0.21%
1940 14,168 72.84% 5,241 26.94% 43 0.22%
1936 13,772 72.50% 5,143 27.08% 80 0.42%
1932 11,566 65.27% 5,953 33.60% 200 1.13%
1928 13,955 77.21% 3,986 22.05% 132 0.73%
1924 11,323 72.60% 3,392 21.75% 881 5.65%
1920 10,116 71.12% 3,735 26.26% 373 2.62%
1916 5,198 54.77% 3,887 40.96% 405 4.27%
1912 4,043 42.71% 3,341 35.29% 2,082 21.99%
1908 5,949 57.52% 3,772 36.47% 621 6.00%
1904 6,394 59.77% 3,817 35.68% 486 4.54%
1900 6,362 58.89% 4,043 37.42% 398 3.68%
1896 6,338 59.09% 3,973 37.04% 415 3.87%
1892 5,378 51.04% 4,273 40.56% 885 8.40%
1888 5,798 52.49% 4,640 42.01% 608 5.50%
1884 5,462 50.99% 4,410 41.17% 840 7.84%

Chenango County has a Board of Supervisors that consists of 23 Town/City elected officials, serving as representatives at the County level. The term for each Supervisor is based on the term set by each particular Town. A Supervisor holds office for either two or four years.

In 21st-century United States politics, Chenango County is considered a "red" county, where the majority of voters elect national Republican candidates. In 2004, Republican George Bush won by an 11% margin over Democrat John Kerry. For state and congressional offices, voters sometimes elect Democratic candidates. In 2006 both Eliot Spitzer and Hillary Clinton carried it, winning 57% and 54% of the vote for governor and US Senator, respectively. In 2008, John McCain carried Chenango County over Barack Obama in the presidential election by a close margin of 49.59%-48.45% or a difference of 237 votes.[13] In 2010, Democrat Andrew Cuomo for governor, and Democrats Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand for the US Senate each carried it.

Education

Morrisville State College has a branch in Norwich.

Communities

Norwich, the county seat, is the only city in Chenango County.

In addition to the city of Norwich, the county has the following named settlements:

Towns

In New York, a "town" is a political subdivision (synonymous with township). The towns in northern Chenango County originated from the Twenty Townships ceded by the Oneida tribe to the State of New York.

Villages

Census-designated places

Hamlets

Notable people

See also

References
  1. "US Census 2020 Population Dataset Tables for New York". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 2, 2022.
  2. "U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Chenango County, New York". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 3, 2022.
  3. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  4. "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Archived from the original on May 19, 2014. Retrieved January 3, 2015.
  5. "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 3, 2015.
  6. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved January 3, 2015.
  7. "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 3, 2015.
  8. "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 3, 2015.
  9. "P2 HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Chenango County, New York".
  10. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  11. Bureau, US Census. "Census.gov". Census.gov.
  12. Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved October 22, 2018.
  13. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections - State Data".
  14. Bacon and Company (1870). Representative and leading men of the Pacific. Bacon and Company. p. 433. serranus hastings principal at Norwich Academy, located in Chenango County, New York.

Further reading
  • NEW YORK: Atlas of Historical County Boundaries; Compiled by Kathryn Ford Thorne; Edited by John H. Long.
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