Otsego County, New York

Otsego County is a county in the U.S. state of New York located within the Mohawk Valley Region. As of the 2020 census, the population was 58,524.[2] The county seat is Cooperstown.[3] The county's population center is Oneonta. The name Otsego is from a Mohawk or Oneida word meaning "place of the rock."[4]

Not to be confused with Oswego County, New York.

Otsego County
County
Original Otsego County Bank, in Cooperstown
Original Otsego County Bank, in Cooperstown
Flag of Otsego County
Flag
Official seal of Otsego County
Seal
Map of New York highlighting Otsego 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°38′N 75°02′W
Country United States
State New York
FoundedFebruary 16, 1791
SeatCooperstown
Largest cityOneonta
Area
 • Total1,016 sq mi (2,630 km2)
 • Land1,002 sq mi (2,600 km2)
 • Water14 sq mi (40 km2)  1.4%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total58,524[1]
 • Density58.4/sq mi (22.5/km2)
Time zoneUTC−5 (Eastern)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional districts19th, 21st
Websitewww.otsegocounty.com

History
See also: Montgomery County, New York
Map of Otsego County, at its formation
Map of Otsego County, New York, by Simeon De Witt c. 1792-1793
1829 map of Otsego County, New York

In 1789, Ontario County was split off from Montgomery. The area split off from Montgomery County was much larger than the present 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.

Formation

Otsego County was one of three early counties split off from Montgomery (the other two being Herkimer and Tioga) after the American Revolutionary War. Otsego County was officially established on February 16, 1791, with Cooperstown as its county seat. The original county consisted of three large townships:

Otsego and Cherry Valley together roughly covered the area of modern Otsego County, while Harpersfield covered the area south of the current county as far as the Delaware River.

Governor George Clinton made the original appointments to Otsego County government positions, including:

  • Richard R. Smith, county sheriff, from Otsego township,
  • Jacob Morris, county clerk, from Otsego township,
  • William Cooper, chief judge, founder of Cooperstown and from Otsego township,
  • Jedediah Peck, associate justice from Otsego township,
  • Edward Griswold, associate justice from Cherry Valley
  • Platt Townsend, associate justice from Harpersfield,
  • Alexander Harper, commander of the county militia, from Harpersfield.

New towns

By 1793, four towns had been added to the county by division of the existing towns:

In 1795, a piece of Otsego County was joined with a portion taken from Albany County to create Schoharie County.

In 1797, a piece of Otsego County was joined with a portion taken from Ulster County to create Delaware County.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,016 square miles (2,630 km2), of which 1,002 square miles (2,600 km2) is land and 14 square miles (36 km2) (1.4%) is water.[5]

Otsego County is in central New York State, to the west of Albany, southeast of Utica, and northeast of Binghamton. The county is part of the Central New York Region and Mohawk Valley Region of New York State. The county is considered by some to belong to the Southern Tier region of New York State, and is the northernmost county of the Appalachian Region.

Adjacent counties

Demographics
Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
180021,343—
181038,80281.8%
182044,85615.6%
183051,37214.5%
184049,628−3.4%
185048,638−2.0%
186050,1573.1%
187048,967−2.4%
188051,3975.0%
189050,861−1.0%
190048,939−3.8%
191047,216−3.5%
192046,200−2.2%
193046,7101.1%
194046,082−1.3%
195050,76310.2%
196051,9422.3%
197056,1818.2%
198059,0755.2%
199060,5172.4%
200061,6761.9%
201062,2590.9%
202058,524−6.0%
U.S. Decennial Census[6]
1790-1960[7] 1900-1990[8]
1990-2000[9] 2010-2020[2]

As of the census[10] of 2000, there were 61,676 people, 23,291 households, and 15,115 families residing in the county. The population density was 62 people per square mile (24 people/km2). There were 28,481 housing units at an average density of 28 units per square mile (11/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 95.80% White, 1.75% African American, 0.23% Native American, 0.63% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 0.50% from other races, and 1.05% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.90% of the population. 15.0% were of Irish, 14.9% English, 14.9% German, 11.3% Italian and 9.1% American ancestry according to Census 2000. 95.4% spoke English and 2.1% Spanish as their first language.

There were 23,291 households, out of which 29.60% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.10% were married couples living together, 9.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.10% were non-families. 27.00% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.60% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 2.94.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 22.70% under the age of 18, 14.40% from 18 to 24, 24.30% from 25 to 44, 23.60% from 45 to 64, and 15.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 93.10 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.00 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $33,444, and the median income for a family was $41,110. Males had a median income of $29,988 versus $22,609 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,806. About 8.80% of families and 14.90% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.80% of those under age 18 and 8.20% of those age 65 or over.

2020 Census
Otsego County Racial Composition[11]
Race Num. Perc.
White (NH) 51,490 88%
Black or African American (NH) 1,189 2.03%
Native American (NH) 109 0.2%
Asian (NH) 813 1.4%
Pacific Islander (NH) 7 0.01%
Other/Mixed (NH) 2,524 4.31%
Hispanic or Latino 2,392 4.1%

Government and politics
United States presidential election results for Otsego County, New York[12]
Year Republican Democratic Third party
No. %No. %No. %
2020 14,382 51.22% 12,975 46.21% 723 2.57%
2016 13,308 51.85% 10,451 40.72% 1,909 7.44%
2012 11,461 47.48% 12,117 50.20% 561 2.32%
2008 12,026 46.04% 13,570 51.95% 525 2.01%
2004 13,342 50.06% 12,723 47.74% 587 2.20%
2000 12,219 48.19% 11,460 45.19% 1,679 6.62%
1996 8,774 36.37% 11,470 47.54% 3,882 16.09%
1992 10,141 38.12% 10,471 39.36% 5,994 22.53%
1988 13,021 53.51% 11,069 45.49% 245 1.01%
1984 16,777 63.28% 9,582 36.14% 152 0.57%
1980 11,814 49.42% 8,795 36.79% 3,298 13.80%
1976 14,796 59.77% 9,787 39.54% 171 0.69%
1972 17,364 68.58% 7,898 31.19% 59 0.23%
1968 13,543 59.67% 7,981 35.16% 1,172 5.16%
1964 8,643 36.23% 15,190 63.67% 26 0.11%
1960 17,422 68.73% 7,899 31.16% 26 0.10%
1956 19,484 77.54% 5,644 22.46% 0 0.00%
1952 20,304 76.78% 6,115 23.12% 27 0.10%
1948 15,437 66.55% 7,174 30.93% 586 2.53%
1944 15,427 66.17% 7,849 33.67% 37 0.16%
1940 16,771 68.04% 7,798 31.64% 78 0.32%
1936 16,682 67.36% 7,807 31.52% 276 1.11%
1932 14,904 64.06% 8,114 34.88% 247 1.06%
1928 18,286 74.32% 6,006 24.41% 314 1.28%
1924 13,573 65.67% 5,841 28.26% 1,256 6.08%
1920 12,112 63.88% 6,275 33.09% 574 3.03%
1916 5,926 48.16% 5,975 48.56% 403 3.28%
1912 5,138 40.65% 5,338 42.23% 2,165 17.13%
1908 7,459 53.37% 5,975 42.75% 543 3.88%
1904 7,770 55.44% 5,725 40.85% 519 3.70%
1900 7,893 54.84% 6,142 42.67% 359 2.49%
1896 8,161 56.37% 5,820 40.20% 496 3.43%
1892 7,095 49.49% 6,408 44.70% 833 5.81%
1888 7,829 50.95% 6,972 45.37% 565 3.68%
1884 6,871 43.78% 8,307 52.93% 516 3.29%
1880 7,156 49.10% 7,184 49.29% 235 1.61%
1876 6,859 49.04% 7,027 50.24% 101 0.72%
1872 6,236 49.78% 6,275 50.10% 15 0.12%
1868 6,568 51.95% 6,075 48.05% 0 0.00%
1864 6,151 50.43% 6,047 49.57% 0 0.00%
1860 6,543 51.95% 6,051 48.05% 0 0.00%
1856 6,373 56.92% 3,595 32.11% 1,229 10.98%
1852 4,454 42.11% 5,488 51.89% 634 5.99%
1848 3,929 41.00% 3,674 38.34% 1,979 20.65%
1844 4,743 42.33% 6,050 53.99% 413 3.69%
1840 4,856 46.27% 5,580 53.16% 60 0.57%
1836 2,469 34.79% 4,627 65.21% 0 0.00%

Otsego County is generally a swing and bellwether county, having voted for the winner of the national election in every election from 1980 to 2016. In 2004, Otsego County voted 51–48 percent in favor of George W. Bush. In 2008 and 2012, Otsego County voted in favor of Barack Obama. Democrats are prevalent in the City of Oneonta and Village of Cooperstown, whereas the majority of voters in many of the surrounding towns are registered Republicans. In 2020 the county voted for 51%-46% Donald Trump, and lost its bellwether status when Biden won the election.

Otsego County is the only county in New York that names its legislative body the Board of Representatives. It consists of fourteen members elected from single-member districts. The Board Chair is David Bliss (R). The county also has an elected District Attorney, County Treasurer, County Clerk, and County Sheriff.

Media

Along with Herkimer County and the eastern portion of Oneida County, northern Otsego County is considered part of the Utica television market, while the Southern half of the county, including the city of Oneonta, is considered to be in the Binghamton television market.[13]

Economy

The Village of Cooperstown (home of James Fenimore Cooper, whose father William Cooper founded it) is located at the south end of Otsego Lake. It attracts many tourists to the Baseball Hall of Fame and the New York State Historical Association museums. Cultural attractions also include the Glimmerglass Opera, with a summer season that draws many repeat visitors for stays.

The primary contributor to the economy is healthcare: Bassett Medical Center, the headquarters of Bassett Healthcare Network and its more than 3,000 employees, is located here.

The City of Oneonta has two institutions of higher education: Hartwick College and the State University of New York at Oneonta; A.O. Fox Memorial Hospital, an affiliate of the Bassett Network; major retail activity; and numerous small businesses. The county as a whole remains relatively rural, with dairy farming a contributing industry that has consolidated employment in recent years, although production has remained steady.

Communities
Map of Otsego County NY to accompany Bacon's History 1902
Map of Otsego County NY to accompany Bacon's History 1902

City

Towns

Villages

Census-designated places

Hamlets

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: Otsego County, New York". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 2, 2022.
  3. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  4. Beauchamp, William Martin (1907). Aboriginal Place Names of New York (New York State Museum Bulletin, Volume 108). New York State Education Department. p. 174. ISBN 9781404751552. Retrieved August 12, 2015.
  5. "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Archived from the original on May 19, 2014. Retrieved January 6, 2015.
  6. "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 6, 2015.
  7. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved January 6, 2015.
  8. "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 6, 2015.
  9. "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 6, 2015.
  10. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  11. "P2 HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Otsego County, New York".
  12. Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved October 24, 2018.
  13. "WKTV.com | WKTV bringing CBS affiliation to Utica". WKTV.com. October 26, 2015. Archived from the original on October 27, 2015. Retrieved October 27, 2015.

Further reading
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42.63°N 75.04°W / 42.63; -75.04

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