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Schoharie County, New York

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Schoharie County
County
Official seal of Schoharie County
Seal
Map of New York highlighting Schoharie 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°35′N 74°26′W / 42.59°N 74.44°W / 42.59; -74.44
Country United States
State New York
Founded1795
SeatSchoharie
Population
 (2000)
 • Total
31,582
Websitewww.schohariecounty-ny.gov

Schoharie County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of 2000, the population was 31,582. It is part of the Albany-Schenectady-Troy Metropolitan Statistical Area. The county seat is Schoharie. The name is from a Mohawk Indian word meaning "floating driftwood."

History

When counties were established in New York State in 1683, the present Schoharie 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. 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 now includes 37 counties of New York State. The county was named for William Tryon, colonial governor of New York.

In the years prior to 1776, most of the Loyalists in Tryon County fled to Canada. In 1784, following the peace treaty that ended the American Revolutionary War, the name of Tryon County was changed to Montgomery County to honor the general, Richard Montgomery, who had captured several places in Canada and died attempting to capture the city of Quebec, replacing the name of the hated British governor.

In 1789, Montgomery County was reduced in size by the splitting off of Ontario County from Montgomery. The actual area split off from Montgomery County was much larger than the present county, also including the present Allegany, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Erie, Genesee, Livingston, Monroe, Niagara, Orleans, Steuben, Wyoming, Yates, and part of Schuyler and Wayne Counties.

In 1791, Otsego County was one of three counties split off from Montgomery (the other two being Herkimer, and Tioga County).

In 1795, Schoharie County was created by joining portions of Otsego County and Albany County.

Notable residents

Geography

Schoharie County is in central New York State, west of Albany and southeast of Utica.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,622 km² (626 mi²). 1,611 km² (622 mi²) of it is land and 11 km² (4 mi²) of it (0.69%) is water.

Much of the southern portion of the county lies within the Catskill Mountains. Land rises in both directions quite rapidly from Schoharie Creek in the middle of the county. The Schoharie Creek is a northward-flowing tributary of the Mohawk River. The Schoharie Creek watershed spans an area of approximately 950 square miles. The course of Schoharie Creek includes two reservoir-dam systems. The Gilboa Dam and the Schoharie Reservoir are part of the New York City Water Supply System. The New York Power Authority operates the Blenheim-Gilboa Dam and its reservoir to produce hydroelectric power.

The highest point is found at the summit of Huntersfield Mountain on the southern boundary with Greene County, 3,423 feet (1,043 m) above sea level. The lowest point is where the Montgomery County line meets Schoharie Creek, 520 feet (158 m) above sea level.

Adjacent Counties

Demographics

As of the census² of 2000, there were 31,582 people, 11,991 households, and 8,177 families residing in the county. The population density was 20/km² (51/mi²). There were 15,915 housing units at an average density of 10/km² (26/mi²). The racial makeup of the county was 96.62% White, 1.28% Black or African American, 0.30% Native American, 0.38% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.47% from other races, and 0.93% from two or more races. 1.86% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 11,991 households out of which 31.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.20% were married couples living together, 9.30% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.80% were non-families. 25.80% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.70% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 2.98.

In the county the population was spread out with 24.00% under the age of 18, 10.60% from 18 to 24, 26.20% 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 99.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.80 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $36,585, and the median income for a family was $43,118. Males had a median income of $31,725 versus $24,475 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,778. About 7.90% of families and 11.40% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.70% of those under age 18 and 8.60% of those age 65 or over.

Towns and Villages

==> Labels in parentheses show official political designation.
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