'Ontario County' is a
county located in the
U.S. state of
New York. The
county seat is the city of
Canandaigua. The name is a corruption of the
Iroquois word meaning "beautiful lake." The population of Ontario County in the
2000 census was 100,224, up from 95,101 at the
1990 census.
''
Progressive Farmer'' rated Ontario County as the 2006 "Best Place to Live" in the U.S., for its "great schools, low crime, excellent health care" and its proximity to
Rochester.
History
When counties were established in New York State in
1683, the present Ontario 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 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, Ontario County was split off 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, and
Yates Counties, and part of
Schuyler and
Wayne Counties.
In
1796, Ontario County was reduced in size by the splitting off of
Steuben County.
In
1802, Ontario County was reduced in size by the splitting off of
Genesee County. The actual area split off from Ontario County was much larger than the present county, also including the present
Allegany,
Cattaraugus,
Chautauqua,
Erie,
Niagara,
Orleans and
Wyoming Counties and parts of
Livingston and
Monroe Counties.
In
1821, portions of Genesee County were combined with portions of Ontario County to create
Livingston and
Monroe Counties.
In
1823, a portion of Seneca County was combined with a portion of Ontario County to create
Wayne County. The same year, a portion of Steuben County was combined with a portion of Ontario County to create
Yates County.
Geography
Ontario County is in western New York State, east of
Buffalo, southeast of
Rochester, and northwest of
Ithaca. The county is within the
Finger Lakes Region of the state. According to the
U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,716
km² (662
mi²). 1,669 km² (644 mi²) of it is land and 47 km² (18 mi²) of it (2.72%) is water.
Adjacent Counties
★
Wayne County, New York - northeast
★
Seneca County, New York - east
★
Yates County, New York - south
★
Steuben County, New York - south
★
Livingston County, New York - west
★
Monroe County, New York - northwest
Government
The county is governed by a ''Board of Supervisors'', and uses the ''Board-Administrator'' system with a County Administrator. The Board of Supervisors has twenty-one members, one from each town, two from the city of Canandaigua, and three from the city of Geneva. As of 2004 the county government has over 800 full time employees (augmented by another 360 seasonal or available part-time workers), and a budget of $136 million.
Demographics
As of the
census² of 2000, there were 100,224 people, 38,370 households, and 26,360 families residing in the county. The
population density was 60/km² (156/mi²). There were 42,647 housing units at an average density of 26/km² (66/mi²). The racial makeup of the county was 95.04%
White, 2.06%
African American, 0.22%
Native American, 0.69%
Asian, 0.02%
Pacific Islander, 0.70% from
other races, and 1.26% from two or more races.
Hispanic or
Latino of any race were 2.14% of the population. 17.9% were of
German, 14.9%
Irish, 14.8%
English, 13.8%
Italian, 7.3%
American and 5.1%
Dutch ancestry according to
Census 2000.
There were 38,370 households out of which 32.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.00% were
married couples living together, 9.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.30% were non-families. 24.70% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.53 and the average family size was 3.03.
In the county the population was spread out with 25.40% under the age of 18, 8.30% from 18 to 24, 28.40% from 25 to 44, 24.80% from 45 to 64, and 13.20% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 95.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.70 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $44,579, and the median income for a family was $52,698. Males had a median income of $36,732 versus $26,139 for females. The
per capita income for the county was $21,533. About 4.90% of families and 7.30% of the population were below the
poverty line, including 9.10% of those under age 18 and 6.40% of those age 65 or over.
Cities and towns
External links
★
Ontario County - Official website
★
★
Best Place to Live in 2006 from the ''
Progressive Farmer'' website
★
History summary of Ontario County
★
Ontario County history page
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