Oneida County is a
county
A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposes Chambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...
in the
state of
New York, United States. As of the
2020 census, the population was 232,125.
The
county seat
A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US ...
is
Utica.
The name is in honor of the
Oneida
Oneida may refer to:
Native American/First Nations
* Oneida people, a Native American/First Nations people and one of the five founding nations of the Iroquois Confederacy
* Oneida language
* Oneida Indian Nation, based in New York
* Oneida ...
, one of the Five Nations of the
Iroquois League
The Iroquois ( or ), officially the Haudenosaunee ( meaning "people of the longhouse"), are an Iroquoian Peoples, Iroquoian-speaking Confederation#Indigenous confederations in North America, confederacy of First Nations in Canada, First Natio ...
or ''
Haudenosaunee
The Iroquois ( or ), officially the Haudenosaunee ( meaning "people of the longhouse"), are an Iroquoian Peoples, Iroquoian-speaking Confederation#Indigenous confederations in North America, confederacy of First Nations in Canada, First Natio ...
'', which had long occupied this territory at the time of European encounter and colonization. The federally recognized
Oneida Indian Nation has had a reservation in the region since the late 18th century, after the
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...
.
Oneida County is part of the
Utica–
Rome
, established_title = Founded
, established_date = 753 BC
, founder = King Romulus ( legendary)
, image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg
, map_caption ...
, NY
Metropolitan Statistical Area.
History
When England established colonial counties in the Province of New York in 1683, the territory of present Oneida County was included in a very large, mostly undeveloped
Albany County. This county included the northern part of present-day New York State as well as all of the present state of
Vermont
Vermont () is a U.S. state, state in the northeast New England region of the United States. Vermont is bordered by the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York (state), New York to the west, and the Provin ...
and, in theory, extended westward to the
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the conti ...
. This county was reduced in size on July 3, 1766, to create
Cumberland County Cumberland County may refer to:
Australia
* Cumberland County, New South Wales
* the former name of Cumberland Land District, Tasmania, Australia
Canada
*Cumberland County, Nova Scotia
United Kingdom
*Cumberland, historic county
*Cumberla ...
, 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.
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
Schenectady () is a city in Schenectady County, New York, United States, of which it is the county seat. As of the 2020 census, the city's population of 67,047 made it the state's ninth-largest city by population. The city is in eastern New Y ...
in the Mohawk River Valley, and the county included the western part of the
Adirondack Mountains
The Adirondack Mountains (; a-də-RÄN-dak) form a massif in northeastern New York with boundaries that correspond roughly to those of Adirondack Park. They cover about 5,000 square miles (13,000 km2). The mountains form a roughly circular ...
and the area west of the West Branch of the
Delaware River. Tryon County was later divided to organize 37 distinct counties of New York State. The county was named for
William Tryon, colonial governor of New York.
During and after the Revolution, most of the Loyalists in Tryon County fled to
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by to ...
. In 1784, following the peace treaty that ended the
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...
, Americans changed the name of Tryon County 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
Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirte ...
. They replaced the name of the British governor.
In 1789, Montgomery County was reduced by the splitting off of
Ontario County from Montgomery. The area taken from Montgomery County contained all of present-day
Allegany,
Cattaraugus,
Chautauqua,
Erie,
Genesee,
Livingston
Livingston may refer to:
Businesses
* Livingston Energy Flight, an Italian airline (2003–2010)
* Livingston Compagnia Aerea, an Italian airline (2011–2014), also known as Livingston Airline
* Livingston International, a North American customs ...
,
Monroe,
Niagara,
Orleans,
Steuben,
Wyoming
Wyoming () is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho to the west, Utah to the southwest, and Colorado to t ...
,
Yates Yates may refer to:
Places United States
* Fort Yates, North Dakota
*Yates Spring, a spring in Georgia, United States
*Yates City, Illinois
* Yates Township, Illinois
*Yates Center, Kansas
* Yates, Michigan
* Yates Township, Michigan
*Yates, Misso ...
, and part of
Schuyler and
Wayne counties, as well as Ontario County.
After continued new settlement, in 1791
Herkimer County was one of three counties taken from Montgomery (the other two being
Otsego, and
Tioga County). It was much larger than the present Herkimer County, however, and was reduced by a number of subsequent splits.
In 1794, Herkimer County was reduced in size by the creation of
Onondaga County. This county was larger than the current Onondaga County, including the present
Cayuga Cayuga often refers to:
* Cayuga people, a native tribe to North America, part of the Iroquois Confederacy
* Cayuga language, the language of the Cayuga
Cayuga may also refer to:
Places Canada
* Cayuga, Ontario
United States
* Cayuga, Illinoi ...
,
Cortland, and part of
Oswego counties.
In 1798, Oneida County was created from another part of Herkimer County. This county was larger than the current Oneida County, as it included the present-day
Jefferson (which extends along Lake Ontario),
Lewis, and part of
Oswego counties.
In 1805,
Jefferson and
Lewis counties were split off from Oneida. In 1816, parts of Oneida and Onondaga counties were taken to form the new
Oswego County.
In 1848,
John Humphrey Noyes founded a religious and
Utopian
A utopia ( ) typically describes an imaginary community or society that possesses highly desirable or nearly perfect qualities for its members. It was coined by Sir Thomas More for his 1516 book ''Utopia'', describing a fictional island socie ...
community, the
Oneida Community, near Oneida. Its unconventional views on religion and relations between the sexes generated much controversy. The community lasted until 1881. The
Oneida Silver Company was founded here to manufacture sterling silver, silverplate holloware and, later, stainless steel flatware.
Geography
According to the
U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (3.6%) is water.
Oneida County is in the
central portion of New York State, east of
Syracuse, and west of
Albany.
Oneida Lake
Oneida Lake is the largest lake entirely within New York state, with a surface area of .
The lake is located northeast of Syracuse and near the Great Lakes. It feeds the Oneida River, a tributary of the Oswego River, which flows into Lake Ontario ...
is on the
northwestern corner of the county, and the
Adirondack Park
The Adirondack Park is a part of New York's Forest Preserve in northeastern New York, United States. The park was established in 1892 for “the free use of all the people for their health and pleasure”, and for watershed protection. The park ...
is on the northeast. Part of the
Tug Hill Plateau
Tug Hill, sometimes referred to as the Tug Hill Plateau, is an upland region in northern New York State, famous for heavy winter snows. The Tug Hill region is east of Lake Ontario, north of Oneida Lake, and west of the Adirondack Mountains. The r ...
is in the northern part of the county. Oneida County's highest point lies neither on the plateau nor in the Adirondack Park, but in the county's southern extremity. The peak's name is Tassel Hill. It is located slightly southeast of Hardscrabble Road (Tassel Hill Road), between the villages of Waterville and Cassville.
The
Erie Canal
The Erie Canal is a historic canal in upstate New York that runs east-west between the Hudson River and Lake Erie. Completed in 1825, the canal was the first navigable waterway connecting the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes, vastly reducing ...
, completed in 1825, runs east–west along the Mohawk River through the county. It stimulated considerable trade and settlement.
Oneida Lake
Oneida Lake is the largest lake entirely within New York state, with a surface area of .
The lake is located northeast of Syracuse and near the Great Lakes. It feeds the Oneida River, a tributary of the Oswego River, which flows into Lake Ontario ...
and
Oneida Creek form part of the western boundary.
In the early 21st century, Oneida is the only county in New York state documented as having
Chronic wasting disease among its wild
White-tailed deer.
Adjacent counties
*
Lewis County – north
*
Herkimer County – east
*
Otsego County – southeast
*
Madison County – southwest
*
Oswego County – west
National protected area
*
Fort Stanwix National Monument
Demographics
As of the
census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses inc ...
of 2000, there were 235,469 people, 90,496 households, and 59,184 families residing in the county. The
population density
Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopu ...
was 194 people per square mile (75/km
2). There were 102,803 housing units at an average density of 85 per square mile (33/km
2). The racial makeup of the county was 90.21%
White
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White ...
, 5.74%
African American
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...
, 0.23%
Native American, 1.16%
Asian, 0.02%
Pacific Islander
Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/ racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...
, 1.11% from
other races, and 1.52% from two or more races.
Hispanic
The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad.
The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties for ...
or
Latino of any race were 3.20% of the population.
21.7% were of
Italian, 13.1%
Irish, 12.1%
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
**Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ge ...
, 9.9%
Polish, 8.5%
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ...
and 5.6%
American
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, pe ...
ancestry according to self-identification of ethnic background in
Census 2000. 90.6% spoke
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ...
, 2.7%
Spanish, 1.3%
Italian, 1.2%
Serbo-Croatian and 1.1%
Polish as their first language.
There were 90,496 households, out of which 30.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.10% were
married couples living together, 12.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.60% were non-families. 29.50% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.10% 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 3.02.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 23.90% under the age of 18, 8.60% from 18 to 24, 28.20% from 25 to 44, 22.90% from 45 to 64, and 16.50% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 98.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.30 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $35,909, and the median income for a family was $45,341. Males had a median income of $32,194 versus $24,295 for females. The
per capita income
Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population.
Per capita i ...
for the county was $18,516. About 9.80% of families and 13.00% of the population were below the
poverty line
The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...
, including 18.90% of those under age 18 and 8.50% of those age 65 or over.
2020 Census
Government and politics
Oneida County was governed by a board of supervisors until 1962, when the county charter was changed to create a
county executive and a 29-seat county legislature. The county executive is elected by the entire county. On January 1, 2014, the Oneida County Legislature was reduced to 23 seats. All 23 members are elected from single-member districts. Currently, there are 14
Republicans and nine
Democrats.
Oneida County also leans Republican in major statewide and national elections. The last Democratic presidential nominee to carry Oneida County was
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson Clinton (né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and again ...
in
1996, by plurality. The last Democrat to win a majority in the county was
Lyndon Johnson in his
1964 landslide. In
2008
File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...
, Republican
John McCain won the county by 6,000 votes out of 90,000 cast. He won all municipalities in the county except the city of
Utica and the town of
Kirkland. In
2012, Republican
Mitt Romney won the county by even fewer votes, by around 4,000 plus votes. Republican
Donald Trump
Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021.
Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of P ...
returned the county to its reliably red roots, posting strong victories in both
2016 and
2020.
Economy
The main product of Oneida County was once silverware, chiefly manufactured at Oneida Ltd.'s headquarters in
Sherrill. In January 2005, the company ceased manufacturing their product, closing its main plant and selling its assets. The factory, under new ownership, continues to produce American-made silverware under the
Liberty Tabletop brand.
Currently the largest non-governmental, non-healthcare product of Oneida County is gambling. Turning Stone Casino Resort is an enterprise of the Oneida Indian Nation of New York, and the largest private employer in Oneida County.
Education
; Tertiary
*
Hamilton College
*
Mohawk Valley Community College
Mohawk Valley Community College (MVCC) is a public community college in Oneida County, New York. It is part of the State University of New York system. MVCC was founded in 1946 as the first community college established in New York State and ...
*
Oneida Institute
The Oneida Institute was a short-lived (1827–1843) but highly influential school that was a national leader in the emerging abolitionist movement. It was the most radical school in the country, the first at which black men were just as welcome ...
(defunct)
*
State University of New York Polytechnic Institute
The State University of New York Polytechnic Institute (SUNY Polytechnic Institute or SUNY Poly) is a public university with campuses in Marcy and Albany, New York. It is part of the State University of New York (SUNY) system. Founded in 1966 u ...
*
Utica University
Utica University is a private university in Utica, New York. The university dates back to the 1930s when Syracuse University began offering extension courses in the Utica area.
In 2016, the university enrolled 3,084 undergraduate students and ...
; Public school districts:
[ ]
Text list
/ref>
* Adirondack Central School District
* Brookfield Central School District
* Camden Central School District
* Central Square Central School District
* Clinton Central School District
* Holland Patent Central School District
* Madison Central School District
* Mount Markham Central School District
* New Hartford Central School District
* New York Mills Union Free School District
* Oneida City School District
* Oriskany Central School District
* Poland Central School District
* Remsen Central School District
* Rome City School District
* Sauquoit Valley Central School District
* Sherrill City School District
* Stockbridge Valley Central School District
* Utica City School District
The Utica City School District is a public school district coterminous with the city of Utica, New York, United States. It is a highly diverse urban district, having 69% racial minority students and 17% students who are English language learner ...
* Waterville Central School District
* Town of Webb Union Free School District
* West Canada Valley Central School District
* Westmoreland Central School District
* Whitesboro Central School District
; State-operated schools
* New York State School for the Deaf
Communities
Cities
* Rome
, established_title = Founded
, established_date = 753 BC
, founder = King Romulus ( legendary)
, image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg
, map_caption ...
* Sherrill
* Utica (county seat)
Towns
* Annsville
Annsville is a town in Oneida County, New York, United States. At the 2010 census the town population was 3,012. The town is named after Ann Bloomfield, wife of a founder.
The Town of Annsville is in the northwestern part of the county.
History
A ...
* Augusta
* Ava
* Boonville
* Bridgewater
* Camden
* Deerfield
* Florence
Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilancio demografico ...
* Floyd
* Forestport
* Kirkland
* Lee
Lee may refer to:
Name
Given name
* Lee (given name), a given name in English
Surname
* Chinese surnames romanized as Li or Lee:
** Li (surname 李) or Lee (Hanzi ), a common Chinese surname
** Li (surname 利) or Lee (Hanzi ), a Chinese ...
* Marcy
* Marshall
* New Hartford
* Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. Si ...
* Remsen
* Sangerfield
* Steuben
* Trenton
* Vernon
* Verona
* Vienna
en, Viennese
, iso_code = AT-9
, registration_plate = W
, postal_code_type = Postal code
, postal_code =
, timezone = CET
, utc_offset = +1
, timezone_DST ...
* Western
* Westmoreland
* Whitestown
Villages
* Boonville
* Camden
* Clayville
* Clinton
* Holland Patent
* New Hartford
* New York Mills
* Oneida Castle
* Oriskany
* Oriskany Falls
* Remsen
* Sylvan Beach
* Vernon
* Waterville
* Whitesboro
* Yorkville
Census-designated places
* Barneveld
* Bridgewater
* Chadwicks
* Clark Mills
* Durhamville
* Hamilton College
* Lake Delta
* Marcy
* North Bay
* Otter Lake
* Prospect
Prospect may refer to:
General
* Prospect (marketing), a marketing term describing a potential customer
* Prospect (sports), any player whose rights are owned by a professional team, but who has yet to play a game for the team
* Prospect (minin ...
* Stittville
* Verona
* Washington Mills
* Westernville
* Westmoreland
* White Lake
Hamlets
* Blossvale
* Cassville
* Deansboro
* Jewell
* Lee Center
* Lower South Bay
* McConnellsville
* Point Rock
* Sauquoit
* Taberg
* Vernon Center
* Verona Mills
Notable locations
* Fort Stanwix
* Oriskany Battlefield State Historic Site
Oriskany Battlefield State Historic Site is a historic site in Oneida County, New York, United States that marks the Battle of Oriskany, fought in 1777 during the American Revolution, one of the bloodiest engagements of the war.
The park is north ...
* Steuben Memorial State Historic Site
See also
* List of counties in New York
There are 62 counties in the state of New York.
The first 12 were created immediately after the British took over the Dutch colony of New Amsterdam; two of these counties were later abolished, their land going to Massachusetts. The newes ...
* List of New York State Historic Markers in Oneida County, New York
*
* Oneida, New York, a city in Madison County
* Oneida Community, a former religious community
References
Further reading
*
External links
Oneida County, New York official site
*
{{Coord, 43.24, -75.44, display=title, type:adm2nd_region:US-NY_source:UScensus1990
Utica–Rome metropolitan area
1798 establishments in New York (state)
Populated places established in 1798