Steuben County (stu-BEN) 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 ...

located in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...

of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 93,584. Its

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 st ...

is Bath. Its name is in honor of Baron von Steuben, a

Prussian Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an e ...

general who fought on the American side in 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 ...

, though it is not pronounced the same (). Steuben County comprises the Corning, NY Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the Elmira-Corning, NY

Combined Statistical Area Combined statistical area (CSA) is a United States Office of Management and Budget (OMB) term for a combination of adjacent metropolitan (MSA) and micropolitan statistical areas (µSA) across the 50 US states and the territory of Puerto Ric ...

History

Ontario County was established in 1789 to govern lands the state of New York had acquired in the

Phelps and Gorham Purchase The Phelps and Gorham Purchase was the purchase in 1788 of of land in what is now western New York State from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts for $1,000,000 ( £300,000), to be paid in three annual installments, and the pre-emptive right to th ...

; at the time it covered the entirety of

Western New York Western New York (WNY) is the westernmost region of the U.S. state of New York. The eastern boundary of the region is not consistently defined by state agencies or those who call themselves "Western New Yorkers". Almost all sources agree WNY i ...

. Steuben County, much larger than today, was split off from Ontario County on March 8, 1796. In 1823 a portion of Steuben County was combined with a portion of Ontario County to form Yates County. Steuben County was further reduced in size on April 17, 1854, when a portion was combined with portions of Chemung and Tompkins counties to form Schuyler County. Although it is not much mentioned because it does not fit well into the standard narrative of New York State history, in its earliest years Steuben County was demographically and geographically linked to the Susquehanna River basin in Pennsylvania, leading to the port of

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

. The Canisteo River, navigable as far as

Arkport Arkport is a village in Steuben County, New York, United States. The population was 844 at the 2010 census. The name comes from the barges used to ship products through the village. The postal code is 14807. The Village of Arkport is in the Town ...

, emptied into the

Chemung River The Chemung River ( ) is a tributary of the Susquehanna River, approximately long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed August 8, 2011 in south central New York and northern ...

and it into the Susquehanna. There were no natural barriers, like the

Cohoes Falls Cohoes Falls ''Kanien'ké:ha'' (Kanyenkeha or Mohawk language) for "a boat is in the water / is actively submerged"">Mohawk language">''Kanien'ké:ha'' (Kanyenkeha or Mohawk language) for "a boat is in the water / is actively submerged"is a wat ...

on the Mohawk, to impede transportation, and timber and other agricultural products were easily shipped downriver from what are today (2019) the towns of

Addison Addison may refer to: Places Canada * Addison, Ontario United States *Addison, Alabama *Addison, Illinois *Addison Street in Chicago, Illinois which runs by Wrigley Field * Addison, Kentucky *Addison, Maine *Addison, Michigan *Addison, New York ...

, Canisteo, and Hornellsville. Prior to the opening of 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 t ...

in 1825, followed by the railroads, communication with the Hudson Valley and New York City was difficult. Limited to horses, mules, and donkeys, it was far too expensive to be used to ship bulky agricultural products. In 1892 a bill was introduced in the Legislature to split Steuben County, with Canisteo, Corning, and "the south towns" becoming Lincoln County. It did not pass.

Geography

Steuben County Courthouse, Corning, New York

According to the

U.S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (1.0%) is water. Steuben County is in the southwestern part of New York State, immediately north of the

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

border. The population of Steuben County according to the 2000 U. S.

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 incl ...

was 98,726. The county is in the Southern Tier region of New York State.

Adjacent counties

* Ontario County - north * Yates County - northeast * Schuyler County - east * Chemung County - east *

Tioga County, Pennsylvania Tioga County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 41,045. Its county seat is Wellsboro. The county was created on March 26, 1804, from part of Lycoming County and later organized in 1812. ...

- south *

Potter County, Pennsylvania Potter County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, its population was 16,396, making it the fifth-least populous county in Pennsylvania. Its county seat is Coudersport. The county was created in 1804 and la ...

- southwest * Allegany County - west * Livingston County - northwest

Government and politics

Steuben County is governed by a 17-member legislature headed by a chairman

State and federal government

Steuben County is part of: * The 7th Judicial District of the New York Supreme Court * The 4th Department of the

New York Supreme Court, Appellate Division The Appellate Divisions of the Supreme Court of the State of New York are the intermediate appellate courts in New York State. There are four Appellate Divisions, one in each of the state's four Judicial Departments (e.g., the full title of the ...

Demographics

As of the

of 2000, there were 98,726 people, 39,071 households, and 26,216 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 RosenberPopul ...

was 71 people per square mile (27/km²). There were 46,132 housing units at an average density of 33 per square mile (13/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 96.43%

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 o ...

, 1.36%

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 ...

, 0.27% Native American, 0.90%

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

, 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 ...

, 0.21% from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, and 0.81% 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 forme ...

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

of any race were 0.81% of the population. 18.6% were of German, 15.2% English, 14.4% American, 13.6% Irish and 8.3% Italian ancestry according to

Census 2000 The United States census of 2000, conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2 percent over the 248,709,873 people enumerated during the 1990 ce ...

. 96.5% spoke English and 1.3% Spanish as their first language. There were 39,071 households, out of which 31.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.70% were married couples living together, 10.60% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.90% were non-families. 27.20% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.90% 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 3.01. In the county, the population was spread out, with 26.00% under the age of 18, 7.40% from 18 to 24, 27.20% from 25 to 44, 24.20% from 45 to 64, and 15.20% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 96.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.20 males. The median income for a household in the county was $35,479, and the median income for a family was $41,940. Males had a median income of $32,155 versus $24,163 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 $18,197. About 9.90% of families and 13.20% 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 t ...

, including 18.70% of those under age 18 and 5.80% of those age 65 or over.

2020 Census

Industry

The largest employer in Steuben County is Corning, Inc. (formerly Corning Glass Works), the world headquarters of a large firm (34,000 employed worldwide) which manufactures specialty glass and related products. Related is the nearby

Corning Museum of Glass The Corning Museum of Glass is a museum in Corning, New York in the United States, dedicated to the art, history, and science of glass. It was founded in 1951 by Corning Glass Works and currently has a collection of more than 50,000 glass obje ...

. There is a wine industry in

Hammondsport Hammondsport is a village at the south end of Keuka Lake, in Steuben County, one of the Finger Lakes of New York, United States. The Village of Hammondsport is in the Town of Urbana and is northeast of Bath. History Lazarus Hammond founded ...

, also the headquarters of the Mercury Corporation, a custom manufacturer, formerly of aircraft and aircraft components. There is a museum of aviation, the

Glenn H. Curtiss Museum The Glenn H. Curtiss Museum is a transportation museum in Hammondsport, New York with a focus on the early aviator Glenn H. Curtiss. The 60,000 square foot facility has a collection of aircraft, vintage motorcycles, automobiles, and aircraft eng ...

, in Hammondsport. Former industries in Steuben County are the

Steuben Glass Works Steuben Glass is an American art glass manufacturer, founded in the summer of 1903 by Frederick Carder and Thomas G. Hawkes in Corning, New York, which is in Steuben County, from which the company name was derived. Hawkes was the owner of the la ...

, in Corning, and the

Erie Railroad The Erie Railroad was a railroad that operated in the northeastern United States, originally connecting New York City — more specifically Jersey City, New Jersey, where Erie's Pavonia Terminal, long demolished, used to stand — with Lake Er ...

repair shops, in Hornell.

Education

There is one institution of post-secondary education in Steuben County:

Corning Community College Corning Community College is a public community college in Corning, New York. It was initiated in 1957 and moved to its Spencer Hill campus in 1963. This two-year college serves three counties: Steuben, Chemung, and Schuyler. It is one of the ...

. Alfred University and

Elmira College Elmira College is a private college in Elmira, New York. Founded as a college for women in 1855, it is the oldest existing college granting degrees to women that were the equivalent of those given to men. Elmira College became coeducational in a ...

are nearby.

Transportation

Major highways

* Interstate 86 (Southern Tier Expressway) *

New York State Route 17 New York State Route 17 (NY 17) is a major state highway that extends for through the Southern Tier and Downstate regions of New York in the United States. It begins at the Pennsylvania state line in Mina and follows the Souther ...

(Southern Tier Expressway) *

Interstate 99 Interstate 99 (I-99) is an Interstate Highway in the United States with two segments: one located in central Pennsylvania, and the other in southern New York. The southern terminus of the route is near exit 146 of the Pennsylvania Turn ...

U.S. Route 15 U.S. Route 15 (US 15) is a -long United States highway, designated along South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and New York. The route is signed north–south, from U.S. Route 17 Alternate in Walterboro, South Caro ...

Interstate 390 Interstate 390 (I-390) is a north–south auxiliary Interstate Highway located entirely within New York in the United States. The southern terminus of the route is at the Southern Tier Expressway ( I-86 and New York State Route 17 Y ...

New York State Route 15 New York State Route 15 (NY 15) is a north–south state highway located in western New York in the United States. The southern terminus of the route is officially at Interstate 390 (I-390) exit 3 south of the village of Wayl ...

New York State Route 21 New York State Route 21 (NY 21) is a state highway extending for about through the western part of New York in the United States. The southern terminus of the route is at an intersection with NY 417 in the village of Andover, ...

New York State Route 36 New York State Route 36 (NY 36) is a north–south state highway in the western part of New York in the United States. The highway extends for from the Pennsylvania state line at Troupsburg, Steuben County northward to Ogden, Monro ...

New York State Route 414 New York State Route 414 (NY 414) is a north–south state highway in the Southern Tier and Finger Lakes regions of New York in the United States. It extends for from an intersection with NY 352 in the Steuben County city of Co ...

New York State Route 415 New York State Route 415 (NY 415) is a state highway located entirely within Steuben County, New York, in the United States. It is a north–south trunk road that parallels in part, the Cohocton River, Interstate 86 (I-86) and I ...

New York State Route 417 New York State Route 417 (NY 417) is an east–west state highway located in the Southern Tier of New York in the United States. It begins at exit 20 of the Southern Tier Expressway ( Interstate 86 or I-86 and NY 17) i ...

Airports

Steuben County contains the following public-use airports: * Corning-Painted Post Airport in the Town of Erwin, near Corning and Painted Post * Hornell Municipal Airport in the City of Hornell

Public Transportation

Local bus service is provided by Hornell Area Transit.

Communities

Larger Settlements

† - County Seat †† - Former Village ‡ - Not Wholly in this County

Towns

* Avoca * Bath * Bradford * Cameron *

Campbell Campbell may refer to: People Surname * Campbell (surname), includes a list of people with surname Campbell Given name * Campbell Brown (footballer), an Australian rules footballer * Campbell Brown (journalist) (born 1968), American television ne ...

* Canisteo * Caton * Cohocton * Corning * Dansville *

Erwin Erwin may refer to: People Given name * Erwin Chargaff (1905–2002), Austrian biochemist * Erwin Dold (1919–2012), German concentration camp commandant in World War 2 * Erwin Hauer (1926–2017), Austrian-born American sculptor * Egon Erwin Kisc ...

* Fremont * Greenwood * Hartsville *

Hornby Hornby may refer to: Places In England * Hornby, Lancashire * Hornby, Hambleton, village in North Yorkshire * Hornby, Richmondshire, village in North Yorkshire Elsewhere * Hornby, Ontario, community in the town of Halton Hills, Ontario, Canad ...

* Hornellsville * Howard *

Jasper Jasper, an aggregate of microgranular quartz and/or cryptocrystalline chalcedony and other mineral phases,Kostov, R. I. 2010. Review on the mineralogical systematics of jasper and related rocks. – Archaeometry Workshop, 7, 3, 209-213PDF/ref> ...

* Lindley * Prattsburgh * Pulteney * Rathbone * Thurston * Troupsburg *

Tuscarora Tuscarora may refer to the following: First nations and Native American people and culture * Tuscarora people **''Federal Power Commission v. Tuscarora Indian Nation'' (1960) * Tuscarora language, an Iroquoian language of the Tuscarora people * ...

Urbana __NOTOC__ Urbana can refer to: Places Italy *Urbana, Italy United States *Urbana, Illinois **Urbana (conference), a Christian conference formerly held in Urbana, Illinois *Urbana, Indiana * Urbana, Iowa *Urbana, Kansas * Urbana, Maryland *Urbana, ...

* Wayland * Wayne * West Union *

Wheeler Wheeler may refer to: Places United States * Wheeler, Alabama, an unincorporated community * Wheeler, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Wheeler, California, an unincorporated community * Wheeler, Illinois, a village * Wheeler, Indiana, a ...

Woodhull Woodhull may refer to: * Woodhull, Illinois * Woodhull, New York * Woodhull Lake (New York) * Woodhull Township, Michigan * Woodhull, Wisconsin * Woodhull Sexual Freedom Alliance, previously known as the Woodhull Freedom Foundation * Woodhull Medica ...

Hamlets

Adrian Adrian is a form of the Latin given name Adrianus or Hadrianus. Its ultimate origin is most likely via the former river Adria from the Venetic and Illyrian word ''adur'', meaning "sea" or "water". The Adria was until the 8th century BC the mai ...

* Canisteo Center *

Gibson Gibson may refer to: People * Gibson (surname) Businesses * Gibson Brands, Inc., an American manufacturer of guitars, other musical instruments, and audio equipment * Gibson Technology, and English automotive and motorsport company based * Gi ...

* South Hornell * South Canisteo

Notable people

People born in Steuben County: * Stanley C. Armstrong (1888-1950), politician *

Josiah H. Bonney Josiah Hinman Bonney (February 14, 1817 – September 12, 1887) was an American businessman and politician. Born in Steuben County, New York, Bonney moved to Iowa Territory and eventually settled in Keosauqua, Van Buren County, Iowa Territ ...

(1817-1887), politician * Olive Byrne (1904-1990), domestic partner * Edward Conner (1829-1900), republican *

Jasper Humphrey Jasper Humphrey was an American politician. He was a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly. Biography Humphrey was born on March 15, 1812, in Steuben County, New York. On February 13, 1835, he married Sarah Bull. By trade, he was a sailor and a ...

(1812-1892), democrat *

Artemas Martin Artemas Martin (August 3, 1835 – November 7, 1918) was a self-educated American mathematician. Biography Martin was born on August 3, 1835, in Steuben County, New York, grew up in Venango County, Pennsylvania, and spent most of his life in Er ...

(1835-1918), mathematician * Selwyn N. Owen (1836-1916), lawyer * James A. Parsons (c.1868-1945), politician * Omar L. Rosenkrans (1843-1926), republican * Eric M. Smith (born 1980), juvenile murderer *

Peter Truax Peter Truax (February 24, 1828 – March 18, 1909) was a philanthropist, businessman, farmer, and third-party politician in the Chippewa Valley of Wisconsin. Truax was a prominent figure in the Chippewa Valley and one of the richest men in the ...

(1828-1909), philanthropist

Footnotes

External links

Steuben County, New York official government site
*

It contains a great deal of info on Steuben County. {{authority control Counties of Appalachia 1796 establishments in New York (state) Populated places established in 1796