Steuben County ( ) is a

county A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...

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 so ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

. 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 parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

Bath Bath may refer to: * Bathing, immersion in a fluid ** Bathtub, a large open container for water, in which a person may wash their body ** Public bathing, a public place where people bathe * Thermae, ancient Roman public bathing facilities Plac ...

. Its name is in honor of

Baron von Steuben Friedrich Wilhelm August Heinrich Ferdinand Freiherr von Steuben ( , ; born Friedrich Wilhelm Ludolf Gerhard Augustin Louis Freiherr von Steuben; September 17, 1730 – November 28, 1794), also referred to as Baron von Steuben, was a German-b ...

, a

Prussian Prussia (; ; Old Prussian: ''Prūsija'') was a German state centred on the North European Plain that originated from the 1525 secularization of the Prussian part of the State of the Teutonic Order. For centuries, the House of Hohenzoll ...

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 the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...

, though it is not pronounced the same (). The county is part of the

Southern Tier The Southern Tier is a geographic subregion of the broader Upstate New York, Upstate region of New York (state), New York State, geographically situated along or very near the state border with Pennsylvania. Definitions of the region vary wide ...

region of the state. Steuben County comprises the Corning, NY Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the Elmira-Corning, NY Combined Statistical Area.

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 sale, in 1788, of a portion of a large tract of land in western New York State owned by the Seneca nation of the Iroquois Confederacy to a syndicate of land developers led by Oliver Phelps and Nathaniel Gor ...

; 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 (state), 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 so ...

. 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 Yates County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 24,774, making it the third-least populous county in New York. The county seat is Penn Yan. The name is in honor of Joseph C. Yates, who as Gov ...

. 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. In its earliest years Steuben County was demographically and geographically linked to the

Susquehanna River The Susquehanna River ( ; Unami language, Lenape: ) is a major river located in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, crossing three lower Northeastern United States, Northeast states (New York, Pennsylvani ...

basin in Pennsylvania, leading to the port of

Baltimore Baltimore is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the 30th-most populous U.S. city. The Baltimore metropolitan area is the 20th-large ...

. The Canisteo River, navigable as far as

Arkport Arkport is a village in Steuben County, New York, United States. It is located in the town of Hornellsville, and is north of the city of Hornell. The population was 844 at the 2010 census. The name comes from the barges used to ship products t ...

, 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 (, "a boat is in the water/is actively submerged") is a waterfall on the Mohawk River shared by the city of Cohoes and the town of Waterford, New York. History Cohoes historian Arthur Masten incorrectly wrote in his 1880 history tha ...

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, a community United States * Addison, Alabama, a town * Addison, Illinois, a village * Addison, Kentucky, an unincorporated community * Addison, Maine, a town * Addison, Michigan, a villag ...

, 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 navigability, navigable waterway connecting the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes, ...

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

According to the

U.S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, 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 U.S. Census Bureau is part of the U ...

, 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, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

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

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

was 98,726. The county is in the

region of New York State.

Adjacent counties

* Ontario County - north *

- 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 (United States), county in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, its population was 16,396, making it the fifth-least populous county in Pennsylv ...

- 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 a Republican stronghold in national elections. The last Democrat to carry the county was

Lyndon Johnson Lyndon Baines Johnson (; August 27, 1908January 22, 1973), also known as LBJ, was the 36th president of the United States, serving from 1963 to 1969. He became president after assassination of John F. Kennedy, the assassination of John F. Ken ...

in his 1964 landslide. Steuben County is part of: * The 7th Judicial District of the

New York Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the State of New York is the superior court in the Judiciary of New York. It is vested with unlimited civil and criminal jurisdiction, although in many counties outside New York City it acts primarily as a court of civil ju ...

* The 4th Department of the

New York Supreme Court, Appellate Division The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of the State of New York is the intermediate appellate court in New York State. The state is geographically divided into four judicial departments of the Appellate Division. The full title of each is, u ...

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 (disambiguation), 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 geog ...

was . There were 46,132 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 96.43%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 1.36%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.27% Native American, 0.90% Asian, 0.02%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 0.21% from other races, and 0.81% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino 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. 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 average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

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 ...

, 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. Corning Incorporated is an American multinational technology company specializing in glass, ceramics, and related materials and technologies including advanced optics, primarily for industrial and scientific applications. The company was name ...

(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 (city), New York, Corning, New York, United States, dedicated to the art, history, and science of glass. It was founded in 1951 by Corning Incorporated, Corning Glass Works and currently has a ...

. There is a wine industry in

Hammondsport Hammondsport is a village in Steuben County, New York, United States. First settled in 1792 the village is located at the south end of Keuka Lake, one of the Finger Lakes. Beginning in the 1790s the village began to take form, which included a co ...

, 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, 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 ...

, in Corning, now part of Corning Glass Works, and the

Erie Railroad The Erie Railroad was a railroad that operated in the Northeastern United States, originally connecting Pavonia Terminal in Jersey City, New Jersey, with Lake Erie at Dunkirk, New York. The railroad expanded west to Chicago following its 1865 ...

repair shops, in

Hornell Hornell is a city in Steuben County, New York, United States. The population was 8,259 at the 2020 census. The city is named after the Hornell family, early settlers. The City of Hornell is surrounded by Town of Hornellsville. Hornell is about ...

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 t ...

Alfred University Alfred University is a private university in Alfred, New York, United States. It has a total undergraduate population of approximately 1,600 students. The university hosts the statutory New York State College of Ceramics, which includes The In ...

and

Elmira College Elmira College is a private college in Elmira, New York, United States. Founded as a Timeline of women's colleges in the United States#First and oldest, college for women in 1855, it is the oldest existing college granting degrees to women that ...

are nearby. School districts in the county include: * Addison Central School District * Alfred-Almond Central School District * Andover Central School District * Arkport Central School District * Avoca Central School District * Bath Central School District * Bradford Central School District *

Canaseraga Central School District Canaseraga is a village in Allegany County, New York, United States. The population was 550 at the 2010 census. The name is derived from a creek that flows past the village, which is reportedly a Seneca term for "lying among milkweeds" or "slip ...

* Campbell-Savona Central School District * Canisteo-Greenwood Central School District *

Corning City School District Corning may refer to: People * Corning (surname) Places In Canada: * Corning, Saskatchewan In the United States of America: * Corning, Arkansas * Corning, California * Corning, Indiana * Corning, Iowa * Corning, Kansas * Corning, Michig ...

Dansville Central School District Danville or Dansville may refer to: Places Canada *Danville, Quebec United States *Danville, Alabama * Danville, Arkansas *Danville, California *Danville, Georgia *Danville, Illinois *Danville, Indiana * Danville, Iowa * Danville, Kansas *Danvi ...

* Elmira City School District * Hammondsport Central School District * Hornell City School District * Jasper-Troupsburg Central School District * Naples Central School District * Penn Yan Central School District * Prattsburgh Central School District * Wayland-Cohocton Central School District * Whitesville Central School District

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 New York, Downstate regions of New York (state), New York in the United States. It begins at the New York–Pennsylvani ...

(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 northern Pennsylvania into southern New York along US 15. The southern terminus of the route is near ...

U.S. Route 15 U.S. Route 15 or U.S. Highway 15 (US 15) is a United States Numbered Highway, serving the states of South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and New York. The route is signed north–south, from US ...

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

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 Wayland (vill ...

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 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 (state), New York in the United States. It extends for from an intersection with New York State Route 352, N ...

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 (east), Interstat ...

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 (state), New York in the United States. It begins at exit 20 of the Southern Tier Expressway (Interstate 86 (east), Inters ...

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 Hornell is a city in Steuben County, New York, United States. The population was 8,259 at the 2020 census. The city is named after the Hornell family, early settlers. The City of Hornell is surrounded by Town of Hornellsville. Hornell is about ...

in the city of

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 *

Bradford Bradford is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in West Yorkshire, England. It became a municipal borough in 1847, received a city charter in 1897 and, since the Local Government Act 1972, 1974 reform, the city status in the United Kingdo ...

Cameron Cameron may refer to: People * Clan Cameron, a Scottish clan * Cameron (given name), a given name (including a list of people with the name) * Cameron (surname), a surname (including a list of people with the name) ;Mononym * Cam'ron (born 19 ...

* Campbell * Canisteo * Caton * Cohocton * Corning * Dansville * Erwin * Fremont *

Greenwood Green wood is unseasoned wood. Greenwood or Green wood may also refer to: People * Greenwood (surname) Settlements Australia * Greenwood, Queensland, a locality in the Toowoomba Region * Greenwood, Western Australia, a suburb of Perth ...

* Hartsville * Hornby * Hornellsville *

Howard Howard is a masculine given name derived from the English surname Howard. ''The Oxford Dictionary of English Christian Names'' notes that "the use of this surname as a christian name is quite recent and there seems to be no particular reason for ...

Jasper Jasper, an aggregate of microgranular quartz and/or cryptocrystalline chalcedony and other mineral phases, is an opaque, impure variety of silica, usually red, yellow, brown or green in color; and rarely blue. The common red color is due to ...

* Lindley * Prattsburgh * Pulteney * Rathbone *

Thurston Thurston may refer to: Places Antarctica * Thurston Glacier, Marie Byrd Land * Thurston Island, off Ellsworth Land United Kingdom * Thurston, Suffolk, England, a village and parish ** Thurston railway station United States * Thurston County, Neb ...

* 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 * Wayland * Wayne * West Union * Wheeler *

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 Medi ...

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 ma ...

* Canisteo Center * Gibson * South Hornell * South Canisteo

Notable people

People born in Steuben County: * Stanley C. Armstrong (1888–1950), politician * Josiah H. Bonney (1817–1887), politician *

Olive Byrne Mary Olive Byrne (), known professionally as Olive Richard (February 19, 1904 – May 19, 1990), was the live-in life partner of William Moulton Marston and Elizabeth Holloway Marston. She has been credited as an inspiration for the comic book ch ...

(1904–1990), domestic partner * Edward Conner (1829–1900), republican *

Glenn H. Curtiss Glenn Hammond Curtiss (May 21, 1878 – July 23, 1930) was an American aviation and motorcycling pioneer, and a founder of the U.S. aircraft industry. He began his career as a bicycle racer and builder before moving on to motorcycles. As early a ...

(1878–1930),House, Kirk W.: Hell-Rider to King of the Air: Glenn Curtiss's Life of Innovation pp. 1, 220 aviation pioneer * Jasper Humphrey (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 ...

(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 Eric M. Smith (born December 8, 1965) is a United States Marine Corps Four-star rank, four-star General (United States), general who has served as the 39th Commandant of the United States Marine Corps, commandant of the Marine Corps since 22 Sept ...

(born 1980), juvenile murderer * Peter Truax (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 1796 establishments in New York (state) Populated places established in 1796