Chautauqua County, New York
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Chautauqua County, New York | |
 |
|
| Map | |
 Location in the state of New York |
|
 New York's location in the U.S. |
|
| Statistics | |
| Founded | March 11, 1808 |
|---|---|
| Seat | Mayville |
| Area - Total - Land - Water |
1,500 sq mi (3,885 km²) 1,062 sq mi (2,751 km²) 438 sq mi (1,134 km²), 29.20% |
| Population - (2005) - Density |
136,409 65/sq mi (25/km²) |
| Website: www.co.chautauqua.ny.us | |
Chautauqua County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2000 census, the population was 139,750. Its name is a contraction of a Seneca Indian word meaning "where the fish was taken out." Its county seat is Mayville. Other important cities and villages in Chautauqua County are Clymer, Brocton, Cassadaga, Chautauqua, Cherry Creek, Dunkirk, Fredonia, Jamestown, Sherman, Silver Creek, Forestville, Sinclairville and Westfield.
Contents |
[edit] History
Chautauqua County was created by partition of Genesee County on 1808-03-11[1]. This partition was performed under the same terms that produced Cattaraugus and Niagara Counties. The partition was performed for political purposes, but the counties were not properly organized, so they were all controlled as part of Niagara County.
On February 9, 1811, Chautauqua was completely organized, and so its separate government was launched[2]. This established Chautauqua as a county of 1,100 Square Miles (2,848.99 Square KM) of land. Chautauqua was never altered.
[edit] Geography
Chautauqua County, in the southwestern corner of New York State, along the New York-Pennsylvania border, is the westernmost of New York's counties. Chautauqua Lake is located in the center of the county, and Lake Erie is its northern border.
Part of the Eastern Continental Divide runs through Chautauqua County. The area that drains into the Conewango Creek (including Chautauqua Lake) eventually empties into the Gulf of Mexico; the rest of the county's watershed empties into Lake Erie and out into the North Atlantic Ocean. This divide can be used to mark the border between the Southern Tier and the Niagara Frontier.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,500 square miles (3,885 km²). 1,062 square miles (2,751 km²) of it is land and 438 square miles (1,134 km²) of it (29.20%) is water.
[edit] Adjacent Counties/Borders
- Lake Erie - northwest
- Erie County, New York - northeast
- Cattaraugus County, New York - east
- Warren County, Pennsylvania - southeast
- Erie County, Pennsylvania - southwest
[edit] Major highways
Interstate 86/New York State Route 17 (Southern Tier Expressway)
Interstate 90 (New York State Thruway)
U.S. Route 20
U.S. Route 62
New York State Route 5
New York State Route 39
New York State Route 60
New York State Route 69
New York State Route 100
New York State Route 394
New York State Route 430
New York State Route 305
New York State Route 420
[edit] Demographics
As of the census[3] of 2000, there were 139,750 people, 54,515 households, and 35,979 families residing in the county. The population density was 132 people per square mile (51/km²). There were 64,900 housing units at an average density of 61 per square mile (24/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 94.04% White, 2.18% Black or African American, 0.43% Native American, 0.36% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 1.73% from other races, and 1.23% from two or more races. 4.22% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 17.3% were of German, 15.1% Italian, 11.6% Swedish, 10.9% English, 9.3% Polish, 9.2% Irish and 5.6% American ancestry according to Census 2000. 93.0% spoke English and 3.8% Spanish as their first language.
There were 54,515 households out of which 30.50% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.90% were married couples living together, 10.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.00% were non-families. 28.10% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.60% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 2.99.
In the county the population was spread out with 24.50% under the age of 18, 10.30% from 18 to 24, 26.30% from 25 to 44, 23.00% from 45 to 64, and 16.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 95.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.20 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $33,458, and the median income for a family was $41,054. Males had a median income of $32,114 versus $22,214 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,840. About 9.70% of families and 13.80% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.30% of those under age 18 and 8.20% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] Government and politics
Chautauqua County was governed by a board of supervisors until 1975, when a new county charter went into effect with provisions for a county executive and a 13-seat county legislature.[4]
| Name | Party | Term |
|---|---|---|
| John Gerace | Republican | January 1, 1975 – 1983 |
| Andrew W. Goodell | Republican | – |
| Mark W. Thomas | Democrat | – December 31, 2005 |
| Gregory J. Edwards | Republican | January 1, 2006 – |
[edit] Education
Jamestown Community College has two campuses in the county at Jamestown and Dunkirk. The State University of New York at Fredonia is located in the northern part of the county. Jamestown Business College offers two year degrees and certificates in Jamestown.
[edit] Cities, Towns, Villages, and Hamlets
| Cities | Towns | Villages | Hamlets |
|---|---|---|---|
[edit] Indian reservations
[edit] See also
Places named for Chautauqua County, New York
[edit] References
- ^ New York. Laws of New York.;31st Session; Chapter 40; Sections1—2; Page 266.
- ^ Doty, William J., et. al.;Historic Annals of Southwestern New York.; 3 Volumes; New York: Lewis Historical Publishing Company; 1940; Volume 1; Page 360.
- ^ American FactFinder. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
- ^ “3 MORE COUNTIES ADOPT CHARTERS”, The New York Times (New York, New York): 59, 1973-11-25
[edit] External links
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||
