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 may be a contraction of a
Seneca Indian word meaning "bag tied in the middle". Its
county seat is
Mayville.
History
Chautauqua County was created by partition of
Genesee County on 1808-03-11. 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. This established Chautauqua as a county of 1,100 Square Miles (2,848.99 Square KM) of land. Chautauqua was never altered.
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, known as the
Chautauqua Ridge, can be used to mark the border between the
Southern Tier and the
Niagara Frontier. It is also a significant dividing point in the county's
geopolitics, with the "North County" being centered around Dunkirk and the "South County" centered around Jamestown each having their own interests.
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.
Adjacent Counties/Borders
Major highways
Demographics
thumb|left|200px|Age distribution (2000 census)thumb|right|200px|Population (2000-2008)thumb|left|200px|Median income (2000 census)As of the
census 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.
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. The county council currently consists of 25 members each elected from single member districts.
Most of the county is in the 150th
New York State Assembly district, represented by Democrat
William Parment, with the exception of the eastern tier of towns, which are in the 149th district represented by
Joseph Giglio. The entire county is within the bounds of
New York's 27th congressional district (served by
Brian Higgins) and the
New York State Senate 57th district (served by
Catharine Young). Prior to 2003, the county was part of
New York's 31st congressional district (now the 29th), but was controversially redistricted out of that district and into what is now the 27th, and was replaced in the 29th district by Rochester suburbs that had never before been part of the district.
Chautauqua County has been a perfect
bellwether county since 1980, having correctly voted for the winner of the presidential election in each election; the county missed twice between 1960 and 1976.
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.
Cities, Towns, Villages, and Hamlets
| Cities | Towns | Villages | Hamlets |
|---|
| | | |
Indian reservations
See also
Places named for Chautauqua County, New York
