Herkimer County is a
county located in the
U.S. state of
New York. It was created in 1791 out of part of Montgomery County. As of the
2000 census, the population was 64,427. It is named after General
Nicholas Herkimer, who died from battle wounds in 1777 after taking part in the
Battle of Oriskany. Its
county seat is the
Village of Herkimer.
Herkimer County is part of the
Utica-Rome, NY Metropolitan Statistical Area.
History
For the history of Herkimer County before 1791, see Montgomery County.
In 1791, Herkimer County was created as one of three counties split off from Montgomery (the other two being
Otsego, and
Tioga County). This was much larger than the present county, however, and was reduced by a number of subsequent splits.
Part of Herkimer County was part of
Macomb's Purchase of 1791.
In 1794,
Onondaga County was split off from Herkimer County. This county was larger than the current Onondaga County, including the present
Cayuga,
Cortland, and part of
Oswego Counties.
In 1798, a portion of Herkimer County, together with a portion of
Tioga County, was taken to form
Chenango County.
Another part of Herkimer was split off to form
Oneida County. This county was larger than the current Oneida County, including the present
Jefferson,
Lewis, and part of
Oswego Counties.
In 1802, parts of Herkimer and two other counties (
Clinton and
Montgomery Counties) were combined to form the new
St. Lawrence County.
Geography
Herkimer County is in central New York State, northwest of
Albany, and east of
Syracuse. The northern part of the county is in the
Adirondack Park. The
Mohawk River flows across the south part of the county.
According to the
U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,458 square miles (3,777 km²), of which, 1,411 square miles (3,655 km²) of it is land and 47 square miles (122 km²) of it (3.23%) is water.
Adjacent counties
Herkimer is bounded by seven other New York counties, as its neighbor Hamilton County. Only Saratoga County borders on more. Adjacent counties are:
Economy
Herkimer County is known for producing unusual clear, doubly terminated
quartz crystals, marketed as
Herkimer diamonds.
Ilion in Herkimer County is home to the one of two production sites of the
Remington Arms Company where many of the company's firearms are produced.
Demographics
As of the
census of 2000, there were 64,427 people, 25,734 households, and 17,113 families residing in the county. The
population density was 46 people per square mile (18/km²). There were 32,026 housing units at an average density of 23 per square mile (9/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 97.83%
White, 0.51%
Black or
African American, 0.22%
Native American, 0.41%
Asian, 0.02%
Pacific Islander, 0.18% from
other races, and 0.84% from two or more races. 0.90% of the population were
Hispanic or
Latino of any race. 20.6% were of
Italian, 16.3%
German, 13.9%
Irish, 9.3%
English, 7.7%
Polish, 6.2%
American and 5.2%
French ancestry according to
Census 2000. 95.2% spoke
English, 1.2%
Spanish and 1.1%
Italian as their first language.
There were 25,734 households out of which 30.60% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.20% were
married couples living together, 10.30% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.50% were non-families. 27.60% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.70% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 2.99.
In the county the population was spread out with 24.40% under the age of 18, 8.30% from 18 to 24, 26.60% from 25 to 44, 24.00% from 45 to 64, and 16.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 94.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.70 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $32,924, and the median income for a family was $40,570. Males had a median income of $29,908 versus $21,518 for females. The
per capita income for the county was $16,141. About 8.90% of families and 12.50% of the population were below the
poverty line, including 15.60% of those under age 18 and 10.40% of those age 65 or over.
Government and Politics
The Herkimer County Legislature consists of 17 members each elected from single member districts.
Cities, Towns and Villages
- Label in parentheses indicates official level of government
Adjacent counties and areas
To the north of Herkimer County is
St. Lawrence County. The western border is
Lewis and
Oneida Counties.
Otsego County is on the southern border. Herkimer County shares its eastern border with
Hamilton,
Fulton, and
Montgomery Counties.
See also
