Onondaga County, New York

Onondaga County is a located in the  of. As of the, the population was 458,336. The estimated population for is 459,805, an increase of 0.3%. The is.

The name Onondaga derives from the name of the Native American people who lived here, who called themselves, sometimes spelled Onontakeka. The word means "People of the Hills." Sometimes the term was Onondagaono ("The People of the Hills"). people continue to reside in a separate nation within Onondaga County.

History
When counties were established in New York State in, the present Onondaga County was part of. This was an enormous county, including the northern part of New York State as well as all of the present State of and, in theory, extending westward to the. This county was reduced in size on, by the creation of , and further on ,  by the creation of , both containing territory now in Vermont.

On, , what was left of Albany County was split into three parts, one remaining under the name Albany County. One of the other pieces,, contained the western portion (and thus, since no western boundary was specified, theoretically still extended west to the Pacific). The eastern boundary of Tryon County was approximately five miles west of the present city of, and the county included the western part of the and the area west of the West Branch of the. The area then designated as Tryon County now includes 37 counties of New York State. The county was named for, colonial governor of New York.



In the years prior to, most of the Loyalists in Tryon County fled to. In, following the peace treaty that ended the , the name of Tryon County was changed to to honor the general, , who had captured several places in Canada and died attempting to capture the city of , replacing the name of the hated British governor.

In, the size of Montgomery County was reduced by the splitting off of from Montgomery. The actual area split off from Montgomery County was much larger than the present county, also including the present, , , , , , , , , , , , and part of and.

In, Herkimer County was one of three counties split off from Montgomery (the other two being , and ). This was much larger than the present county, however, and was reduced by a number of subsequent splits.

In, Onondaga County was split off from Herkimer County. This county was larger than the current Onondaga County, including the present, , and part of.

In, was split off from Onondaga.

In, was split off from Onondaga.

In, parts of Oneida and Onondaga Counties were taken to form the new.

Central New York developed rapidly after the  provided land to Revolutionary War veterans. Migration was largely from the east, mostly from New Engalnd states. The, which became the in 1800, provided access. Generally settlers preferred higher land, since they associated lowlands will disease. In time, as hillside soil was eroded by early clearing and farming, valley lands were more fertile and highly prized for agriculture as well as for water power, which was the origin of many communities. The city of developed relatively late, due to its marshy situation. The highland village of on the  in contrast was more important at an earlier date. Population of rural towns was greatest in the late nineteenth century, when more land was cultivated and farms were relatively small, supporting large households. Since that time, agriculture has declined in the county. Some Onodaga County towns like were largely depopulated, many villages becoming veritable ghost towns. Onondaga County highlands now are more heavily reforested, with public parks and preserves providing recreation. Two in the county also attract visitors. The village of on scenic  has become a major tourist destination.

At the turn of the twenty-first century, population declined in the City of Syracuse while suburban communities generally grew, particularly with tract developments north of the city. Elesewhere, scattered commuter houses appeared, generally on fairly large parcels. The Village of Skaneateles and shores of Skaneateles Lake attracted rapid development, demand for property increasing property values remarkably.



Geography
Onondaga County is in the west central portion of New York State, west of, east of and north of. According to the, the county has a total area of 2,087 (806 ). 2,021 km² (780 sq mi) of it is land and 66 km² (25 sq mi) of it (3.15%) is water. is bordered by many of the larger communities in the county.

The northern part of the county is fairly level lake plain, extending northward to. three rivers, as well as the Erie and subsequent Barge Canals are in the lake plain. The main line of the and the  extend east and west aross the county through the lake plain. The southern part of the county is, with high hills rising at the southern edge of. This is the eastern part of the region. and are both in Onondaga County. Route extends east and west across the county, traversing dramatic hill-and-valley terrain. Between the lake plain and Appalachian highlands is a zone noted for, smaller, scattered hills formed as mounds of debris left by the last glacier. is geologically noted for the terminal moraine deposited there by the glacier, filling the deep Tully Valley, which might have been another Finger Lake, had the moraine been left closer to Syracuse, impounding water. Tully is at the divide between two major watersheds, one flowing northward to the Atlantic Ocean by way of the and the other southward to the ocean vie the. Onieda Lake, the Finger Lakes, and smaller bodies of water provide recreation. Several ski slopes are located in the Appalachian hills, where there are waterfalls and historic villages as attractions, as well as parks and large forest preserves.

Adjacent Counties

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 * - east
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 * - west

Demographics
As of the of 2000, there were 458,336 people, 181,153 households, and 115,394 families residing in the county. The was 227/km² (587/sq mi). There were 196,633 housing units at an average density of 97/km² (252/sq mi). The racial makeup of the county was 84.78%, 9.38% , 0.86% , 2.09% , 0.03% , 0.89% from , and 1.97% from two or more races. or of any race were 2.44% of the population.



There were 181,153 households out of which 31.90% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.90% were living together, 12.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.30% were non-families. 29.40% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.80% 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 3.07.

In the county the population was spread out with 25.80% under the age of 18, 9.50% from 18 to 24, 28.80% from 25 to 44, 22.10% from 45 to 64, and 13.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 91.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.70 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $40,847, and the median income for a family was $51,876. Males had a median income of $39,048 versus $27,154 for females. The for the county was $21,336. About 8.60% of families and 12.20% of the population were below the, including 15.50% of those under age 18 and 7.10% of those age 65 or over.

Demographic trends (2006): County population has decreased from a high in 1970. Increasing number of housing units apparently is due to smaller family units and more individuals living alone. While the City of Syracuse population has declined, some suburban towns have grown.



Cities, towns, villages, and hamlets
 is the only city in Onondaga County. The following is a complete list of official towns and villages, and principal s:
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 * Villages and hamlets labeled "(in part)" span the border between multiple towns.
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 * Villages and hamlets labeled "(in part)" span the border between multiple towns.
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 * Villages and hamlets labeled "(in part)" span the border between multiple towns.
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 * Villages and hamlets labeled "(in part)" span the border between multiple towns.