Niagara County, New York

Niagara County is a located in the  of. As of the, the population was 219,846. The is. The county name is from the word Ongiara, meaning "thunder of waters," referring to the sound of the famous waterfalls. It is the location of and, as has many parks and lake shore recreation communities.

History
When counties were established in the New York colony in, the present Niagara 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 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, was split off from Montgomery. In turn, was created from Ontario County in.

Niagara County was created from Genesee County in. It was, however, larger than the present Niagara County even though it consisted of only the Town of Cambria.

From to, records of  were divided between  (the  of ) and  (then in Niagara County).

In, was created from Niagara County.

Geography
Niagara County is in the extreme western part of New York State, just north of and adjacent to  on its northern border and the  and  on its western border. The border also results in a fair number of cases, though these are more common to the east where the border is across land rather than a lake or river.

The primary geographic feature of the county is Niagara Falls, which has eroded seven miles south over the past 12,000 years since the last Ice Age. The Niagara River and Niagara Falls, are in effect, the drainage ditch for four of the Great Lakes which constitute the largest supply of fresh water in the world. The water flows north from Lake Erie, then through the Niagara River, goes over Niagara Falls, and then on to Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River, eventually emptying into the North Atlantic Ocean. Today, tourists and visitors to the Falls only see half of the natural water flow over the Falls, since the other half has been taken for hydroelectric power purposes. Both the American and Canadian side of the Niagara River have massive electrical power plants.

The spectacular Niagara Gorge is the path Niagara Falls has taken over thousands of years as it continues to erode. Niagara Falls started at the Niagara Escarpment which cuts Niagara County in half in an East-West direction. North of the Escarpment lies the Lake Ontario plain, which is a fertile flatland that is used to grow grapes, apples, peaches and other fruits and vegetables.

According to the, the county has a total area of 2,952 (1,140 ). 1,354 km² (523 sq mi) of it is land and 1,598 km² (617 sq mi) of it (54.12%) is water.

Adjacent counties and areas

 * - east
 * - southeast
 * - south - boundary is
 * - west - International border - boundary is the
 * - north - with Canada on the opposite shore.

Major Highways

 * [[Image:I-190.svg|22px]]  (Niagara Thruway)
 * [[Image:US 62.svg|20px]]
 * [[Image:NY-18.svg|20px]]
 * [[Image:NY-31.svg|20px]]
 * [[Image:NY-62A.svg|22px]]


 * [[Image:NY-78.svg|20px]]
 * [[Image:NY-93.svg|20px]]
 * [[Image:NY-104.svg|22px]]
 * [[Image:NY-384.svg|22px]]
 * [[Image:Robert Moses State Pkwy.svg‎|20px]]

County government

 * Legislature Chairman Clyde Burmaster
 * Legislature Vice Chairman William Ross
 * Legislature Majority Leader Richard Updegrove
 * Legislature Minority Leader Dennis Virtuoso
 * Legislator Jason Murgia
 * Legislator Renae Kimble
 * Legislator
 * Legislator Sean O'Connor
 * Legislator Danny Sklarski
 * Legislator Gerald Farnham
 * Legislator
 * Legislator Peter Smolinski
 * Legislator John Ceretto
 * Legislator
 * Legislator Harry Apolito
 * Legislator Glenn Aronow
 * Legislator Malcom Needler
 * Legislator John Syracuse
 * Legislator Michael Hill

Demographics
As of the of 2000, there were 219,846 people, 87,846 households, and 58,593 families residing in the county. The was 162/km² (420/sq mi). There were 95,715 housing units at an average density of 71/km² (183/sq mi). The racial makeup of the county was 90.70%, 6.15% or , 0.94% , 0.58% , 0.02% , 0.40% from , and 1.21% from two or more races. 1.33% of the population were or  of any race. 23.6% were of, 18.1% , 11.3% , 11.2% and 8.3%  ancestry according to.

There were 87,846 households out of which 30.90% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.30% were living together, 12.30% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.30% were non-families. 28.60% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.00% 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 3.03.

In the county the population was spread out with 24.70% under the age of 18, 8.50% from 18 to 24, 28.40% from 25 to 44, 23.10% from 45 to 64, and 15.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 93.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.50 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $38,136, and the median income for a family was $47,817. Males had a median income of $37,468 versus $24,668 for females. The for the county was $19,219. About 8.20% of families and 10.60% of the population were below the, including 15.00% of those under age 18 and 7.30% of those age 65 or over.

Cities, towns, villages, and other locations

 * (village)
 * (town)
 * (town)
 * (village)
 * (town)
 * (town)
 * (city)
 * (village)
 * (town)
 * (city)
 * (town)
 * (city)
 * (town)
 * (town)
 * (town)
 * (town)
 * (town)
 * (village)
 * (town)
 * (village)
 * (town)
 * (village)
 * (town)
 * (village)
 * (village)


 * => designation in parentheses shows official political level.

State parks and state lands

 * , north of the City of Niagara Falls.
 * , immediately north of the City of Niagara Falls.
 * , located at the mouth of the Niagara River.
 * , located north of the City of Niagara Falls.
 * , located on the shore of Lake Ontario.
 * , located on the shore of Lake Ontario.
 * -- a conservation area in the Town of Hartland.
 * , along the Niagara River.
 * , in the City of Niagara Falls.
 * , south of the power reservoir.
 * , located partly in the Town of Royalton.
 * , located on the shore of Lake Ontario.

Educational institutions
is located in Lewiston, New York. is located in. Many residents also attend  and other  County Schools. In the Metro area there more than 20 public and private  and  in Buffalo and its environs offer programs in technical and  training, graduate, and professional studies.

The Buffalo Metro is home to two (SUNY) institutions. , a comprehensive college, and the, the flagship university center of SUNY, are each the largest institution of its type in the system. Combined, they account for roughly 40,000 students in the area.

Other academic institutions in the Western New York area include:, , , , , , , , , , , , , , also known as NCCC, , Northtown Technical, , , , The Center for Industrial Effectiveness (TCIE) - , , UB Continuing Dental Education,.