Chautauqua County, New York, United States

Chautauqua County is the westernmost county 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  word that could have a number of meanings, the common one being "where the fish was taken out." Its county seat is. Other cities and villages in Chautauqua County are, , Chautauqua, , , , , , and.

History
When counties were established in New York State in 1683, the present Chautauqua County was part of Albany County, which was an enormous county, including the northern part of New York State as well as all of the present State of Vermont and, in theory, extending westward to the Pacific Ocean. That county was reduced in size on July 3, 1766 by the creation of Cumberland County, and further on March 16, 1770 by the creation of Gloucester County, both containing territory now in Vermont.

On March 12, 1772, what was left of Albany County was split into three parts, one remaining under the name Albany County. One of the other pieces, Tryon County, 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 Delaware River. 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 before 1776, most of the in Tryon County fled to Canada. In 1784, following the peace treaty that ended the American Revolutionary War, the name of Tryon County was changed to Montgomery County in honor of the general,, who had captured several places in Canada and died attempting to capture the city of Quebec, replacing the name of the hated British governor.

Ontario County was split off from Montgomery County in 1789. In turn, Genesee County was split off from Ontario County in 1802. Genesee County was made smaller in 1806, by the splitting off from it of Allegany County.

Chautauqua County was formed in 1808, split off from Genesee County. However, until 1811, for record-keeping purposes Chautauqua County was treated as part of Niagara County.

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. is located in the center of the county, and Lake Erie is its northern border.

Part of the runs through Chautauqua County. The area that drains into the (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 and the.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 3,885 km² (1,500 sq mi). 2,751 km² (1,062 sq mi) of it is land and 1,134 km² (438 sq mi) of it (29.20%) is water.

Adjacent counties/borders

 * Lake Erie - northwest
 * Erie County, New York - northeast
 * Cattaraugus County, New York - east
 * Warren County, Pennsylvania - southeast
 * Erie County, Pennsylvania - southwest

Major highways

 * [[Image:I-86.svg|20px]] [[Image:NY-17.svg|20px]] / (Southern Tier Expressway)
 * [[Image:I-90.svg|20px]]
 * [[Image:US 20.svg|20px]]
 * [[Image:US 62.svg|20px]]
 * [[Image:NY-5.svg|20px]]
 * [[Image:NY-39.svg|20px]]
 * [[Image:NY-60.svg|20px]]
 * [[Image:NY-394.svg|20px]]
 * [[Image:NY-430.svg|20px]]

Demographics
As of the of 2000, there were 139,750 people, 54,515 households, and 35,979 families residing in the county. The was 51/km² (132/sq mi). There were 64,900 housing units at an average density of 24/km² (61/sq mi). 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.

There were 54,515 households out of which 30.50% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.90% were 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 for the county was $16,840. About 9.70% of families and 13.80% of the population were below the, including 19.30% of those under age 18 and 8.20% of those age 65 or over.

Education
has two campuses in the county at Jamestown and Dunkirk. The is located in the northern part of the county. offers two year degrees and certificates in Jamestown.