Essex County, New York

Last updated

Essex County
County
Lake Placid.jpg
Lake Placid, in Essex County
Flag of Essex County, New York.jpg
Flag
Seal of Essex County, New York.jpg
Seal
Map of New York highlighting Essex County.svg
Location within the U.S. state of New York
New York in United States.svg
New York's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 44°07′N73°46′W / 44.11°N 73.77°W / 44.11; -73.77
CountryFlag of the United States.svg United States
StateFlag of New York.svg  New York
Founded1799
Named for Essex
Seat Elizabethtown
Largest CDP Ticonderoga
Area
 • Total
1,916 sq mi (4,960 km2)
 • Land1,794 sq mi (4,650 km2)
 • Water122 sq mi (320 km2)  6.4%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total
37,381 [1]
 • Density20.8/sq mi (8.0/km2)
Time zone UTC−5 (Eastern)
 • Summer (DST) UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district 21st
Website essexcountyny.gov

Essex County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 37,381. [2] Its county seat is the hamlet of Elizabethtown. [3] Its name is from the English county of Essex. Essex is one of two counties that are entirely within the Adirondack Park, the other being Hamilton County. The county is part of the North Country region of the state.

Contents

History

When counties were established in the state of New York in 1683, the present Essex County was part of Albany County. This 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. This 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, Charlotte County, contained the eastern portion.

John Brown's Farm House at John Brown's Farm.jpg
John Brown's Farm

In 1784, the name "Charlotte County" was changed to Washington County to honor George Washington, the American Revolutionary War general and later President of the United States of America.

In 1788, Clinton County was split off from Washington County. This was a much larger area than the present Clinton County, including several other counties or county parts of the present New York state (near Clunes).

Essex County was split from Clinton County in 1799.

Geography

Essex County, NY. 1858 map. Essex County NY 1858 map.jpg
Essex County, NY. 1858 map.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,916 square miles (4,960 km2), of which 1,794 square miles (4,650 km2) is land and 122 square miles (320 km2) (6.4%) is water. [4] It is the second-largest county in New York by land area and third-largest by total area.

Essex County is in the northeastern part of New York state, just west of Vermont along the eastern boundary of the state. The eastern boundary of Essex County is Lake Champlain, which serves as the New York – Vermont border at an elevation of just under 100 feet (30.5 m). The highest natural point in New York, Mount Marcy at 5,344 feet (1,629 m), is in the town of Keene.

The Ausable River forms a partial northern boundary for the county.

Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
1810 9,477—
1820 12,81135.2%
1830 19,28750.6%
1840 23,63422.5%
1850 31,14831.8%
1860 28,214−9.4%
1870 29,0422.9%
1880 34,51518.8%
1890 33,052−4.2%
1900 30,707−7.1%
1910 33,4589.0%
1920 31,871−4.7%
1930 33,9596.6%
1940 34,1780.6%
1950 35,0862.7%
1960 35,3000.6%
1970 34,631−1.9%
1980 36,1764.5%
1990 37,1522.7%
2000 38,8514.6%
2010 39,3701.3%
2020 37,381−5.1%
U.S. Decennial Census [5]
1790-1960 [6] 1900-1990 [7]
1990-2000 [8] 2010-2020 [2]

2020 census

Essex County Racial Composition [9]
RaceNum.Perc.
White (NH)33,71490.2%
Black or African American (NH)6101.63%
Native American (NH)740.2%
Asian (NH)2290.61%
Pacific Islander (NH)70.01%
Other/Mixed (NH)1,7694.73%
Hispanic or Latino 9782.62%

2000 census

As of the census [10] of 2000, there were 38,851 people, 15,028 households, and 9,828 families residing in the county. The population density was 22 people per square mile (8.5 people/km2). There were 23,115 housing units at an average density of 13 units per square mile (5.0/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 94.84% White, 2.81% Black or African American, 0.31% Native American, 0.41% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 0.69% from other races, and 0.86% from two or more races; 2.19% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. Of the population, 22.0% were of French, 16.3% Irish, 13.0% English, 8.6% German, 7.1% American and 6.2% Italian ancestry; 95.2% spoke English, 2.2% Spanish, and 1.3% French as their first language.

There were 15,028 households, out of which 29.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.20% were married couples living together, 8.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.60% were non-families. 28.30% 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 2.39 and the average family size was 2.93.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 22.80% under the age of 18, 6.90% from 18 to 24, 29.80% from 25 to 44, 24.50% from 45 to 64, and 16.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 107.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 108.60 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $34,823, and the median income for a family was $41,927. Males had a median income of $30,952 versus $22,205 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,194. Of the population, 11.60% of individuals, 7.80% of families, 14.50% of those under the age of 18, and 8.60% of those 65 and older, were living below the poverty line.

Education

K-12

School districts include: [11]

Private schools

Higher education

Transportation

Harris Lake in Newcomb Harris Lake.jpg
Harris Lake in Newcomb

Airports

The following public use airports are located in the county: [12]

Bus

Essex County Public Transportation operates several accessible bus routes connecting the county's major communities. Between scheduled stops, riders may flag down buses or request to be let off almost anywhere. Riders may also request minor route deviations for a small fee with advanced notice. Fares generally cost a few dollars or less. [13]

In 2020 and 2021, bus service was disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Routes

The Champlain North route operates from Elizabethtown north to Wadhams, Whallonsburg, Essex, Willsboro, and to Keeseville, where riders may connect to Clinton County Public Transit bus routes.

The Champlain South route operates from Elizabethtown south to Westport, Mineville, Witherbee, Port Henry, Crown Point, and Ticonderoga. The service partially follows New York State Route 9N. Riders can connect to Amtrak's Adirondack train at Westport station for service to New York City and Montreal.

The Mountain Valley Shuttle operates from Elizabethtown west to Keene, Jay, Au Sable, Wilmington, and Lake Placid. Riders may connect to Clinton County Public Transit bus routes in Au Sable.

The Cascade Express route operates from Elizabethtown west to Keene, North Elba, Lake Placid, and Saranac Lake.

The Lake Placid XPRSS route operates within the village of Lake Placid. The bus is fare-free and supports tourism.

Rail

Amtrak's Adirondack service travels through Essex County once a day in each direction on its route between New York City and Montreal, stopping in Ticonderoga, Port Henry, Westport and Port Kent (seasonal). Amtrak also offers Thruway Motorcoach service connecting Lake Placid with Westport station.

The service was temporarily suspended from March 2020 through early April 2023 due to the closure of the Canadian/American border in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and related logistical challenges. [14]

Communities

Larger settlements

#LocationPopulationTypeSector
1‡Saranac Lake 5,406VillageNorthwest
2 Ticonderoga 3,382CDPSoutheast
3 Lake Placid 2,521VillageNorthwest
4‡Keeseville 1,815CDPNortheast
5 Mineville 1,269CDPSoutheast
6 Port Henry 1,194CDPSoutheast
7†Elizabethtown 1,163CDPNortheast
8 Wilmington 937CDPNorthwest
9 Schroon Lake 833CDPSoutheast
10 Willsboro 753CDPNortheast
11 Westport 518CDPNortheast
12 Willsboro Point 382CDPNortheast
13 Witherbee 347CDPSoutheast

† - County Seat

‡ - Not Wholly in this County

Towns

Hamlets

Villages

Politics

Essex County is a bellwether county, having voted for the nationwide winner in every election beginning in 1980 with the exceptions of 1992 and 2024. It voted for George W. Bush in the 2000 and 2004 elections, switched to Barack Obama in 2008 and 2012 and then flipped to Donald Trump in 2016, then to Joe Biden in 2020 and Kamala Harris in 2024. Before 1996, however, Essex, like most of the North Country, was powerfully Republican. Until Bill Clinton won it in 1996, it had voted for a Democratic presidential candidate only once since the Civil War, in 1964 when Barry Goldwater lost every county in New York State.

United States presidential election results for Essex County, New York [15]
Year Republican Democratic Third party(ies)
No. %No. %No. %
2024 9,53348.81%9,62949.31%3671.88%
2020 8,98246.59%9,95051.61%3481.80%
2016 7,95846.22%7,76245.08%1,4988.70%
2012 6,64739.76%9,78458.53%2861.71%
2008 7,91342.55%10,39055.88%2921.57%
2004 9,86951.72%8,76845.95%4452.33%
2000 8,82249.18%7,92744.19%1,1896.63%
1996 6,37937.55%7,89346.47%2,71415.98%
1992 8,27843.63%6,71735.40%3,97820.97%
1988 10,35060.48%6,62338.70%1400.82%
1984 12,11469.94%5,11929.56%870.50%
1980 9,02553.16%6,44337.95%1,5108.89%
1976 10,19460.59%6,55638.97%740.44%
1972 11,76370.22%4,95529.58%340.20%
1968 9,37761.07%5,21833.98%7604.95%
1964 5,83735.19%10,73964.75%90.05%
1960 11,55764.56%6,33435.38%100.06%
1956 13,93082.11%3,03517.89%00.00%
1952 12,80075.53%4,13024.37%160.09%
1948 10,28769.90%4,08827.78%3422.32%
1944 10,12868.44%4,63731.34%330.22%
1940 11,86868.01%5,54531.77%380.22%
1936 11,59967.88%5,44731.88%420.25%
1932 10,06263.74%5,59735.46%1270.80%
1928 10,46266.34%5,29133.55%170.11%
1924 8,55373.96%2,63922.82%3733.23%
1920 8,04277.48%2,21821.37%1191.15%
1916 4,64365.39%2,37333.42%841.18%
1912 3,12744.20%2,07029.26%1,87826.54%
1908 5,16769.09%2,03327.18%2793.73%
1904 5,38570.88%2,02826.69%1842.42%
1900 5,06470.31%1,99427.69%1442.00%
1896 5,35674.24%1,76024.40%981.36%
1892 4,63660.39%2,71035.30%3314.31%
1888 5,04362.28%2,93036.19%1241.53%
1884 4,55161.06%2,77637.25%1261.69%

Notable people

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clinton County, New York</span> County in New York, United States

Clinton County is the northeastern most county in the northeastern corner of the state of New York, in the United States and bordered by the Canadian province of Quebec. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 79,843. Its county seat is the city of Plattsburgh. The county lies just south of the border with the Canadian province of Quebec and to the west of the State of Vermont. The county is named for George Clinton, the first Governor of New York, who later was elected as Vice President. He had been a Founding Father who represented New York in the Continental Congress. Clinton County comprises the Plattsburgh, New York Micropolitan statistical area. The county is part of the North Country region of the state.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elizabethtown, New York</span> Town in New York, United States

Elizabethtown is a town in Essex County, New York, United States. The population was 1,163 at the 2010 census. The county seat of Essex County is the hamlet of Elizabethtown, located in the northern part of the town. The name is derived from Elizabeth Gilliland, the wife of an early settler.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Essex, New York</span> Town in New York, United States

Essex is a town in Essex County, New York, United States overlooking Lake Champlain. The population was 621 at the 2020 census. The town is named after locations in England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Keene, New York</span> Town in New York, United States

Keene is a town in central Essex County, New York, United States. It includes the hamlets of Keene, Keene Valley, and St. Huberts, with a total population of 1,144 as of the 2020 census

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Minerva, New York</span> Town in New York, United States

Minerva is a town in Essex County, New York, United States. The population was 773 at the 2020 census. The town is named after Minerva, the Roman goddess of wisdom. The town has a highly irregular polygonal shape. It is located in the southwestern corner of the county. By road, it is 40 miles (64 km) north-northwest of Queensbury, 85 miles (137 km) southwest of Burlington, Vermont, 88 miles (142 km) south of Plattsburgh, 93 miles (150 km) north of Albany, and 147 miles (237 km) south of Montreal, Quebec.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North Elba, New York</span> Town in New York, United States

North Elba is a town in Essex County, New York, United States. The population was 7,480 at the 2020 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Schroon, New York</span> Town in New York, United States

Schroon is a town in the Adirondack Park, in Essex County, New York, United States. The population was 1,880 at the 2020 census. The largest community in the town is the hamlet of Schroon Lake, located at the northern end of the lake of the same name.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ticonderoga, New York</span> Town in New York, United States

Ticonderoga is a town in Essex County, New York, United States. The population was 5,042 at the 2010 census. The name comes from the Mohawk tekontaró:ken, meaning "it is at the junction of two waterways".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Westport, New York</span> Town in New York, United States

Westport is a town in Essex County, New York, United States overlooking Lake Champlain. The population was 1,320 at the 2020 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elizabethtown (CDP), New York</span> Census-designated place in New York, United States

Elizabethtown is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) in the town of Elizabethtown in Essex County, New York, United States. The population of the CDP was 754 at the 2010 census, out of a total town population of 1,163.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Area codes 518 and 838</span> Telephone area codes for Upstate New York, U.S.

Area codes 518 and 838 are telephone area codes in the North American Numbering Plan for eastern Upstate New York in the United States. 518 is one of the 86 original North American area codes created in 1947. Area code 838 was added to the 518 numbering plan area in 2017. The two area codes serve 24 counties and 1,200 ZIP Code areas in a numbering plan area (NPA) that extends from the eastern Mohawk Valley to the Vermont border, and from the Canada–US border to south of Albany. The bulk of the population is in the Capital District, the vicinity of the cities Albany, Schenectady, and Troy. Other cities in the NPA are Glens Falls, Plattsburgh, and Saratoga Springs. It includes the Upper Hudson Valley counties, Greene and Columbia counties, and some northern parts of Dutchess County.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New York State Route 73</span> State highway in Essex County, New York, US

New York State Route 73 (NY 73) is a 27.55-mile-long (44.34 km) state highway located entirely within Essex County, New York, in the United States. The highway begins at an intersection with NY 86 in the village of Lake Placid and ends at a junction with U.S. Route 9 (US 9) north of the hamlet of Underwood in the extreme southwestern corner of the town of Elizabethtown. NY 73 meanders through a mountainous region of Adirondack Park and passes by several named peaks, including Porter Mountain and Lower Wolfjaw Mountain. Along the way, the route has a short concurrency with NY 9N in the town of Keene.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New York State Route 9N</span> Highway in New York

New York State Route 9N (NY 9N) is a north–south state highway in northeastern New York in the United States. It extends from an intersection with U.S. Route 9 (US 9), NY 29, and NY 50 in the city of Saratoga Springs to a junction with US 9 and NY 22 in the Clinton County hamlet of Keeseville. At 143.49 miles (230.92 km) in total length, NY 9N is the longest letter-suffixed route in the state. It is concurrent with its parent route for 1 mile (1.6 km) in the village of Lake George and for three blocks in the hamlet of Elizabethtown.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">State Route 74 (New York–Vermont)</span> Highway in Vermont and New York

New York State Route 74 (NY 74) and Vermont Route 74 (VT 74) are state highways in the northeastern United States, connected by one of the last remaining cable ferries in North America. Together they extend for 34 miles (55 km) through Essex County, New York, and Addison County, Vermont. NY 74 begins at exit 28 off Interstate 87 (I-87) in the hamlet of Severance in the Adirondack Mountains region of the northern part of New York State. It extends 20.44 miles (32.89 km) to the western shore of Lake Champlain in Ticonderoga. There, the seasonal Fort Ticonderoga–Larrabees Point Ferry carries cars across the state border into Vermont, where VT 74 starts at the lake's eastern shore and terminates 13.26 miles (21.34 km) later at a junction with VT 30 in the town of Cornwall.

Schroon Lake is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) in the town of Schroon in Essex County, New York, United States. The population was 833 at the 2010 census, or just over half of the total population of the town of Schroon.

Westport is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) in the town of Westport in Essex County, New York, United States. The population of the CDP was 518 at the 2010 census, or 39.4% of the total population of the town of Westport.

Willsboro is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) in the town of Willsboro in Essex County, New York, United States. The population of the CDP was 753 at the 2010 census, out of a total town population of 2,025.

Wilmington is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) in the town of Wilmington in Essex County, New York, United States. The population of the CDP was 843 at the 2020 census, out of a total town population of 880.

References

  1. ↑ "US Census 2020 Population Dataset Tables for New York". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 2, 2022.
  2. 1 2 "U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Essex County, New York". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 3, 2022.
  3. ↑ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  4. ↑ "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Archived from the original on May 19, 2014. Retrieved January 4, 2015.
  5. ↑ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 4, 2015.
  6. ↑ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved January 4, 2015.
  7. ↑ "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 4, 2015.
  8. ↑ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 4, 2015.
  9. ↑ "P2 HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Essex County, New York".
  10. ↑ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  11. ↑ "2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Essex County, NY" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau . Retrieved October 16, 2024. - Text list
  12. ↑ Essex County Public and Private Airports, New York. Retrieved June 13, 2013.
  13. ↑ "Transportation". Essex County, New York. Retrieved April 19, 2021.
  14. ↑ Mann, Rachel (April 3, 2023). "Back on track: Amtrak's Adirondack train returns to the North Country". www.wcax.com. Retrieved November 14, 2024.
  15. ↑ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved March 26, 2018.

Further reading

44°07′N73°46′W / 44.11°N 73.77°W / 44.11; -73.77

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