Tompkins County, New York

Not to be confused with Tompkins, New York.

Tompkins County
County
Images, from top down, left to right: Ithaca Falls, Johnson Museum of Art, Allan H. Treman State Marine Park, Stewart Park, Ithaca Commons, and Cornell University
Flag Seal
Location within the U.S. state of New York
New York's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 42°27′N76°28′W / 42.45°N 76.47°W / 42.45; -76.47
Country	United States
State	New York
Founded	April 17, 1817
Named for	Daniel D. Tompkins
Seat	Ithaca
Largest City	Ithaca
Area
• Total	492 sq mi (1,270 km2)
• Land	475 sq mi (1,230 km2)
• Water	17 sq mi (40 km2)  3.4%
Population  (2020)
• Total	105,740 [1]
• Density	222.8/sq mi (86.0/km2)
Demonym	Tompkins Countyan
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
ZIP Codes	13053, 13062, 13068, 13073, 13102, 13736, 14817, 13864, 14850, 14851, 14852, 14853, 14854, 14867, 14881, 14882, 14883, 14886
Area code	607
Congressional district	19th
Website	tompkinscountyny.gov

Tompkins County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 105,740. ^[1] The county seat is Ithaca. ^[2] The name is in honor of Daniel D. Tompkins, who served as Governor of New York and Vice President of the United States. The county is part of the Southern Tier region of the state.

Tompkins County comprises the Ithaca Metropolitan Statistical Area. It is home to Cornell University, Ithaca College and Tompkins Cortland Community College.

History

When counties were established in the British Province of New York in 1683, the present Tompkins 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. ^[3]

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 Schenectady, and the county included the western part of the Adirondack Mountains 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 William Tryon, colonial governor of New York.

In the years prior to 1776, most of the Loyalists 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, Richard Montgomery, who had captured several places in Canada and died attempting to capture the city of Quebec, replacing the name of the hated British governor.

McGraw Tower, Cornell University on East Hill above downtown Ithaca

In 1789, Montgomery County was reduced in size by the splitting off of Ontario County. The actual area split off from Montgomery County was much larger than the present county, also including the present Allegany, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Erie, Genesee, Livingston, Monroe, Niagara, Orleans, Steuben, Wyoming, Yates, and part of Schuyler and Wayne counties.

Herkimer County was one of three counties split off from Montgomery County (the others being Otsego and Tioga counties) in 1791. Onondaga County was formed in 1794 by the splitting of Herkimer County.

Cayuga County was formed in 1799 by the splitting of Onondaga County. This county was, however, much larger than the present Cayuga County. It also included the territory of the present Seneca and Tompkins counties.

In 1804, Seneca County was formed by the splitting of Cayuga County.

On April 7, 1817, Tompkins County was created by combining portions of Seneca and the remainder of Cayuga County. The county was named after then vice-president (to President James Monroe) and former New York Governor Daniel Tompkins. Tompkins almost certainly never visited the county named for him.

In 1854, the county lost the town of Hector and the west line of lots in Newfield to the newly formed Schuyler County, New York.

Geography

Robert H. Treman State Park in Tompkins County

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 492 square miles (1,270 km²), of which 475 square miles (1,230 km²) is land and 17 square miles (44 km²) (3.4%) is water. ^[4]

Tompkins County is in the west central part of New York State, south of Syracuse and northwest of Binghamton. It is usually geographically grouped with the Finger Lakes region, but some locals consider themselves to be part of Central New York or the Southern Tier.

Adjacent counties

• Cayuga County - north
• Cortland County - east
• Tioga County - south
• Chemung County - southwest
• Schuyler County - west
• Seneca County - northwest

Major highways

• New York State Route 13
• New York State Route 13A
• New York State Route 34
• New York State Route 34B
• New York State Route 38
• New York State Route 79
• New York State Route 89
• New York State Route 96
• New York State Route 96B
• New York State Route 222
• New York State Route 227
• New York State Route 327
• New York State Route 366
• New York State Route 392

Upper Gorge, Buttermilk Falls State Park in Tompkins County

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1820	20,681		—
1830	36,545		76.7%
1840	37,948		3.8%
1850	38,746		2.1%
1860	31,409		−18.9%
1870	33,178		5.6%
1880	34,445		3.8%
1890	32,923		−4.4%
1900	33,830		2.8%
1910	33,647		−0.5%
1920	35,285		4.9%
1930	41,490		17.6%
1940	42,340		2.0%
1950	59,122		39.6%
1960	66,164		11.9%
1970	77,064		16.5%
1980	87,085		13.0%
1990	94,097		8.1%
2000	96,501		2.6%
2010	101,564		5.2%
2020	105,740		4.1%
2022 (est.)	104,777	[5]	−0.9%
U.S. Decennial Census [6] 1790-1960 [7] 1900-1990 [8] 1990-2000 [9] 2010-2020 [10]

As of the census ^[11] of 2000, there were 96,501 people, 36,420 households, and 19,120 families residing in the county. The population density was 203 people per square mile (78 people/km²). There were 38,625 housing units at an average density of 81 units per square mile (31/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 85.50% White, 3.64% African American, 0.28% Native American, 7.19% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 1.09% from other races, and 2.26% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.08% of the population. 12.4% were of German, 11.7% English, 11.1% Irish, 9.2% Italian and 6.0% American ancestry according to Census 2000. ^[12] 2.85% of the population reported speaking Spanish at home, while 1.86% speak Chinese, 1.07% Korean, and 1.00% French. ^[13]

There were 36,420 households, out of which 25.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.20% were married couples living together, 8.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 47.50% were non-families. 32.50% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.32 and the average family size was 2.93.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 19.00% under the age of 18, 26.00% from 18 to 24, 26.20% from 25 to 44, 19.30% from 45 to 64, and 9.60% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 29 years. For every 100 females there were 97.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.20 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $37,272, and the median income for a family was $53,041. Males had a median income of $35,420 versus $27,686 for females. The per capita income for the county was $19,659. About 6.80% of families and 17.60% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.00% of those under age 18 and 5.40% of those age 65 or over.

2020 Census

Tompkins County Racial Composition ^[14]

Race	Num.	Perc.
White (NH)	76,737	72.57%
Black or African American (NH)	4,274	4.04%
Native American (NH)	248	0.23%
Asian (NH)	10,487	9.92%
Pacific Islander (NH)	35	0.02%
Other/Mixed (NH)	6,882	6.51%
Hispanic or Latino	7,077	6.7%

Communities

Towns, cities, villages, and census divisions of Tompkins County

Tompkins County Court House in Ithaca

Larger Settlements

†  County seat

Name	Population (2020) [15]	Type	Area (2020) [15]		Coordinates
			sq mi	km2
Ithaca †	32,108	City	6.07	15.7	42°26′36″N76°30′0″W / 42.44333°N 76.50000°W / 42.44333; -76.50000
South Hill	7,245	CDP	6	15.5	42°24′42″N76°29′26″W / 42.41167°N 76.49056°W / 42.41167; -76.49056
Cayuga Heights	4,114	Village	1.77	4.6	42°27′59″N76°29′19″W / 42.46639°N 76.48861°W / 42.46639; -76.48861
Lansing	3,648	Village	4.63	12.0	42°29′16″N76°29′10″W / 42.48778°N 76.48611°W / 42.48778; -76.48611
East Ithaca	3,175	CDP	1.8	4.7	42°25′36″N76°27′33″W / 42.42667°N 76.45917°W / 42.42667; -76.45917
Northeast Ithaca	2,701	CDP	1.5	3.9	42°28′12″N76°27′51″W / 42.47000°N 76.46417°W / 42.47000; -76.46417
Northwest Ithaca	2,231	CDP	3.6	9.3	42°28′4″N76°32′20″W / 42.46778°N 76.53889°W / 42.46778; -76.53889
Groton	2,145	Village	1.74	4.5	42°35′13″N76°21′54″W / 42.58694°N 76.36500°W / 42.58694; -76.36500
Dryden	1,887	Village	1.77	4.6	42°29′21″N76°17′59″W / 42.48917°N 76.29972°W / 42.48917; -76.29972
Trumansburg	1,714	Village	1.39	3.6	42°32′26″N76°39′36″W / 42.54056°N 76.66000°W / 42.54056; -76.66000
Forest Home	1,168	CDP	0.3	0.8	42°27′11″N76°28′17″W / 42.45306°N 76.47139°W / 42.45306; -76.47139
South Lansing	1,078	CDP	2.8	7.3	42°32′16″N76°30′21″W / 42.53778°N 76.50583°W / 42.53778; -76.50583
Varna	767	CDP	0.71	1.8	42°27′18″N76°26′17″W / 42.45500°N 76.43806°W / 42.45500; -76.43806
Newfield [a]	725	CDP	1.2	3.1	42°21′43″N76°35′32″W / 42.36194°N 76.59222°W / 42.36194; -76.59222
Jacksonville	516	CDP	3.6	9.3	42°30′30″N76°36′54″W / 42.50833°N 76.61500°W / 42.50833; -76.61500
Danby	506	CDP	3.46	9.0	42°21′9″N76°28′50″W / 42.35250°N 76.48056°W / 42.35250; -76.48056
Freeville	498	Village	1.09	2.8	42°30′45″N76°20′45″W / 42.51250°N 76.34583°W / 42.51250; -76.34583
McLean	378	CDP	0.23	0.6	42°33′07″N76°17′28″W / 42.55194°N 76.29111°W / 42.55194; -76.29111
Brooktondale	261	CDP	0.24	0.6	42°22′50″N76°23′41″W / 42.38056°N 76.39472°W / 42.38056; -76.39472
West Danby	211	CDP	1.36	3.5	42°19′8″N76°31′31″W / 42.31889°N 76.52528°W / 42.31889; -76.52528
Slaterville Springs	208	CDP	0.26	0.7	42°23′44″N76°21′02″W / 42.39556°N 76.35056°W / 42.39556; -76.35056

Towns

• Caroline
• Danby
• Dryden
• Enfield
• Groton
• Ithaca
• Lansing
• Newfield
• Ulysses

Hamlets/Villages

• Caroline Center
• Enfield Center
• Etna
• Freeville
• West Danby
• McLean
• Trumansburg
• Brooktondale
• Slaterville Springs
• Cayuga Heights
• Varna

Communities

• Forest Home
• Podunk
• South Hill
• Ellis Hollow
• College Town
• Jacksonville
• Trumbulls Corners

Government and politics

United States presidential election results for Tompkins County, New York ^[16]

Year	Republican  /  Whig		Democratic		Third party(ies)
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2024	11,354	24.21%	34,631	73.84%	917	1.96%
2020	11,096	24.26%	33,619	73.51%	1,020	2.23%
2016	10,371	24.30%	28,890	67.69%	3,417	8.01%
2012	11,107	27.92%	27,244	68.48%	1,430	3.59%
2008	11,927	28.03%	29,826	70.09%	799	1.88%
2004	13,994	32.99%	27,229	64.19%	1,198	2.82%
2000	13,351	33.33%	21,807	54.44%	4,902	12.24%
1996	11,532	31.06%	20,772	55.95%	4,820	12.98%
1992	11,520	27.65%	23,197	55.68%	6,943	16.67%
1988	14,932	40.69%	21,455	58.46%	312	0.85%
1984	18,255	48.32%	19,357	51.24%	165	0.44%
1980	12,448	41.96%	11,970	40.35%	5,250	17.70%
1976	15,463	53.93%	12,808	44.67%	400	1.40%
1972	17,605	58.66%	12,344	41.13%	62	0.21%
1968	13,446	53.26%	10,343	40.97%	1,459	5.78%
1964	9,070	35.99%	16,103	63.90%	29	0.12%
1960	17,061	66.30%	8,659	33.65%	13	0.05%
1956	19,749	78.29%	5,475	21.71%	0	0.00%
1952	18,673	74.66%	6,285	25.13%	54	0.22%
1948	13,719	67.11%	5,721	27.98%	1,004	4.91%
1944	12,805	63.86%	7,174	35.78%	74	0.37%
1940	14,325	66.04%	7,118	32.81%	250	1.15%
1936	13,332	64.26%	7,007	33.78%	407	1.96%
1932	12,185	64.42%	6,180	32.67%	551	2.91%
1928	14,471	72.84%	5,114	25.74%	281	1.41%
1924	11,766	72.98%	3,701	22.95%	656	4.07%
1920	9,508	70.05%	3,487	25.69%	578	4.26%
1916	4,736	54.83%	3,455	40.00%	447	5.17%
1912	2,237	27.61%	3,272	40.38%	2,594	32.01%
1908	5,090	55.13%	3,734	40.45%	408	4.42%
1904	5,414	56.31%	3,780	39.31%	421	4.38%
1900	5,409	55.79%	3,852	39.73%	435	4.49%
1896	5,342	58.07%	3,506	38.11%	352	3.83%
1892	4,717	53.52%	3,404	38.62%	692	7.85%
1888	5,073	54.18%	3,909	41.75%	381	4.07%
1884	4,420	48.83%	3,992	44.10%	640	7.07%
1880	4,896	53.03%	3,956	42.85%	380	4.12%
1876	5,032	54.75%	4,028	43.83%	131	1.43%
1872	4,318	55.70%	3,369	43.46%	65	0.84%
1868	4,646	59.98%	3,100	40.02%	0	0.00%
1864	4,518	60.13%	2,996	39.87%	0	0.00%
1860	4,348	58.96%	3,026	41.04%	0	0.00%
1856	4,019	58.09%	1,430	20.67%	1,470	21.25%
1852	3,410	44.03%	3,472	44.83%	863	11.14%
1848	3,003	43.26%	1,270	18.29%	2,669	38.45%
1844	3,845	47.00%	4,013	49.06%	322	3.94%
1840	3,969	52.51%	3,558	47.07%	32	0.42%
1836	2,786	48.70%	2,935	51.30%	0	0.00%
1832	3,045	47.72%	3,336	52.28%	0	0.00%
1828	2,154	39.96%	3,236	60.04%	0	0.00%

Tompkins County was once a reliably Republican county. From 1856 to 1980, the only Democratic candidates to carry it in a presidential election were Woodrow Wilson in 1912 and Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964. ^[17] However, Democrats have won Tompkins County in every presidential election since 1984, starting with Walter Mondale's 2.92% victory margin over then-president Ronald Reagan. The dominant presence of Cornell University in Ithaca is a crucial factor in Democrats' success in the county. ^[18] In 2008, Tompkins County was the only county in New York State in which Senator Barack Obama beat Senator Hillary Clinton in the Democratic primary. ^[19] In the 2008 United States presidential election, Obama won the county by a 41% margin over John McCain, with Obama winning by 25.5% statewide. It was his highest percentage by county in upstate New York. ^[20] In 2016 the county strongly supported Clinton over Trump (67.7% to 24.3%). ^[21] It swung even further to Joe Biden in 2020, who took 73.5% to 24.3% for Trump, the highest voteshare it has given any candidate since 1956 when incumbent president Dwight D. Eisenhower won the county with 78.3% of the vote.

The Tompkins County Legislature consists of fifteen members, each from a single-member district. In November 2014, the Tompkins County legislature unanimously adopted a resolution recognizing freedom from domestic violence as a fundamental human right. ^[22] In doing so, Tompkins County became the first rural county in the United States to pass such a resolution. ^[23]

Voter registration as of April 1, 2016 [24]
Party		Active voters	Inactive voters	Total voters	Percentage
	Democratic	25,749	3,768	29,517	49.54%
	Republican	11,623	1,290	12,913	21.67%
	Unaffiliated	10,730	2,461	13,191	22.14%
	Other [b]	3,385	575	3,960	6.65%
Total		51,487	8,094	59,581	100%

Education

Tompkins County Public Library, 101 East Green St., Ithaca NY

The eight-square schoolhouse or Dryden District School No. 5 is a one room schoolhouse just south of New York Route 13 in Dryden Township.

There are three institutions of higher education in Tompkins County:

• Cornell University in City of Ithaca
• Ithaca College in the Town of Ithaca
• Tompkins-Cortland Community College in the Town of Dryden

The county is served by several school districts: ^[25] (the largest being Ithaca City School District ^{[ citation needed ]})

• Candor Central School District
• Cortland City School District
• Dryden Central School District
• Groton Central School District
• Homer Central School District
• Ithaca City School District
• Lansing Central School District
• Newark Valley Central School District
• Newfield Central School District
• Odessa-Montour Central School District
• Southern Cayuga Central School District
• Spencer-Van Etten Central School District
• Trumansburg Central School District

The county is served by several public libraries including the Tompkins County Public Library, the Southworth Library and the Ulysses Philomathic Library.

See also

• New York (state) portal
• United States portal

• List of counties in New York
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Tompkins County, New York

Notes

1. Called "Newfield Hamlet" in the 2010 census
2. Included are voters affiliated with the Conservative Party, Green Party, Working Families Party, Independence Party, Women's Equality Party, Reform Party, and other small parties.

References

1. "2020 Population and Housing State Data". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 17, 2021.
2. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
3. Long, John. "New York Atlas of Historical County Boundaries". Atlas of Historical County Boundaries. The Newberry Library. Retrieved January 15, 2024.
4. "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Archived from the original on May 19, 2014. Retrieved January 8, 2015.
5. "QuickFacts: Tompkins County, New York". U.S. Census Bureau.
6. "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 8, 2015.
7. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Archived from the original on August 11, 2012. Retrieved January 8, 2015.
8. "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 8, 2015.
9. "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 8, 2015.
10. "Tompkins County QuickFacts". State & County QuickFacts. U.S. Census Bureau. Archived from the original on April 26, 2015. Retrieved December 28, 2021.
11. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved January 31, 2008.
12. "U.S. Census website" . Retrieved March 4, 2008.
13. "Language Map Data Center".
14. "P2 HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Tompkins County, New York".
15. "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau.
16. Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved October 25, 2018.
17. Menendez, Albert J. (2005). The Geography of Presidential Elections in the United States, 1868–2004. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland. pp. 261–265.
18. Sullivan, Robert David; ‘How the Red and Blue Map Evolved Over the Past Century’; America Magazine in The National Catholic Review; June 29, 2016
19. Obama, McCain win in Tompkins County ^{[ permanent dead link ‍]} Ithaca Journal February 6, 2008
20. U.S. Election Atlas
21. "New York Election Results 2016" . Retrieved October 25, 2018.
22. "Freedom from Domestic Violence Recognized as a Human Right". tompkinscountyny.gov. Tompkins County. Archived from the original on January 22, 2015. Retrieved January 21, 2015.
23. Popp, Evan (April 26, 2015). "Ithaca community takes back the night". The Ithacan. Retrieved April 27, 2015.
24. "NYSVoter Enrollment by County, Party Affiliation and Status" (PDF). New York State Board of Elections. April 2016. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 30, 2016. Retrieved July 30, 2016.
25. "2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Tompkins County, NY" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau . Retrieved December 23, 2024. - Text list

• Jane M. Dieckmann, A Short History of Tompkins County (Ithaca, 1986)
• W. Glenn Norris, The Origin of Place Names in Tompkins County (Ithaca, 1951)
• The Towns of Tompkins County, Jane M. Dieckmann ed., (Ithaca, 1998)

Further reading

• Sullivan, James; Williams, Melvin E.; Conklin, Edwin P.; Fitzpatrick, Benedict, eds. (1927), "Chapter VII. Tompkins County.", History of New York State, 1523–1927 (PDF), vol. 2, New York City, Chicago: Lewis Historical Publishing Co., p. 653-60, hdl:2027/mdp.39015019994048, Wikidata   Q114149636

External links

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42°27′07″N76°28′25″W / 42.451944°N 76.473611°W / 42.451944; -76.473611