When counties were established in New York State in 1683, the present Yates 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 again 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 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 honor 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.
On March 18, 1796, 1,800 square miles (4,700km2) of Ontario County was partitioned to form Steuben County.
On April 3, 1801, Ontario County exchanged land with Cayuga County, and lost 190 square miles (490km2) as a result.
On March 30, 1802, Ontario County lost 6,540 square miles (16,940km2) of land through the partition of Genesee County, including the present Allegany, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Erie, Niagara, Orleans and Wyoming counties and parts of Livingston and Monroe counties.
In 1821, Ontario County was reduced in size by combining portions of Genesee and Ontario counties to create Livingston and Monroe counties.
On January 1, 1826, 60 square miles (160km2) of Steuben County was partitioned and added to Yates, which included Starkey, Dundee, and Lakemont, New York.[5]
Historical Map of Yates County, 1855
On April 15, 1828, 10 square miles (26km2) was partitioned from Yates, and passed to Seneca and Tompkins counties, mostly in the forest.[6]
On March 17, 1860, Ontario County was authorized to gain land from Yates, but it was never put into effect.[7]
On April 18, 1946, Yates gained 10 square miles (26km2) from Schuyler and Seneca counties, which produced the current borders of Yates County.[8]
In 1974 a new Mennonite settlement was started in Yates County. It grew quickly and steadily and with a population of more than 3,000 in 2015 it was almost as large as the Lancaster County, Pennsylvania settlement.[9]
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 376 square miles (970km2), of which 338 square miles (880km2) is land and 38 square miles (98km2) (10%) is water.[10]
Yates County is in the western part of New York State, northwest of Ithaca and southeast of Rochester. It is in the Finger Lakes Region.
U.S. Decennial Census[11] 1790-1960[12] 1900-1990[13] 1990-2000[14] 2010-2020[2]
As of the census[15] of 2000, there were 24,621 people, 9,029 households, and 6,284 families residing in the county. The population density was 73 peopleper square mile (28 people/km2). There were 12,064 housing units at an average density of 36 unitsper square mile (14/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 97.90% White, 0.56% African American, 0.15% Native American, 0.28% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.36% from other races, and 0.74% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.93% of the population. 21.3% were of English, 16.5% German, 11.4% Irish, 10.7% American, 5.3% Danish and 5.3% Italian ancestry according to Census 2000.
There were 9,029 households, out of which 31.50% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.00% were married couples living together, 9.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.40% were non-families. 24.60% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.60% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.59 and the average family size was 3.08.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 26.70% under the age of 18, 9.30% from 18 to 24, 24.70% from 25 to 44, 23.90% from 45 to 64, and 15.50% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 95.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.30 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $34,640, and the median income for a family was $40,681. Males had a median income of $29,671 versus $21,566 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,781. About 8.90% of families and 13.10% of the population were below the poverty line, including 20.90% of those under age 18 and 7.10% of those age 65 or over.
Yates Transit Service provides bus service to Yates County.[20] The county's Highway Department is headquartered in Penn Yan and is charged with maintaining roads, including:[21]
Overseeing road construction and repair
Issuing special permits for hauling, driveway installation and replacement, and installation of non-standard and supplemental signs
Removing snow and ice
Each town and village within Yates County maintains its own highway department.
Yates County has been a Republican bastion, voting for a Democrat only twice since 1856. Although Mitt Romney won the county by only 3.3% in 2012, Donald Trump had won the county by a decisive 19.9% in 2016. In 2020, however, Trump won by a slightly lower margin, of 18.5%.
United States presidential election results for Yates County, New York[22]
Cayuga County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 76,248. Its county seat and largest city is Auburn. The county was named for the Cayuga people, one of the Native American tribes in the Iroquois Confederation. The county is part of the Central New York region of the state.
Chenango County is a county located in the south-central section of the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 47,220. Its county seat is Norwich. The county's name originates from an Oneida word meaning 'large bull-thistle'. The county is part of the Southern Tier region of the state.
Delaware County is a county located in the US state of New York. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 44,308. The county seat is Delhi. The county is named after the Delaware River, which was named in honor of Thomas West, 3rd Baron De La Warr, appointed governor of Virginia in 1609. The county is part of the Southern Tier region of the state.
Genesee County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 58,388. Its county seat is Batavia. Its name is from the Seneca word Gen-nis'-hee-yo, meaning "the Beautiful Valley". The county was created in 1802 and organized in 1803.
Jefferson County is a county on the northern border of the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 116,721. Its county seat is Watertown. The county is named after Thomas Jefferson, third President of the United States of America. It is adjacent to Lake Ontario, southeast from the Canada–US border of Ontario. The county is part of the North Country region of the state.
Ontario County is a county in the U.S. State of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 112,458. The county seat is Canandaigua. The county is part of the Finger Lakes region of the state.
Niagara County is in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 212,666. The county seat is Lockport. The county name is from the Iroquois word Onguiaahra; meaning the strait or thunder of waters. The county is part of the Western New York region of the state.
Oneida County is a county in the state of New York, United States. As of February 26, 2024, the population was 226,654. The county seat is Utica. The name is in honor of the Oneida, one of the Five Nations of the Iroquois League or Haudenosaunee, which had long occupied this territory at the time of European encounter and colonization. The federally recognized Oneida Indian Nation has had a reservation in the region since the late 18th century, after the American Revolutionary War. The county is part of the Mohawk Valley region of the state.
Onondaga County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 476,516. The county seat is Syracuse. The county is part of the Central New York region of the state.
Steuben County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 93,584. Its county seat is Bath. Its name is in honor of Baron von Steuben, a Prussian general who fought on the American side in the American Revolutionary War, though it is not pronounced the same. The county is part of the Southern Tier region of the state.
Orleans County is a county in the western part of the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 40,343. The county seat is Albion. The county received its name at the insistence of Nehemiah Ingersoll though historians are unsure how the name was selected. The two competing theories are that it was named to honor the French Royal House of Orleans or that it was to honor Andrew Jackson's victory in New Orleans. The county is part of the Finger Lakes region of the state.
Oswego County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 117,525. The county seat is Oswego. The county name is from a Mohawk-language word meaning "the pouring out place", referring to the point at which the Oswego River feeds into Lake Ontario at the northern edge of the county in the city of Oswego. The county is part of the Central New York region of the state.
Schoharie County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 29,714, making it the state's fifth-least populous county. The county seat is Schoharie. "Schoharie" comes from a Mohawk word meaning "floating driftwood." Schoharie County is part of the Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY Metropolitan Statistical Area. The county is part of the Mohawk Valley region of the state.
Seneca County is located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 33,814. The primary county seat is Waterloo, moved there from the original county seat of Ovid in 1819. It became a two-shire county in 1822, which currently remains in effect and uses both locations as county seats although the majority of Seneca County administrative offices are located in Waterloo. Therefore, most political sources list only Waterloo as the county seat. The county's name comes from the Seneca Nation of the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois), who occupied part of the region. The county is part of the Finger Lakes region of the state.
Schuyler County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 17,898, making it the second-least populous county in New York. The county seat is the village of Watkins Glen. The name is in honor of General Philip Schuyler, one of the four major generals in the Continental Army in the American Revolutionary War. The county is part of the Southern Tier region of the state.
Tompkins County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 105,740. The county seat is Ithaca. 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.
Wyoming County is a county in the U.S. state of New York in the state's western area. As of the 2020 census, the population was 40,531. The county seat is Warsaw. The name is modified from a Lenape (Delaware) Native American word meaning "broad bottom lands". Wyoming County was formed from Genesee County in 1841. Wyoming County is one of New York's mostly agricultural counties. With an estimated 47,500 dairy cows in the county, there are more cattle in Wyoming County than people. The county is part of the Finger Lakes region of the state.
St. Lawrence County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 108,505. The county seat is Canton. The county is named for the Saint Lawrence River. This was as named by early French explorer Jacques Cartier for the Christian saint Lawrence of Rome, as he visited the river on the saint's feast day. The county is part of the North Country region of the state.
Milo is a town in Yates County, New York, United States. The population was 7,006 at the 2010 census. The town was named after Milo of Croton, a famous athlete from Ancient Greece.
Penn Yan is an incorporated village and the county seat of Yates County, New York, United States. The population was 5,159 at the 2010 census. It lies at the north end of the east branch of Keuka Lake, one of the Finger Lakes. Penn Yan, New York is home to one of the oldest mills in the United States, The Birkett Mills, founded in 1797.
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