Schenectady County, New York
Schenectady County is a
county located in the
U.S. State of
New York. As of
2000, the population is 146,555. The
county seat is
Schenectady. The name is from a
Mohawk Indian word meaning "on the other side of the pine lands."
History
\nWhen counties were established in New York State in
1683, the present Schenectady County was included in
Albany County. Albany County 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
July 3,
1766,
Cumberland County was created from a part of Albany County now in Vermont, followed on
March 16,
1770 by
Gloucester County, also now in Vermont.
Then, on
March 12,
1772, Albany County was divided into the counties of Albany,
Tryon (now
Montgomery), and
Charlotte (now
Washington).
From 1772 to
1786 Albany County included, besides the present territory of Albany County, all of the present
Columbia,
Rensselaer,
Saratoga, and Schenectady Counties, parts of the present
Greene and
Washington Counties, and a piece of what is now southwestern Vermont.
Albany County was reduced in size in
1786 by the splitting off of
Columbia County; again in
1791 by the splitting off of
Rensselaer and
Saratoga Counties and the transfer of the Town of
Cambridge to
Washington County. It was further reduced in size in
1795 by the splitting off of a part that was combined with a portion of
Otsego County to create
Schoharie County. It was further reduced in size in
1800 by the splitting off of a part that was combined with a portion of
Ulster County to create
Greene County.
In
1809, Schenectady County was split from Albany County.
Geography
\nSchenectady County is located in east central New York State, north of
Albany.
According to the
U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 543
km² (210
mi²). 534 km² (206 mi²) of it is land and 9 km² (4 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 1.68% water.
Demographics
\nAs of the
census2 of
2000, there are 146,555 people, 59,684 households, and 38,018 families residing in the county. The
population density is 275/km² (711/mi²). There are 65,032 housing units at an average density of 122/km² (316/mi²). The racial makeup of the county is 87.77%
White, 6.79%
Black or
African American, 0.23%
Native American, 1.97%
Asian, 0.03%
Pacific Islander, 1.21% from
other races, and 2.00% from two or more races. 3.17% of the population are
Hispanic or
Latino of any race.
There are 59,684 households out of which 30.00% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.50% are married couples living together, 12.30% have a female householder with no husband present, and 36.30% are non-families. 30.60% of all households are made up of individuals and 12.60% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.38 and the average family size is 2.97.
In the county the population is spread out with 24.30% under the age of 18, 7.90% from 18 to 24, 28.10% from 25 to 44, 23.00% from 45 to 64, and 16.60% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 39 years. For every 100 females there are 92.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 88.30 males.
The median income for a household in the county is $41,739, and the median income for a family is $53,670. Males have a median income of $38,840 versus $27,339 for females. The per capita income for the county is $21,992. 10.90% of the population and 7.80% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 15.70% are under the age of 18 and 6.50% are 65 or older.
Cities and towns
\n*
Delanson\n*
Duane Lake\n*Duanesburg\n*
East Glenville\n*
Glenville\n*
Mariaville Lake\n*Niskayuna\n*
Pattersonville-Rotterdam Junction\n*
Princetown\n*Rotterdam\n*
Schenectady\n*
Scotia
External links
\n*
Official county government site
