Niagara County, New York
Learn more about Niagara County, New York
|Niagara County, New York|
|Image:Niagara County ny seal.jpg|
| Image:Map of New York highlighting Niagara County.svg|
Location in the state of New York
2,952 km² (1,140 mi²)
1,354 km² (523 mi²)
1,598 km² (617 mi²), 54.12%
Niagara County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of 2000, the population was 219,846. The county seat is Lockport. The county name is from the Indian word Ongiara, meaning "thunder of waters," referring to the sound of the famous waterfalls.
When counties were established in the New York colony in 1683, the present Niagara 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, 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.
Niagara County was created from Genesee County in 1808. It was, however, larger than the present Niagara County even though it consisted of only the Town of Cambria.
Niagara County is in the extreme western part of New York State, just north of Buffalo and adjacent to Lake Ontario on its northern border and the Niagara River and Canada on its western border. Its proximity to Canada leads to a substantial amount of traffic through the county, and Traffic tickets are not uncommon, especially to drivers from Ontario. The border also results in a fair number of Illegal Immigration cases, though these are more common to the east where the border is across land rather than a lake or river.
 Adjacent Counties
 County Government
- Legislature Chairman William Ross
- Legislature Vice Chairman Clyde Burmaster
- Legislature Majority Leader Malcolm Needler
- Legislature Minority Leader Dennis Virtuoso
- Legislator Jason Murgia
- Legislator Renae Kimble
- Legislator Rebecca Cuddahhee
- Legislator Sean O'Connor
- Legislator Danny Sklarski
- Legislator Gerald Farnham
- Legislator Joseph Vacanti
- Legislator Peter Smolinski
- Legislator John Ceretto
- Legislator Kyle Andrews
- Legislator Harry Apolito
- Legislator Glenn Aronow
- Legislator Richard Updegrove
- Legislator John Syracuse
- Legislator Michael Hill
As of the census² of 2000, there were 219,846 people, 87,846 households, and 58,593 families residing in the county. The population density was 162/km² (420/mi²). There were 95,715 housing units at an average density of 71/km² (183/mi²). The racial makeup of the county was 90.70% White, 6.15% Black or African American, 0.94% Native American, 0.58% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.40% from other races, and 1.21% from two or more races. 1.33% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 87,846 households out of which 30.90% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.30% were married couples living together, 12.30% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.30% were non-families. 28.60% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.00% 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 3.03.
In the county the population was spread out with 24.70% under the age of 18, 8.50% from 18 to 24, 28.40% from 25 to 44, 23.10% from 45 to 64, and 15.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 93.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.50 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $38,136, and the median income for a family was $47,817. Males had a median income of $37,468 versus $24,668 for females. The per capita income for the county was $19,219. About 8.20% of families and 10.60% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.00% of those under age 18 and 7.30% of those age 65 or over.
 Cities, Towns, Villages, and other locations
- Barker (village)
- Cambria (town)
- Hartland (town)
- Lewiston (village)
- Lewiston (town)
- Lockport (town)
- Lockport (city)
- Middleport (village)
- Newfane (town)
- Niagara Falls (city)
- Niagara (town)
- North Tonawanda (city)
- Pendleton (town)
- Porter (town)
- Royalton (town)
- Somerset (town)
- South Lockport
- Wheatfield (town)
- Wilson (village)
- Wilson (town)
- Youngstown (village)
- => designation in parentheses shows official political level.
 Indian reservations
 About Niagara County
 Educational institutions
 Adjacent counties and areas
The southern boundary of Niagara County is Erie County with the boundary marked by Tonawanda Creek. The eastern boundary abuts on Genesee and Orleans Counties. The western boundary is the Niagara River, marking the international border with the Province of Ontario in Canada (abutting Niagara Regional Municipality). The northern boundary is Lake Ontario with Canada on the opposite shore.
 See also
 External links
- Niagara County webpage
- Guide to Niagara County, historical and cultural institutions
- Directory of local courts in Niagara County
|Municipalities and Communities of Niagara County, New York |
(County Seat: Lockport)
|Cities||Lockport | Niagara Falls | North Tonawanda|
|Towns||Cambria | Hartland | Lewiston | Lockport | Newfane | Niagara | Pendleton | Porter | Royalton | Somerset | Wilson | Wheatfield|
|Villages||Lewiston | Middleport | Wilson | Youngstown|
|CDPs||Gasport | Olcott | Ransomville | Rapids | South Lockport|
|Reservations||Tonawanda Reservation | Tuscarora Reservation|