Washington County, New York

Washington County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2010 census, the population was 63,216.[1] The county seat is Fort Edward.[2] The county was named for U.S. President George Washington.

Not to be confused with Washington, New York.
Washington County
County
A farm in Greenwich
Flag
Seal
Location within the U.S. state of New York
New York's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 43°18′N 73°24′W
Country United States
State New York
FoundedMarch 12, 1772
Named forGeorge Washington
SeatFort Edward
Largest villageHudson Falls
Area
 • Total846 sq mi (2,190 km2)
 • Land831 sq mi (2,150 km2)
 • Water15 sq mi (40 km2)  1.7%
Population
 (2010)
 • Total63,216
 • Density76/sq mi (29/km2)
Time zoneUTC−5 (Eastern)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district21st
Websitewww.washingtoncountyny.gov

Washington County is part of the Glens Falls, NY Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the Albany-Schenectady, NY Combined Statistical Area.

History

When counties were established in the colony of New York in 1683, the present Washington 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. The other two were called Tryon County (later renamed Montgomery County) and Charlotte County.

In 1784, Charlotte County was renamed Washington County in honor of 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.

In 1791, the Town of Cambridge was transferred from Albany County to Washington County.

In 1813, Warren County was split off from Washington County.[3]

In 1994, with the completion of the new municipal center, the county seat was moved from Hudson Falls, New York to Fort Edward.

In 2006, Cambridge Town Supervisor Jo Ann Trinkle made history by being elected as the first Chairwoman of the Board of Supervisors.

Historic sites

Washington County has four historic covered bridges, each listed on the National Register of Historic Places:

Including those, it has a total of 35 sites listed on the National Register. The Lemuel Haynes House is designated as a National Historic Landmark, the highest level of significance.

Geography
A map of the Appalachian Mountains, highlighting the Great Appalachian Valley. The main mountain regions on either side are named, as are the various local valleys.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 846 square miles (2,190 km2), of which 831 square miles (2,150 km2) is land and 15 square miles (39 km2) (1.7%) is water.[4]

Washington County is a long narrow county located in the northeastern section of the State. It is known for its rich valley farm land and is part of the Great Appalachian Valley (also known simply as the 'Great Valley') which is a long narrow valley strip often between tall mountain ranges. The county transitions from the Taconic Mountains to the Adirondack Mountains, and from the Lake Champlain Valley to Hudson River Valley.

Much of the county is part of the slate valley of the Upper Taconic Mountains (Taghkanic, meaning 'in the trees'). The eastern boundary of Washington County is the New York–Vermont border, part of which is Lake Champlain. This is also the border with New England proper. The northern end of the county is part of the Adirondack Mountains. Western boundaries include primarily the Hudson River and Lake George.

Washington County belongs to the following valleys and watersheds: Champlain Valley / Lake George Watershed—02010001 [5] Hudson River Valley / Hudson-Hoosic Watershed—02020003 [6] Waters in the northern part drain into Lake Champlain via Lake George (Horican) or the Mettawee River, and then flow into the Saint Lawrence River (Kaniatarowanenneh). These waters mingle in the Saint Lawrence with waters of all the Great Lakes as they flow northeast into the Gulf of Saint Lawrence, and ultimately join the Atlantic Ocean. Meanwhile, the remainder of waters drain south via the Hudson River (Muh-he-kun-ne-tuk or Muhheakantuck), and ultimately flow south into the Atlantic Ocean below New York City. See the approximation of the watershed divide mapped in context of mountains and valleys .

Orogenies of the northeast United States

Nearly half of its borders are by long bodies of water. Winding across the bottom of the county is the legendary Batten Kill (Dionondehowa), famous for its worldclass flyfishing, and its marvelous falls (near the Washington County fairgrounds).

Black Mountain, part of the Adirondacks, is the tallest peak in Washington County, and has beautiful views of Lake George, Lake Champlain, the surrounding countryside, and the Adirondacks, Taconic Mountains and Green Mountains. Willard Mountain is a ski slope in southern part of the county.

Adjacent counties

Demographics
Historical population
CensusPop.%±
179014,077—
180035,574152.7%
181044,28924.5%
182038,831−12.3%
183042,6359.8%
184041,080−3.6%
185044,7508.9%
186045,9042.6%
187049,5688.0%
188047,871−3.4%
189045,690−4.6%
190045,624−0.1%
191047,7784.7%
192044,888−6.0%
193046,4823.6%
194046,7260.5%
195047,1440.9%
196048,4762.8%
197052,7258.8%
198054,7953.9%
199059,3308.3%
200061,0422.9%
201063,2163.6%
Est. 201861,197[7]−3.2%
U.S. Decennial Census[8]
1790-1960[9] 1900-1990[10]
1990-2000[11] 2010-2013[1]

As of the census[12] of 2000, there were 61,042 people, 22,458 households, and 15,787 families residing in the county. The population density was 73 people per square mile (28/km²). There were 26,794 housing units at an average density of 32 per square mile (12/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 94.97% White, 2.92% Black or African American, 0.20% Native American, 0.28% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.84% from other races, and 0.77% from two or more races. 2.02% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 17.5% were of Irish, 14.1% French, 12.1% English, 11.1% American, 9.0% Italian and 7.7% German ancestry according to Census 2000. 96.9% spoke English and 1.4% Spanish as their first language.

There were 22,458 households out of which 33.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.20% were married couples living together, 10.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.70% were non-families. 24.00% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.80% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.55 and the average family size was 3.01.

In the county, the population was spread out with 24.60% under the age of 18, 8.30% from 18 to 24, 29.40% from 25 to 44, 23.70% from 45 to 64, and 14.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 105.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 104.50 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $37,668, and the median income for a family was $43,500. Males had a median income of $31,537 versus $22,160 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,958. About 6.80% of families and 9.40% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.30% of those under age 18 and 7.30% of those age 65 or over.

Government

The county government consists of a board of supervisors with weighted votes. Each town supervisor holds a seat on the county government, and their votes are based on the population of their town, with Kingsbury and Fort Edward supervisors having the largest number of votes, and Putnam having the fewest votes. The 2017 weighted vote totals are available on the county website.

Transportation
New York State Route 22 passing through Washington County

Airports

The following public use airports are located in the county:[13]

Communities

Towns

Villages

Census-designated places

Hamlets

Notable people

Politics

Prior to 1996, Washington County was a Republican stronghold, with the only time between 1884 & 1992 that a Republican presidential candidate failed to win the county being 1964 when Barry Goldwater lost every county in New York in his statewide & national landslide loss. Since 1996, it has become a bellwether county, but Republican candidate margins of victory have been greater than those by Democratic candidates. No Democrat aside from Lyndon B. Johnson in the aforementioned 1964 election has managed to win majority of the county's votes.

Presidential election results
Presidential election results[18]
Year Republican Democratic Third parties
2016 55.5% 13,610 37.1% 9,098 7.4% 1,820
2012 48.0% 11,085 49.9% 11,523 2.1% 487
2008 48.7% 12,533 49.5% 12,741 1.8% 456
2004 55.1% 13,827 42.3% 10,624 2.6% 652
2000 53.5% 12,596 40.9% 9,641 5.6% 1,318
1996 39.7% 8,954 42.5% 9,572 17.8% 4,018
1992 41.0% 10,305 33.5% 8,429 25.5% 6,401
1988 62.6% 14,103 36.4% 8,201 0.9% 211
1984 73.5% 16,580 26.2% 5,909 0.3% 74
1980 58.6% 12,835 32.6% 7,144 8.8% 1,927
1976 65.4% 13,946 34.1% 7,262 0.5% 116
1972 73.8% 16,136 26.0% 5,677 0.2% 51
1968 61.7% 12,694 33.1% 6,806 5.2% 1,069
1964 37.1% 8,160 62.9% 13,826 0.0% 7
1960 64.5% 15,037 35.5% 8,274 0.0% 6
1956 79.3% 18,449 20.7% 4,817 0.0% 0
1952 73.8% 17,551 26.1% 6,210 0.1% 22
1948 68.3% 13,975 29.4% 6,017 2.3% 472
1944 66.0% 13,861 33.8% 7,100 0.2% 31
1940 66.6% 15,960 33.3% 7,977 0.2% 38
1936 65.1% 15,186 33.1% 7,713 1.8% 418
1932 65.3% 14,478 33.9% 7,512 0.9% 194
1928 66.9% 15,499 31.2% 7,221 1.9% 443
1924 71.5% 13,774 22.4% 4,321 6.1% 1,169
1920 75.4% 13,647 22.8% 4,124 1.8% 322
1916 63.8% 7,310 34.1% 3,907 2.2% 246
1912 40.9% 4,593 31.7% 3,555 27.4% 3,072
1908 65.6% 7,933 29.7% 3,593 4.6% 561
1904 67.4% 8,324 28.5% 3,517 4.2% 514
1900 68.3% 8,209 28.0% 3,357 3.7% 446
1896 69.1% 8,139 27.5% 3,239 3.4% 397
1892 59.5% 6,794 32.7% 3,731 7.8% 885
1888 63.2% 8,023 33.8% 4,284 3.0% 386
1884 61.5% 7,337 35.4% 4,222 3.1% 370
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See also

References
  1. "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved October 13, 2013.
  2. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved 2011-06-07.
  3. History of Warren County, edited by H. P. Smith - Chapter XVI: "To the Present Time"
  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. EPA.gov/
  6. EPA.gov/
  7. "Population and Housing Unit Estimates". Retrieved December 20, 2019.
  8. "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 8, 2015.
  9. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved January 8, 2015.
  10. "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 8, 2015.
  11. "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 8, 2015.
  12. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
  13. Washington County Public and Private Airports, New York. Retrieved June 14, 2013.
  14. Twelve Years a Slave
  15. 'Wisconsin Blue Book 1909,' Biographical Sketch of Frank J. Kimball, pg. 1107
  16. 'Curtis Mann Dies at Summit,; Milwaukee Weekly Wisconsin, March 3, 1894, pg1
  17. "legislative Manual of Wisconsin 1875,' Biographical Sketch of E. D. Rogers, pg. 473
  18. Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved 2018-10-25.

Further reading

History

Watershed/Conservancy

State agencies

Museums

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