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New York Counties
There are sixty-two counties in the State of New York. The first twelve counties in New York were created immediately after the British annexation of the Dutch colony of New Amsterdam, although two of these counties have since been abolished. The most recent county formation in New York was in 1912, when Bronx County was created from the portions of New York City that had been annexed from Westchester County.Delaware County, New York
Delaware County Education, Geography, and History
Delaware County is a county located in the US state of New York. As of 2010 the population was 47,980. 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.
Etymology - Origin of Delaware County Name
Named in honor of Lord Delaware, who was appointed governor of Virginia in 1609, and in recognition of his services to the early colonists
Demographics:
County QuickFacts: CensusBureau Quick Facts
Delaware County History
Delaware County, formed from Ulster and Otsego counties in 1797, is centrally distant from New York, via Cattskill, 166, SW from Albany, 77 miles. Greatest length NE and SW 60; greatest breadth SE. and NW. 37 miles. The county has a broken and diversified surface- from the rugged, lofty, and barren mountain side and summit, to the subsiding bill and the high and low plain, with the rich valley, and the low and fertile alluvion. Its climate is subject to sudden and great changes of temperature, yet not unfriendly to health and longevity. It is principally watered by the northeastern sources of the Delaware river. The east branch of the Susquehannah, another large stream of Pennsylvania, forms a part of the northeastern boundary, as does the Delaware a part of. its southwestern. The Cookquago branch of the Delaware, or the true Delaware, as it ought to be called, runs nearly centrally through the county from NE to SW; the Popacton branch runs nearly parallel with this, a short distance to the south of it. These streams with their branches, and many smaller streams, spread plentifully over the whole county, and supply a vast profusion of fine sites for mills. The quality of the soil is as various as the surface. On the upland there is a large proportion of chocolate-colored loam, and the valleys and alluvial flats have a rich mould. The whole may be pronounced a good country for farming, well watered by small springs and rivulets. The heavy trade of this county follows the course of its lumber, which goes in rafts by the Delaware and Susquehannah rivers to Philadelphia and Baltimore; while considerable traffic is carried on with the towns on the Hudson, to which there are turnpikes in various directions. The value of the wild lands in the county is from two to three dollars an acre, and the improved lands in the valleys average about 30 dollars, while those on the hills are worth about 5 dollars the acre. West of the Mohawk branch of the Delaware, the county was divided into several patents; but east of it was included in the Hardenburgh patent. In 1768, William, John, Alexander, and Joseph Harper, with eighteen others, obtained a patent here for 22,000 acres of land, and soon after the Harpers removed from Cherry Valley, and made a settlement which was called Harpersfield, but which was broken up by the Indians and tories during the revolutionary war. About one quarter of the county is under improvement. The county has 18 towns. (Historical Collections of the State of New York, Past and Present, John Barber, Clark Albien & Co., 1851)
The western slopes of the Catskill Mountains form the land now known as Delaware County. Drainage of these mountains helps form the Delaware, Susquehannah, and Hudson (via Schoharie and Mohawk) Rivers. Geography: Land and Water
Delaware County is located in the southern part of the state, separated from the state of Pennsylvania by the
Delaware River. It is east of Binghamton and southwest of Albany. The county contains part of the Catskill
Mountains. The county is within a region called the Southern Tier of New York State.
The highest point is an approximately 3,520-foot (1,073 m) summit of Bearpen Mountain along the Greene County line.
The lowest point is along the Delaware River.
As reported by the Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,468 square miles (3,802 km2), of which, 1,446
square miles (3,746 km2) of it is land and 22 square miles (56 km2) of it (1.48%) is water.
Neighboring Counties
Bordering counties are as follows:
- Otsego County, New York - north
- Schoharie County, New York - northeast
- Greene County, New York - east
- Ulster County, New York - southeast
- Sullivan County, New York - south
- Wayne County, Pennsylvania - southwest
- Broome County, New York - west
- Chenango County, New York - northwest
Education
The State University of New York at Delhi is located in Delaware County.
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