Many signs posted along roads in Chemung County refer to the area as "Mark Twain Country," because the noted author lived and wrote for many years in Elmira.
For the history of Chemung County prior to its creation by partition, seeTioga County, New York.
Chemung County was formed from 520 square miles (1,300 km2) of Tioga County in 1836.[3]
In 1854, Chemung County was divided and 110 square miles (280 km2) becameSchuyler County, reducing Chemung to 410 square miles (1,100 km2), its current size.[4]
In the late 1870s, theGreenback Party became prominent in Chemung and nearby counties in western New York. Here it was primarily allied with labor in a critique of capital, reaching its peak in 1878, the year following theGreat Railroad Strike of 1877 and theScranton General Strike in Pennsylvania. There were also strikes that year in Albany, Syracuse and Buffalo, starting with the railroad workers. InSteuben and Chemung counties, Greenbackers were elected to county councils in 1878 instead of Democrats, and others were elected from there and nearby counties to the state legislature, gaining votes of more than 25 percent in several of the Southern Tier counties. It gradually declined after that, due to internal dissension and the strength of the two major parties.[5]
Flag of Chemung County, at the Chemung County Courthouse
According to theU.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 411 square miles (1,060 km2), of which 407 square miles (1,050 km2) is land and 3.4 square miles (8.8 km2) (0.8%) is water.[6]
Chemung County is in the southwestern part of New York State, along thePennsylvania border, in a part of New York called theSouthern Tier and is also part of theFinger Lakes Region.
Chemung County, New York – Racial and ethnic composition Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.
As of the2000 census,[21] there were 91,070 people, 35,049 households and 23,272 families residing in the county. Thepopulation density was 223 people per square mile (86 people/km2). There were 37,745 housing units at an average density of 92 units per square mile (36/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 90.96%White, 5.82%Black orAfrican American, 0.23%Native American, 0.78%Asian, 0.02%Pacific Islander, 0.75% fromother races, and 1.44% from two or more races. 1.77% of the population wereHispanic orLatino of any race. 16.4% were ofGerman, 15.7%Irish, 12.5%English, 11.8%Italian, 7.8%American and 6.3%Polish ancestry according toCensus 2000[1]. Most of those claiming to be of "American" ancestry are of English descent and, in upstate New York, also in some cases of Dutch descent, but have family that has been in the country for so long, in many cases since the early seventeenth century, that they choose to identify simply as "American".[22][23][24][25][26] 96.2% spokeEnglish and 1.6%Spanish as their first language.
There were 35,049 households, of which 31.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.80% weremarried couples living together, 12.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.60% were non-families. 27.90% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.20% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 2.97.
Age distribution was 24.40% under the age of 18, 8.80% from 18 to 24, 28.30% from 25 to 44, 22.90% from 45 to 64, and 15.60% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 97.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.30 males.
The median household income was $36,415, and the median family income was $43,994. Males had a median income of $35,076 versus $24,215 for females. Theper capita income for the county was $18,264. About 9.10% of families and 13.00% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 18.40% of those under age 18 and 6.80% of those age 65 or over.
Before 1974, Chemung County was governed by a board of supervisors. On January 1, 1974, executive and legislative powers were split between acounty executive and a 15-seat legislature.[27] All 15 members are elected fromsingle-member districts. As of 2024, the Chemung County Legislature includes 13 Republicans and 2 Democrats. Chemung County is a part of the23rd congressional district, represented byRepublicanNick Langworthy.
In presidential elections, Chemung County tends to vote Republican. Only two Democrats (Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964 andBill Clinton in 1996) have carried the county since 1920. It voted forGeorge W. Bush in 2004 by a 10.85% margin. In 2008, the margin was much closer, but voters still gaveJohn McCain a 1.23% win overBarack Obama. In 2012,Mitt Romney carried the county by 2.33%. In 2016,Donald Trump carried Chemung County with 55.64% of the vote compared toHillary Clinton's 38.09%. Trump carried the county again in 2020 with over 55% of the vote.
Education in Chemung County is provided by various private and public institutions. High school students and adults have access to GSTBOCES.[29] BOCES provides vocation-style training in a wide range of fields as well as adult education and special education.
^Reynolds Farley, "The New Census Question about Ancestry: What Did It Tell Us?",Demography, Vol. 28, No. 3 (August 1991), pp. 414, 421.
^Stanley Lieberson and Lawrence Santi, 'The Use of Nativity Data to Estimate Ethnic Characteristics and Patterns',Social Science Research, Vol. 14, No. 1 (1985), pp. 44-6.
^Stanley Lieberson and Mary C. Waters, 'Ethnic Groups in Flux: The Changing Ethnic Responses of American Whites',Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, Vol. 487, No. 79 (September 1986), pp. 82-86.
^Mary C. Waters,Ethnic Options: Choosing Identities in America (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1990), p. 36.
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