In 1838, Fulton County was split off from Montgomery, shortly after the Montgomery county seat was moved toFonda, New York. The creation of Fulton County was engineered by Johnstown lawyerDaniel Cady, whose wife was a cousin ofRobert Fulton.[5] Fulton County was formed on April 18, 1838, by a partition ofMontgomery County, resulting in a county with an area of 550 square miles (1,400 km2).[6]
The oldTryon County courthouse, built in 1772, later the Montgomery County courthouse, became theFulton County Courthouse, where it is New York's oldest operating courthouse. One adjustment has been made to the area of Fulton County. On April 6, 1860, 10 square miles (26 km2) on the northern border was transferred toHamilton in the vicinity of Sacandaga Park.[7] That resulted in the Fulton County which exists today.
In the mid-18th century,Sir William Johnson, founder ofFort Johnson inMontgomery County and ofJohnstown, arrived in what would become Fulton County. Sir William Johnson, 1st Baronet, was an Irish pioneer and army officer in colonial New York, and the British Superintendent of Indian Affairs from 1755 to 1774. His homes, Fort Johnson and Johnson Hall areNew York State Historic Sites. Fulton County was also home toElizabeth Cady Stanton, a central pioneer in America's women's rights movement.
Shortly after theAmerican Revolutionary War, the manufacture of gloves and leather became the area's primary industry. At one point, Johnstown and Gloversville were known as the world's Glove and Leather capital. The largest rise in population and growth came as a result of the fruits of these businesses.
Many residents of Fulton County can trace their ancestry to the glove and leather trades. Today few glovers, tanners, and leather dressers remain in the area, although some companies have adapted to the changes in the market to remain competitive.
According to theU.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 533 square miles (1,380 km2), of which 495 square miles (1,280 km2) is land and 37 square miles (96 km2) (7.0%) is water.[8] Fulton County is in the central part of the state, northwest ofAlbany, lying in the southernAdirondack Mountains. Approximately 58% of the county is within the boundaries ofAdirondack Park.
Fulton 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.
Roughly 72% of households were owner-occupied and the median gross rent was $759. There were 2.34 persons per household and 3.1% spoke a language other than English at home. Of the population there were 25.1% from ages 18 to 5 and under, and 20.1% aged 65 and older. The median income for a household in the county was $50,248, and the per capita income was $26,875. Roughly 13% of the county population lived at or below thepoverty line.
There were 21,884 households, out of which 30.50% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.00% weremarried couples living together, 11.30% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.70% were non-families. 27.70% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.90% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 2.94.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 24.90% under the age of 18, 7.20% from 18 to 24, 28.10% from 25 to 44, 23.60% from 45 to 64, and 16.30% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 97.10 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.60 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $33,663, and the median income for a family was $39,801. Males had a median income of $29,538 versus $22,173 for females. Theper capita income for the county was $16,844. About 9.20% of families and 12.50% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 17.50% of those under age 18 and 7.50% of those age 65 or over.
Gloversville Transit System provides bus service to parts of Fulton County as well as adjacent Montgomery County.[25] The county's Highways and Facilities Department is headquartered in Johnstown and is charged with maintaining roads, including:[26]
Overseeing road construction and repair
Issuing permits to work in county rights-of-way
Removing snow and ice
Each town and village within Fulton County maintains its own highway department.
Fulton County has historically been a stronghold for theRepublican Party, with the Republican presidential nominee winning the county in all but two presidential elections since the party's founding in 1854. Fulton County was won byDonald Trump in2016 with 63.46 percent of the vote, which Trump then improved upon in2020 with 64.84 percent.[28]
In 2019 the U.S. Census Bureau determined 87.4% of Fulton County's population obtained a high school degree or higher. Nearly 18% had a bachelor's degree or higher.[22][28]Fulton–Montgomery Community College is in Johnstown, New York. It is a part of theState University of New York system.
