The nameOnondaga derives from the name of the Native Americantribe indigenous to this area, one of the originalFive Nations of theHaudenosaunee. They call themselves (autonym)Onoda'gega, sometimes spelledOnontakeka. The word means "People of the Hills". Sometimes the term isOnondagaono ("The People of the Hills"). The federally recognized Onondaga Nation has a 9.3 square miles (24 km2)reservation within the county, on which they have self-government.
When counties were established inNew York in 1683, the present Onondaga County was part ofAlbany County. This enormous county included the northern part of New York State as well as all of the present State ofVermont and, in theory, extended westward to thePacific Ocean. It was reduced in size on July 3, 1766, by the creation ofCumberland County, and further on March 16, 1770, by the creation ofGloucester 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 5 miles (8 km) west of the present city ofSchenectady, and the county included the western part of theAdirondack Mountains and the area west of the West Branch of theDelaware River. The area then designated as Tryon County now includes 37 counties of New York State. The county was named forWilliam Tryon, colonial governor of New York.
Oneida Lake borders Onondaga County to the northeast. It is the largest lake wholly within the state of New York. This picture was taken from the town of Cicero, a northern suburban town in the northeast part of Onondaga County.
In the years prior to 1776, most of theLoyalists inTryon County fled toCanada. The Onondaga were among four Iroquois tribes that allied with the British against the American colonists, as they hoped to end their encroachment. Instead, they were forced to cede most of their land in New York to the United States after the war. Many Onondaga went withJoseph Brant and other nations toCanada, where they received land grants in compensation and formed theSix Nations of the Grand River First Nation.
In 1784, after a peace treaty ended theAmerican Revolutionary War, thename of Tryon County was changed toMontgomery County. It honored GeneralRichard Montgomery, who had captured several places in Canada and died attempting to capture the city ofQuebec, and replaced the name of the hated British governor.
In 1791, Herkimer County was one of three counties split off from Montgomery (the other two beingOtsego, andTioga County). This was much larger than the present county, however, and was reduced by a number of subsequent splits.
In 1794, Onondaga County was split off from Herkimer County. This county was larger than the current Onondaga County, including the presentCayuga,Cortland, and part ofOswego Counties.
In 1816, parts of Oneida and Onondaga Counties were taken to form the newOswego County.
At the time Onondaga County was organized, it was divided into eleven towns: Homer, Pompey, Manlius, Lysander, Marcellus, Ulysses, Milton, Scipio, Ovid, Aurelius and Romulus.[3]
Central New York developed rapidly after theNew Military Tract provided land in lieu of payment to Revolutionary War veterans. Migration was largely from the east, mostly from New England states. TheGenesee Road, which became theSeneca Turnpike in 1800, provided access. Generally settlers preferred higher land, since they associated lowlands with disease. Over time, as early clearing and farming eroded hillside soil, valley lands were more fertile and highly prized for agriculture as well as for water power, which was the origin of many communities. An early settler of 1823 wasJames Hutchinson Woodworth, a native of Washington County, NY. He helped clear land for his family's farm in this region before he moved toChicago where he became Mayor. The completion of theErie Canal across New York state in 1825 accelerated trade, development and migration.
The city ofSyracuse, New York developed relatively late, due to its marshy situation. It was incorporated as a village in 1825 and as a city in 1847; by contrast, theVillage of Manlius, along theCherry Valley andSeneca Turnpikes, was incorporated in 1813. The population of these rural towns was greatest in the late nineteenth century, when more people cultivated land and farms were relatively small, supporting large households.
Since that time, agriculture has declined in the county. Some Onondaga County towns likeSpafford were largely depopulated and many villages became veritable ghost towns. Onondaga County highlands now are more heavily reforested, with public parks and preserves providing recreation. TwoFinger Lakes in the county, Skaneateles and Otisco, also attract visitors. The village ofSkaneateles on scenicRoute 20 has become a major tourist destination.
At the turn of the twenty-first century, population declined in the City of Syracuse while suburban communities generally grew, particularly with tract developments north of the city. Elsewhere, scattered commuter houses appeared, generally on fairly large parcels. The rapid development of the village of Skaneateles and shores of Skaneateles Lake led to increased demand for property and property values.
Onondaga Lake Park in the northern suburbs of Syracuse. Picture captures Onondaga Lake with the Syracuse skyline in the background. Onondaga Lake Park attracts over one million visitors each year.
According to theU.S. Census Bureau, the county has an area of 806 square miles (2,090 km2), of which 778 square miles (2,020 km2) is land and 27 square miles (70 km2) (3.4%) is water.[4] The geographic dimensions of the county are illustrated as approximately 35 miles (56 km) in length and 30 miles (48 km) in width, and comprising 25 miles (40 km) of the New York State Barge Canal System, in combination with a number of lakes, streams and rivers.[5] Onondaga County is in the central portion of New York State, west ofAlbany andUtica, east ofRochester and northeast ofIthaca.Onondaga Lake is bordered by many of the larger communities in the county. The highest point in Onondaga County is at 2057 feet, along Morgan Hill located just east of Morgan Hill State Forest on private property. The second highest point in Onondaga County is at 2019 feet elevation and on the summit of Fellows Hill which is located in Morgan Hill State Forest near Fabius and Apulia south of state route 80.
The northern part of the county is fairly level lake plain, extending northward toLake Ontario.Oneida Lake three rivers, as well as the Erie and subsequent Barge Canals are in the lake plain. The main line of theNew York Central Railroad and theNew York State Thruway extend east and west across the county through the lake plain. The southern part of the county isAppalachian Plateau, with high hills rising at the southern edge ofSyracuse. This is the eastern part of theFinger Lakes region.Skaneateles Lake andOtisco Lake are both in Onondaga County.US 20 extends east and west across the county, traversing dramatic hill-and-valley terrain. Between the lake plain and Appalachian highlands is a zone noted fordrumlins, smaller, scattered hills formed as mounds of debris left by the last glacier.Tully is geologically noted for the terminal moraine deposited there by the glacier, filling the deep Tully Valley, which might have been another Finger Lake had the moraine been left closer to Syracuse, impounding water. Tully is at the divide between two major watersheds, one flowing northward to the Atlantic Ocean by way of theSt. Lawrence River and the other southward to the ocean via theSusquehanna River.[6] Oneida Lake, the Finger Lakes, and smaller bodies of water provide recreation. The Appalachian hills have several ski areas, waterfalls and historic villages as well as large parks and forest preserves.
Onondaga 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,[20] the county had 458,336 people, 181,153 households, and 115,394 families. The population density was 587 inhabitants per square mile (227/km2). There were 196,633 housing units at an average density of 252 units per square mile (97/km2). The county'sracial makeup was 84.78% White, 9.38% African American, 0.86% Native American, 2.09% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.89% from other races, and 1.97% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 2.44% of the population. About 17.5% were of Italian, 16.2% Irish, 12.4% German, 9.4% English, and 6.0% Polish ancestry, and 91.4% spoke English, 2.4% Spanish and 1.1% Italian as their first language.
Of the 181,153 households, 31.90% had children under age 18 living with them, 46.90% were married couples living together, 12.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.30% were not families. About 29.40% 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 2.46 and the average family size was 3.07.
25.80% of the county's population was under age 18, 9.50% was from age 18 to 24, 28.80% was from age 25 to 44, 22.10% was from age 45 to 64, and 13.80% was age 65 or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.70 males.
The county's median household income was $40,847, and the median family income was $51,876. Males had a median income of $39,048 versus $27,154 for females. The county'sper capita income was $21,336. About 8.60% of families and 12.20% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 15.50% of those under age 18 and 7.10% of those age 65 or over.
Onondaga County was governed exclusively by aboard of supervisors until 1961, when voters approved the creation of thecounty executive.[25] In 1968, the board reorganized into a 24-seat countylegislature.[26] In 2001, the legislature was reduced to 19 seats. In 2010, voters approved a measure to reduce the legislature to 17 seats. None of the legislative seats, nor the county executive's seat, areat-large. Currently, there are 12Republicans and 5Democrats.[27] J. Ryan McMahon II (R) is the currentCounty Executive.[28]
Since formation, Republicans have held a majority in the legislature for all but two years (1978–1980).[29] InNovember 2025 elections, Democrats gained control of the legislature, after a 46-year shutout,[30] and will form a 10–7 majority from January 2026.[31][32]
Historically, Onondaga County was a Republican stronghold, like most of Central New York. From 1856 to 1988, the GOP carried the county in all but one presidential election,Lyndon B. Johnson'slandslide in 1964. Since 1992, the county has gone Democratic in every presidential election, much like many urban counties around the country. However, it is a swing county in congressional, state and local races. Onondaga is entirely located withinNew York's 22nd congressional district, represented by DemocratJohn Mannion. Democratic strength is concentrated in Syracuse itself, while Republicans do well in the suburbs.
Thesheriff of Onondaga County is Tobias Shelley.[35] Along withBroome County, New York, Onondaga County was sued in 2017 over placing juvenile inmates in solitary confinement.[36]
^Onondaga County Charter Commission (September 5, 1961),PROPOSED ONONDAGA COUNTY CHARTER ADOPTED BY THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS SEPTEMBER 5, 1961 SUBJECT TO APPROVAL BY REFERENDUM NOVEMBER 7, 1961,Syracuse, New York, pp. 3–4{{citation}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
^Board Executive Office (1967), "LOCAL LAW NO. 2—1966",Journal of the Board of Supervisors of the County of Onondaga for 1966,Syracuse, New York, pp. 182–187
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