Seneca County is a county in theU.S. state ofNew York. As of the2020 census, the population was 33,814.[2] The primarycounty seat isWaterloo, moved there from the original county seat ofOvid in 1819.[3][4] It became a two-shire county in 1822, which currently remains in effect and uses both locations as county seats although the majority of Seneca County administrative offices are located in Waterloo.[5][6] Therefore, most political sources list only Waterloo as the county seat. The county's name comes from theSeneca Nation of theHaudenosaunee (Iroquois), who occupied part of the region. The county is part of theFinger Lakes region of the state.
The area covered by Seneca County straddles the prehistoric territories of bothSeneca andCayuga Nations of theHaudenosaunee. This county 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 five miles 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.
In 1784, following the peace treaty that ended theAmerican Revolutionary War, the name of Tryon County was changed toMontgomery County in honor of the general,Richard Montgomery, who had captured several places in Canada and died attempting to capture the city ofQuebec, replacing the name of the hated British governor.
Herkimer County was one of three counties split off from Montgomery County (the others beingOtsego andTioga counties) in 1791.
Onondaga County was formed in 1794 by the splitting of Herkimer County.
Cayuga County was formed in 1799 by the splitting of Onondaga County. This county was, however, much larger than the present Cayuga County. It then included the present Seneca andTompkins counties and part ofWayne County.
In 1804, Seneca County was formed by the splitting of Cayuga County.[7]
In 1817, Seneca County was reduced in size by combining portions of Seneca and the remainder of Cayuga County to formTompkins County. Part of this territory, the current towns ofCovert andLodi, were returned to Seneca County in 1819.
The original county seat of Seneca County was located in Ovid, where a court house was constructed in 1806. After southern portions of the county were removed in 1817 to become part of Tompkins County, the seat was moved to Waterloo as the village was more geographically centered at the time. In 1823, northern portions of the county were removed to form part of Wayne County. This put Waterloo in the same situation as Ovid with being on one end of Seneca County. A compromise was made to use both locations as county seats, becoming a two-shire county. It included the constitution of two county courts and jury districts under Chapter 137 of the New York State Laws of 1822.[3][4] In 1895, the Seneca County Board of Supervisors voted to abolish the setup of two jury districts. It later voted to remove the two-shire county system in 1921, making Waterloo the only county seat, but was reinstated two years later.[4] At least once a year, the County Board of Supervisors holds its monthly meeting in Ovid to maintain the two-shire status.
In 1823, Seneca County was reduced in size by combining portions of Seneca and Ontario counties to formWayne County.
On April 6, 1830, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints was founded in Seneca County. The event took place at the log home of a local farmer, Peter Whitmer. Although church headquarters moved out of the area shortly thereafter, a historical visitor's center is still operated at that location.[8]
According to theU.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 390 square miles (1,000 km2), of which 324 square miles (840 km2) is land and 67 square miles (170 km2) (17%) is water.[9]
Seneca County is in the western part of New York in theFinger Lakes Region, bounded on the east byCayuga Lake and on the west bySeneca Lake.
Seneca 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 thecensus[24] of 2010, there were 35,251 people, 13,393 households, and 8,762 families residing in the county. Thepopulation density was 103 people per square mile (40 people/km2). There were 14,794 housing units at an average density of 46 units per square mile (18/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 93.7%White, 5.1%African American, 0.8%Native American, 0.8%Asian, 0.01%Pacific Islander, 0.9% fromother races, and 1.3% from two or more races.Hispanic orLatino of any race were 2.7% of the population. 18.9% were ofItalian, 16.7%German, 14.6%English, 13.4%Irish and 8.9%American ancestry according toCensus 2000. 95.3% spokeEnglish and 1.6%Spanish as their first language.
There were 12,630 households, out of which 31.90% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.60% weremarried couples living together, 10.30% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.70% were non-families. 25.30% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.60% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.51 and the average family size was 2.99.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 24.80% under the age of 18, 7.50% from 18 to 24, 28.80% from 25 to 44, 23.80% from 45 to 64, and 15.10% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 100.10 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.50 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $37,140, and the median income for a family was $45,445. Males had a median income of $32,512 versus $24,320 for females. Theper capita income for the county was $17,630. About 8.00% of families and 11.50% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 14.80% of those under age 18 and 7.30% of those age 65 or over.
The county is governed by a fourteen-memberboard of supervisors, composed of thetown supervisor representing each of the ten towns in Seneca County along with four additional at-large members from the towns ofWaterloo andSeneca Falls (two per township).[26][27] The board normally meets every 2nd Tuesday of the month at the Seneca County Office Building in Waterloo with at least one meeting per year held at the oldSeneca County Courthouse Complex in Ovid as honor of the two-shire system.[28][29] Each supervisor has a weighted vote based on the population of the town they represent.
Historically a Republican-voting county, Seneca has become more competitive in recent years and is now a swing county in Presidential elections. With the exception of 2000 and 2020, whenAl Gore andDonald Trump, respectively, carried the county, voters here have opted for the winner of every Presidential election since 1980. In 2024, Donald Trump carried the county by over 55%, the highest percentage for any candidate from either party since Reagan in 1984.[30]
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