Ontario County was established in 1789 to govern lands the state of New York had acquired in thePhelps and Gorham Purchase; at the time, it covered the entirety ofWestern New York. Steuben County, much larger than today, was split off from Ontario County on March 8, 1796. In 1823, a portion of Steuben County was combined with a portion of Ontario County to formYates County. Steuben County was further reduced in size on April 17, 1854, when a portion was combined with portions ofChemung andTompkins Counties to formSchuyler County.
In its earliest years, Steuben County was demographically and geographically linked to theSusquehanna River basin in Pennsylvania, leading to the port ofBaltimore. The Canisteo River, navigable as far asArkport, emptied into theChemung River and it into the Susquehanna. No natural barriers, such as theCohoes Falls on the Mohawk, existed to impede transportation, and timber and other agricultural products were easily shipped downriver from what are the towns ofAddison,Canisteo, andHornellsville. Prior to the opening of theErie Canal in 1825, followed by the railroads, communication with the Hudson Valley and New York City was difficult. Limited to horses, mules, and donkeys, using it to ship bulky agricultural products was far too expensive.
In 1892, a bill was introduced in the legislature to split Steuben County, with Canisteo, Corning, and "the south towns" becoming Lincoln County. It did not pass.[6]
According to theU.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,404 square miles (3,640 km2), of which 14 square miles (36 km2) (1.0%) are covered by water.[7]
Steuben County is in the southwestern part of New York, immediately north of the Pennsylvania border. The population of Steuben County according to the 2000U. S.census was 98,726. The county is in theSouthern Tier region of New York.
Steuben 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[28] of 2000, 98,726 people, 39,071 households, and 26,216 families were residing in the county. Thepopulation density was 71 people per square mile (27 people/km2). The 46,132 housing units had an average density of 33 units per square mile (13/km2). Theracial makeup of the county was 96.43% White, 1.36% African American, 0.27% Native American, 0.90% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.21% from other races, and 0.81% from two or more races.Hispanic orLatino of any race were 0.81% of the population. About 18.6% were of German, 15.2% English, 14.4% American, 13.6% Irish, and 8.3% Italian ancestry according toCensus 2000; 96.5% spoke English and 1.3% Spanish as their first language.
Of the 39,071 households, 31.8% had children under 18 living with them, 51.7% were married couples living together, 10.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.9% were not families. About 27.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.9% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 3.01.
In the county, the age distribution was 26.0% under 18, 7.40 from 18 to 24, 27.2% from 25 to 44, 24.2% from 45 to 64, and 15.2% who were 65 or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.0 males. For every 100 females 18 and over, there were 93.2 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $35,479 and for a family was $41,940. Males had a median income of $32,155 versus $24,163 for females. Theper capita income for the county was $18,197. About 9.9% of families and 13.2% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 18.7% of those under 18 and 5.8% of those 65 or over.
The largest employer in Steuben County isCorning, Inc. (formerly Corning Glass Works), the world headquarters of a large firm (34,000 employed worldwide), which manufactures specialty glass and related products. Related is the nearbyCorning Museum of Glass. A wine industry is inHammondsport, also the headquarters of theMercury Corporation, a custom manufacturer, formerly of aircraft and aircraft components, and a museum of aviation, theGlenn H. Curtiss Museum, is in Hammondsport. Former industries in Steuben County are theSteuben Glass Works, in Corning, now part of Corning Glass Works, and theErie Railroad repair shops, inHornell.
^W, Eric (April 2, 2012)."Congressional District 23"(PDF).View 2012 Congressional Maps.Albany, New York: The New York State Legislative Task Force on Demographic Research and Reapportionment. RetrievedJanuary 13, 2013.
^W, Eric (March 2, 2012)."Senate District 58"(PDF).View 2012 Senate District Maps.Albany, New York: The New York State Legislative Task Force on Demographic Research and Reapportionment. RetrievedJanuary 17, 2013.
^W, Eric (January 25, 2012)."Assembly District 132"(PDF).View 2012 Assembly District Maps.Albany, New York: The New York State Legislative Task Force on Demographic Research and Reapportionment. RetrievedJanuary 17, 2013.
^W, Eric (January 25, 2012)."Assembly District 133"(PDF).View 2012 Assembly District Maps.Albany, New York: The New York State Legislative Task Force on Demographic Research and Reapportionment. RetrievedJanuary 17, 2013.
^W, Eric (January 25, 2012)."Assembly District 148"(PDF).View 2012 Assembly District Maps.Albany, New York: The New York State Legislative Task Force on Demographic Research and Reapportionment. RetrievedJanuary 17, 2013.
Sherer, Richard, (ed.)Steuben County: The First 200 Years, A Pictorial History. Virginia Beach, VA: The Donning Company, 1996.
Stromquist, Shelton, "'Our Rights as Workingmen': Class Traditions and Collective Action in a Nineteenth-Century Railroad Town, Hornellsville, New York, 1869-82," in David O. Stowell (ed.),The Great Strikes of 1877. Urbana, IL: University of Illinois Press, 2008; pp. 55–75.
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