Broome County, New York
U.S. County|
county = Broome County|
state = New York |
seal = Broome County ny seal.gif |
map = Map of New York highlighting Broome County.svg |
map size = 250|
founded =
1806| seat =
Binghamton | area = 1,853
km² (715
mi²) |
area land = 1,831 km² (707 mi²) |
area water = 22 km² (9 mi²) |
area percentage = 1.21% |
census yr = 2000|
pop = 200,536 |
density = 110|
web = www.gobroomecounty.com|}}
Broome County is a
county located in the
U.S. state of
New York. As of 2000, the population was 200,536. It was named in honor of
John Broome, who was lieutenant governor in
1806 when Broome County was established. Its
county seat is
Binghamton, which is also its major city.
When counties were established in New York State in
1683, the present Broome County was part of
Albany County. This was an enormous county, including the northern part of New York State as well as all of the present State of
Vermont and, in theory, extending westward to the
Pacific Ocean. This county was reduced in size on
July 3,
1766 by the creation of
Cumberland County, and further on
March 16,
1770 by the creation of
Gloucester 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 of
Schenectady, and the county included the western part of the
Adirondack Mountains and the area west of the West Branch of the
Delaware River. The area then designated as Tryon County now includes 37 counties of New York State. The county was named for
William Tryon, colonial governor of New York.
In the years prior to
1776, most of the Loyalists in Tryon County fled to
Canada. In
1784, following the peace treaty that ended the
American Revolutionary War, the name of Tryon County was changed to
Montgomery County in honor of the general,
Richard Montgomery, who had captured several places in Canada and died attempting to capture the city of
Quebec, replacing the name of the hated British governor.
In
1789, Montgomery County was reduced in size by the splitting off of
Ontario County. The actual area split off from Montgomery County was much larger than the present county, also including the present
Allegany,
Cattaraugus,
Chautauqua,
Erie,
Genesee,
Livingston,
Monroe,
Niagara,
Orleans,
Steuben,
Wyoming,
Yates, and part of
Schuyler and
Wayne Counties.
Tioga County was one of three counties split off from Montgomery County (the others being
Herkimer and
Otsego Counties) in
1791. Tioga County was at this time much larger than the present county, also including the present Broome and
Chemung Counties and parts of
Chenango and
Schuyler Counties.
Tioga County was reduced in size in
1798 by the splitting off of
Chemung County (which also included part of the present
Schuyler County and by the combination of a portion with a portion of
Herkimer County to create
Chenango County.
Broome County was split off from Tioga County in
1806.
Broome County is located in south-central New York State, directly north of the border with
Pennsylvania in a section of the state called the
Southern Tier. The
Chenango River joins the
Susquehanna River, which flows through the county.
The western half of the county is hilly but has wide valleys that accommodate Binghamton and its suburbs. In the northern portion
Interstate 81 takes advantage of another glacial valley. To the east, however, the terrain becomes much more rugged as the land tilts up to the
Catskills.
The highest elevation is a
U.S. National Geodetic Survey benchmark known as Slawson atop an unnamed hill in the Town of Sanford. It is approximately 2,080
feet (634 m) above sea level. An area due east on the Delaware County line in
Oquaga Creek State Park also lies within the same elevation
contour. The lowest point is 864 feet (263 m) above sea level, along the Susquehanna at the Pennsylvania state line.
According to the
U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,853
km² (715
mi²). 1,831 km² (707 mi²) of it is land and 22 km² (9 mi²) of it (1.21%) is water.
As of the
census² of 2000, there were 200,536 people, 80,749 households, and 50,225 families residing in the county. The
population density was 110/km² (284/mi²). There were 88,817 housing units at an average density of 49/km² (126/mi²). The racial makeup of the county was 91.33%
White, 3.28%
Black or
African American, 0.19%
Native American, 2.79%
Asian, 0.03%
Pacific Islander, 0.79% from
other races, and 1.59% from two or more races. 1.99% of the population were
Hispanic or
Latino of any race.
There were 80,749 households out of which 28.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.60% were
married couples living together, 10.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.80% were non-families. 31.00% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.40% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 2.97.
In the county the population was spread out with 23.00% under the age of 18, 11.00% from 18 to 24, 26.80% from 25 to 44, 22.80% from 45 to 64, and 16.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 93.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.90 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $35,347, and the median income for a family was $45,422. Males had a median income of $34,426 versus $24,542 for females. The
per capita income for the county was $19,168. About 8.80% of families and 12.80% of the population were below the
poverty line, including 15.90% of those under age 18 and 7.20% of those age 65 or over.
|
Map of Broome County, NY showing towns and villages. For map key, click on image. |
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Barker (town)
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Binghamton (city)
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Binghamton (town)
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Chenango (town)
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Colesville (town)
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Conklin (town)
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Deposit (village)
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Dickinson (town)
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Endicott (village)
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Endwell (hamlet)
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Fenton (town)
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Johnson City (village)
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Kirkwood (town)
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Lisle (village)
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Lisle (town)
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Killawog (hamlet)
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Maine (town)
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Nanticoke (town)
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Port Dickinson (village)
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Sanford (town)
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Triangle (town)
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Union (town)
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Vestal (town)
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Whitney Point (village)
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Windsor (village)
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Windsor (town) :
=> Official political designation is shown in parentheses.
Binghamton University and
Broome Community College are educational institutes in the county.
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Broome County, NY *
Summary Early history of Broome County 
