Chautauqua County, New York


Chautauqua County is the westernmost county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 127,657. Its county seat is Mayville, and its largest city is Jamestown. Its name is believed to be the lone surviving remnant of the Erie language, a tongue lost in the 17th century Beaver Wars; its meaning is unknown and a subject of speculation. The county was created in 1808 and organized in 1811. The county is part of the Western New York region of the state.
Chautauqua County comprises the Jamestown–Dunkirk–Fredonia, NY Micropolitan Statistical Area. It is located south east of Lake Erie and includes a small portion of the Cattaraugus Reservation of the Seneca.
WWW co.chautauqua.ny.us

History

Prior to European colonization, most of what is now Chautauqua County was inhabited by the indigenous Erie people prior to the Beaver Wars in the 1650s. French forces traversed the territory beginning in 1615. The Seneca Nation conquered the territory during the Beaver Wars and held it through the next century until siding with the British crown, their allies for most of the 18th century, against the American revolutionaries in the American Revolutionary War.
Chautauqua County was organized by the state legislature during the development of western New York after the American Revolutionary War and the ratification of The Treaty of Canandaigua, between the United States and the Council of the Six Nations. It was officially separated from Genesee County on March 11, 1808. This partition was performed under the same terms that produced Cattaraugus and Niagara counties. The partition was done for political purposes, but the counties were not properly organized for self-government, so they were all administered as part of Niagara County.
On February 9, 1811, Chautauqua was completely organized, and its separate government was launched. This established Chautauqua as a county of of land. Chautauqua has not been altered since.
The first New York Chautauqua Assembly was organized in 1874 by Methodist minister John Heyl Vincent and businessman Lewis Miller in the county at a campsite on the shores of Chautauqua Lake.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of, of which is land and is water.
Chautauqua County, in the southwestern corner of New York State, along the New York-Pennsylvania border, is the westernmost of New York's counties. Chautauqua Lake is located in the center of the county, and Lake Erie is its northern border.
Part of the Eastern Continental Divide runs through Chautauqua County. The area that drains into the Conewango Creek eventually empties into the Gulf of Mexico; the rest of the county's watershed empties into Lake Erie and via Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence Seaway into the North Atlantic Ocean. This divide, known as the Chautauqua Ridge, can be used to mark the border between the Southern Tier and the Niagara Frontier. It is also a significant dividing point in the county's geopolitics, with the "North County" being centered on Dunkirk and the "South County" centered on Jamestown each having their own interests.
The county is generally composed of rolling hills and valleys, with elevations ranging anywhere between 1100 and 2100 feet, although the land within a few miles of Lake Erie is generally flat and at an elevation of 1000 feet or lower. The lowest point in the county is Lake Erie, at, and the highest point is Gurnsey Benchmark at.

Adjacent counties

Chautauqua County is one of the few counties in the US to border two counties of the same name in different states.

Major highways

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Demographics

2000 census

As of the 2000 census, there were 139,750 people, 54,515 households, and 35,979 families in the county. The population density was. There were 64,900 housing units at an average density of. The racial makeup of the county was 94.04% White, 2.18% Black or African American, 0.43% Native American, 0.36% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 1.73% from other races, and 1.23% from two or more races. 4.22% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. In terms of ancestry, 17.3% were German, 15.1% were Italian, 11.6% were Swedish, 10.9% were English, 9.3% were Polish, 9.2% were Irish and 5.6% were of American ancestry according to Census 2000. 93.0% spoke English and 3.8% Spanish as their first language.
Of the 54,515 households 30.50% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.90% were married couples living together, 10.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.00% were non-families. 28.10% of households were one person and 12.60% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 2.99.
The age distribution was 24.50% under the age of 18, 10.30% from 18 to 24, 26.30% from 25 to 44, 23.00% from 45 to 64, and 16.00% 65 or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 95.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.20 males.
The median household income was $33,458 and the median family income was $41,054. Males had a median income of $32,114 versus $22,214 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,840. About 9.70% of families and 13.80% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.30% of those under age 18 and 8.20% of those age 65 or over.
As of the 2010 census, there were 134,905 people in the county. The population density was. The racial makeup of the county was 92.57% white, 2.37% African-American, 0.51% Asian, 0.51% Native American/Alaskan, 0.03% Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander, 1.98% other, and 2.04% two or more races. The Hispanic/Latino population of any race was 6.11%. In terms of ancestry, 25% were German, 16% were Italian, 12.8% were Swedish, 16% were English, 10.6% were Polish, 14.9% were Irish and 3.2% were of American ancestry according to the 2010 Census. 92.9% spoke English and 4.1% Spanish as their first language.
The age distribution was 21.83% of the population under the age of 18, 3.82% ages 18 and 19, 7.50% ages 20–24, 10.37% ages 25–34, 18.83% ages 35–49, 21.07% ages 50–64, and 16.59% over the age of 65. Of the population, 49.3% were male and 50.7% were female.

Government and politics

All of the county is in the 150th New York State Assembly district, represented by Andy Goodell, and the New York State Senate 57th district represented by George Borrello. The entire county is within the bounds of New York's 23rd congressional district which is represented by Nick Langworthy.
The 2012 redistricting process moved all of Chautauqua County into Goodell's assembly district, while the county also rejoined the former 31st congressional district along with Cattaraugus and Allegany Counties. Prior to 2013, the county was part of New York's 27th congressional district. Prior to 2003, the county was part of New York's 31st congressional district, but it was controversially redistricted out of that district and into what was the 27th, and was replaced in the 29th district by Rochester suburbs that had never before been part of the district. Chautauqua County, at the same time, joined southern Erie County and portions of the City of Buffalo in the 27th, areas that had also never been in the same district with each other. In both cases, the suburban additions had significantly more Democratic populations than before, leading to Democrats winning both districts, which led to accusations of cracking-based gerrymandering.
Though the Republican Party has historically been dominant in Chautauqua County politics, the county had been a perfect bellwether county from 1980 to 2008, correctly voting for the winner of each presidential election in all eight elections during that time. However, in 2012, it voted for Republican Mitt Romney even as Democrat Barack Obama won re-election, marking its first miss since 1976. In 2016 the county reverted back to being solidly Republican, as Donald Trump won the county by the largest margin since Ronald Reagan in 1984.

New York State Assembly

Prior to changes in representation of the New York State Assembly, each county had a given number of representatives. The following were representatives of Chautauqua County.
NameTerm startTerm endLegislaturesNotes
Ebenezer WaldenJuly 1, 1811June 30, 181235thRepresented Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, and Niagara Counties
Jonas WilliamsJuly 1, 1812June 30, 181436th, 37thRepresented Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, and Niagara Counties
Joseph McClureJuly 1, 1814June 30, 181538thRepresented Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, and Niagara Counties
Elias OsbornJuly 1, 1815June 30, 181639thRepresented Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, and Niagara Counties
Jediah Prendergast
Richard Smith		July 1, 1816June 30, 181740thRepresented Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, and Niagara Counties
Robert Fleming
Isaac Phelps		July 1, 1817June 30, 181841stRepresented Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, and Niagara Counties
Philo Orton
Isaac Phelps		July 1, 1818June 30, 181942ndRepresented Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, and Niagara Counties
Elial T. Foote
Oliver Forward		July 1, 1819June 30, 182043rdRepresented Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, and Niagara Counties
Jediah Prendergast
William Hotchkiss		July 1, 1820June 30, 182144thRepresented Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, and Niagara Counties
Thomas B. CampbellJuly 1, 1821December 31, 182245thRepresented Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Erie, and Niagara Counties
David EasonJuly 1, 1821January 5, 182245thRepresented Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Erie, and Niagara Counties
Isaac PhelpsJanuary 5, 1822December 31, 182245thRepresented Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Erie, and Niagara Counties
James Mullett Jr.January 1, 1823December 31, 182446th, 47thFirst to only represent Chautauqua County
Nathan MixerJanuary 1, 1825December 31, 182548th
Elial T. FooteJanuary 1, 1826December 31, 182749th, 50th
Samuel A. BrownJanuary 1, 1827December 31, 182750th
Nathaniel FentonJanuary 1, 1828December 31, 182851st
Nathan MixerJanuary 1, 1828December 31, 182951st, 52nd
Abner HazeltineJanuary 1, 1829December 31, 183052nd, 53rd
Squire WhiteJanuary 1, 1830December 31, 183253rd, 54th, 55th
John BirdsallJanuary 1, 1831December 31, 183154th
Theron BlyJanuary 1, 1832December 31, 183255th
Nathaniel GrayJanuary 1, 1833December 31, 183356th
Alvin PlumbJanuary 1, 1833December 31, 183356th

Education

Jamestown Community College has two campuses in the county at Jamestown and Dunkirk. The State University of New York at Fredonia is located in the northern part of the county. Jamestown Business College offered two year degrees, certificates, and a four-year degree in Jamestown, prior to its decision to cease new enrollments in 2024.

Communities

#LocationPopulationTypeArea
1Jamestown31,146CitySoutheast
2Dunkirk12,563CityLake Shore
3Fredonia11,230VillageLake Shore
4Westfield3,224VillageLake Shore
5Lakewood3,002VillageSoutheast
6Silver Creek2,656VillageLake Shore
7Falconer2,420VillageSoutheast
8Ripley2,415CDPLake Shore
9Jamestown West2,408CDPSoutheast
10Frewsburg1,906CDPSoutheast
11†Mayville1,711VillageSouthwest
12Brocton1,486VillageLake Shore
13Celoron1,112VillageSoutheast
14Sherman730VillageSouthwest
15††Forestville697Hamlet/CDPLake Shore
16Sunset Bay660CDPLake Shore
17Cassadaga634VillageSoutheast
18Sinclairville588VillageCenter-East
19Panama479VillageSouthwest
20Kennedy465CDPSoutheast
21††Cherry Creek461Hamlet/CDPCenter-East
22Busti391CDPSoutheast
23Bemus Point364VillageSoutheast
24Chautauqua191CDPSouthwest

† - county seat
†† - former village

Towns

Other hamlets

Indian reservation

Unorganized territory

In literature

Joyce Carol Oates' 1996 novel, We Were the Mulvaneys is set in rural Chautauqua County, near the fictional town of Mt. Ephraim.