Madison County, New York

Madison County is a place in the U.S. state of New York. It was created in 1806 and is named after James Madison, the fourth president of the United States.

As of the 2020 census, about 68,016 people live there, and the main town is Wampsville.

The county is part of the Central New York region and the bigger Syracuse metropolitan area.

It is also home to important places like the International Boxing Hall of Fame and the National Abolition Hall of Fame and Museum. These sites help tell the story of sports history and the fight against unfair treatment of people.

History

The area around Oneida Lake has been home to indigenous peoples for thousands of years. The Oneida Indian Nation, part of the Iroquois Confederacy, lived in this region and became a distinct culture around the fourteenth century.

In 1683, English colonists set up counties in eastern New York, and the land that is now Madison County was part of Albany County. Over time, Albany County was divided, and in 1772, Tryon County was formed from part of it. After the American Revolutionary War, Tryon County was renamed Montgomery County.

Madison County was finally created from Chenango County in 1806. The Oneida people had to give up some of their land to settlers. Later, they worked to get some of their land back. In 2010, New York offered some land to help settle their claim.

Geography

Madison County is in central New York State. It is east of Syracuse, north of Binghamton, and slightly north of due west from Albany. The county covers 661 square miles (1,710 km²). Of this, 655 square miles (1,700 km²) is land and 6.4 square miles (17 km²) is water.

Oneida Lake and Oneida Creek form part of the northern edge. Chittenango Creek marks much of the western edge. The area once had a rich wetlands area called the Great Swamp, but it was drained for farming.

Demographics

Much of Madison County is rural, but some communities along NY Route 5 and in Cazenovia are suburbs of Syracuse.

2000 census

The census in 2000 counted 69,441 people in Madison County. Most people, about 96.5%, were White. Smaller groups included African American, Native American, Asian, and Pacific Islander people. About 1% were from other races or more than one race. Many families spoke English at home, with just a few speaking Spanish.

Most households were families, but many people lived alone or in smaller groups. The county had people of many ages, with many young people and working-age adults. The median income for families was around $47,889, though some families lived below the poverty line.

Communities

Madison County has many places where people live. Some of the bigger places are shown here.

The towns in the southern part of Madison County started from land given by the Oneida tribe to the State of New York. These towns include:

• Brookfield
• Cazenovia
• DeRuyter
• Eaton
• Fenner
• Georgetown
• Hamilton
• Lebanon
• Lenox
• Lincoln
• Madison
• Nelson
• Smithfield
• Stockbridge
• Sullivan

Some smaller communities, called hamlets, include:

• Hubbardsville
• Leonardsville
• New Woodstock
• Peterboro
• West Edmeston

Politics

Madison County has often chosen Republican candidates in past elections. From 1884 to 1992, Republican presidential candidates won the county in most elections. The only exception was in 1964, when Lyndon B. Johnson won the county by a large margin. This happened because Barry Goldwater's views were not popular in the Northeast.

As New York has shifted toward Democratic candidates, Madison County has become more evenly split between the two parties. In recent elections, Republican candidates have sometimes won by large margins, but Democratic candidates have often won by very small margins.

Education

Madison County has many school districts where students learn and grow. Some of these districts include Brookfield, Canastota, Cazenovia, and Chittenango. There are also special schools like DeRuyter Central School District, East Syracuse-Minoa Central School District, and Fayetteville-Manlius Central School District.

The county is home to colleges and universities, such as Colgate University and the State University of New York at Morrisville. Cazenovia College has closed.