Jefferson County, New York

Coordinates: 43°59′N 76°03′W / 43.99°N 76.05°W / 43.99; -76.05
From Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The location of Jefferson County in New York
The Public Square in Watertown, New York

Jefferson County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 116,721.[1] The county seat is Watertown.[2] The county is named after Thomas Jefferson, third President of the United States of America.[3] Jefferson County is west of Lake Ontario, and southeast from the Canada–US border. Jefferson County is mostly rural area. Fort Drum is inside Jefferson County. The 10th Mountain Division is inside Fort Drum. Jefferson County is part of New York's 21st congressional district.

Jefferson County was founded on March 28 1805.

History[change | change source]

The area of Jefferson County used to be part of Albany County when counties first started in the Province of New York in 1683.

The area of Jefferson County used to be part of Oneida County.[4] On March 28, 1805, an act was passed that split the area of Jefferson County from Oneida County.[5] Watertown became the county seat of Jefferson County when this act passed. When the act was passed, Watertown was one of the smallest hamlets in the county.[4]

Jefferson County was named the most politically tolerant places in the United States in 2019 by Amanda Ripley.[6]

Geography[change | change source]

Jefferson County is 1,857 square miles (4,810 square kilometres) large. Jefferson County is the fourth biggest county in New York by area.[7] There are 1,226 square miles (3,180 square kilometres) of rural area in Jefferson County, and there are 43 square miles (110 square kilometres) of urban area.[7]

Jefferson County is mostly rural area

References[change | change source]

  1. "QuickFacts: Jefferson County, New York". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 16, 2023.
  2. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on 2011-05-31. Retrieved 2011-06-07.
  3. Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. Govt. Print. Off. p. 168.
  4. 4.0 4.1 WPBS-TV (2017-09-22), "Discovering Watertown", Vimeo, archived from the original on February 23, 2022, retrieved 2022-02-23
  5. Hough 1854, p. 26.
  6. Ripley, Amanda. "The Least Politically Prejudiced Place in America". The Atlantic. ISSN 1072-7825. Archived from the original on March 5, 2019. Retrieved 2019-03-05.
  7. 7.0 7.1 "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on July 12, 2011. Retrieved October 12, 2013.

Citations[change | change source]

Other websites[change | change source]

43°59′N 76°03′W / 43.99°N 76.05°W / 43.99; -76.05