Cayuga

External links

Official website
Cayuga County NYGenWeb Project
Cayuga County history pages
Summary early history of counties and towns of Cayuga County
Area photos, maps, history and genealogy
Cayuga County Sheriff
Cayuga County at DMOZ
Cayuga Community College
Cayuga County Historical Aerial Photographs of New York , Cornell University Library & Cornell Institute for Resource Information Sciences
Genealogy and history resources for Cayuga County

Notable people

William H. Carpenter (1821-1885), U.S. Consul to Foochow, China 1861–1865 and a founding member of Cayuga County Historical Society in 1877.
Adam Helmer, (c.1754 – April 9, 1830), American Revolutionary War hero among those of the Mohawk Valley and surrounding regions of New York State.

City

Auburn (county seat)

Towns

Villages

Census-designated place

Melrose Park

Hamlets

Cayuga County is considered a swing county in national elections. In 2000, Democrat Al Gore won Cayuga County with 50% of the vote to Bush's 44%. In 2004 however Republican George W. Bush defeated John Kerry by a margin of only 0.58% or 49.22% to 48.64%. In statewide elections it has gone for Democrats both Eliot Spitzer and Hillary Clinton won it in 2006 with over 60% of the vote. In 2008 it was won by Democrat Barack Obama with 53% of the vote to Republican John McCain's 45%. In 2010, Democrat Andrew Cuomo defeated Republican Carl Paladino 53% to 40% with 3% going to Green Party candidate Howie Hawkins. Also in 2010, both Senators Kirsten Gillibrand and Chuck Schumer carried Cayuga County. Gillibrand won 54% of the vote while Schumer won 61%.
The Cayuga County Legislature consists of 15 members each of whom are elected from individual districts.

Demographics

As of the census^[9] of 2000, there were 81,963 people, 30,558 households, and 20,840 families residing in the county. The population density was 118 people per square mile (46/km²). There were 35,477 housing units at an average density of 51 per square mile (20/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 93.34% White, 3.99% Black or African American, 0.31% Native American, 0.42% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.88% from other races, and 1.03% from two or more races. 1.97% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 16.3% were of Irish, 16.0% English, 15.7% Italian, 11.3% German, 9.5% American and 6.3% Polish ancestry according to Census 2000.^[10] 94.9% spoke English, 2.0% Spanish and 1.0% Italian as their first language.
There were 30,558 households out of which 32.60% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.00% were married couples living together, 11.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.80% were non-families. 26.20% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.90% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.53 and the average family size was 3.04.
In the county, the population was spread out with 25.10% under the age of 18, 8.20% from 18 to 24, 29.70% from 25 to 44, 22.60% from 45 to 64, and 14.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 102.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 101.80 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $37,487, and the median income for a family was $44,973. Males had a median income of $33,356 versus $23,919 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,003. About 7.80% of families and 11.10% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.90% of those under age 18 and 8.20% of those age 65 or over.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 864 square miles (2,240 km²), of which 692 square miles (1,790 km²) is land and 172 square miles (450 km²) (20%) is water.^[3]
Cayuga County is located in the west central part of the state, in the Finger Lakes region. Owasco Lake is in the center of the county, and Cayuga Lake forms part of the western boundary. Lake Ontario is on the northern border, and Skaneateles Lake and Cross Lake form part of the eastern border. Cayuga County has more waterfront land than any other county in the state not adjacent to the Atlantic Ocean.