Genesee County is a

county A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...

in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 58,388. Its

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

is Batavia. Its name is from the Seneca word Gen-nis'-hee-yo, meaning "the Beautiful Valley".THE AMERICAN REVIEW; A WHIG JOURNAL DEVOTED TO POLITICS, LITERATURE, ART AND SCIENCE. VOL. VI NEW-YORK: GEORGE H. COLTON, 118 NASSAU STREET, Published 1847, Wiley and Putnam, p. 62

/ref> The county was created in 1802 and organized in 1803. The county is part of the Finger Lakes region of the state. Genesee County comprises the Batavia, NY micropolitan statistical area, which is also in the Rochester-Batavia- Seneca Falls, NY combined statistical area. It is in

Western New York Western New York (WNY) is the westernmost region of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. The eastern boundary of the region is not consistently defined by state agencies or those who call themselves "Western New Yorkers". Almost all so ...

. It is the namesake of Genesee County, Michigan; that is, the Michigan county was named for Genesee County, New York.

History

Precontact era

The archaeological record at the Hiscock Site, in Byron, New York goes back 10,000 to 12,000 years to the

Ice Age An ice age is a long period of reduction in the temperature of Earth's surface and atmosphere, resulting in the presence or expansion of continental and polar ice sheets and alpine glaciers. Earth's climate alternates between ice ages, and g ...

. Researchers have found a variety of humanmade tools, ceramics, metal, and leather, along with a

mastodon A mastodon, from Ancient Greek μαστός (''mastós''), meaning "breast", and ὀδούς (''odoús'') "tooth", is a member of the genus ''Mammut'' (German for 'mammoth'), which was endemic to North America and lived from the late Miocene to ...

jaw, tusks, and teeth and assorted animal bones, indicating long occupation of the site. This site is among North America's most important for

archaeological Archaeology or archeology is the study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of Artifact (archaeology), artifacts, architecture, biofact (archaeology), biofacts or ecofacts, ...

artifacts from the Ice Age.Geology
The Buffalo Museum of Science, Retrieved on December 5, 2007"Excavation pit at the Byron Dig"
, The Buffalo Museum of Science, Retrieved on December 5, 2007 Different

Indigenous peoples There is no generally accepted definition of Indigenous peoples, although in the 21st century the focus has been on self-identification, cultural difference from other groups in a state, a special relationship with their traditional territ ...

lived in the area for thousands of years. Centuries before European arrival, the Iroquoian-speaking Seneca Nation developed in the central part of present-day New York; it became one of the first Five Nations of the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois Confederacy). Beginning in 1639 and lasting for the rest of the century, the Seneca led an invasion of Western New York, driving out the existing tribes of

Wenro The Wenrohronon or Wenro people were an Iroquoian Peoples, Iroquoian Indigenous peoples of the Americas, indigenous nation of North America, originally residing in present-day western New York (state), New York (and possibly fringe portions of ...

, Erie and Neutrals.

Colonial and revolutionary era

When counties were established in New York State in 1683, the present Genesee 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 Vermont () is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, New York (state), New York to the west, and the Provinces and territories of Ca ...

and, in theory, extending westward to the

Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five Borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean, or, depending on the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is ...

. 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). In 1784 Tryon County was renamed as Montgomery County. Around this time, the

Province of Pennsylvania The Province of Pennsylvania, also known as the Pennsylvania Colony, was a British North American colony founded by William Penn, who received the land through a grant from Charles II of England in 1681. The name Pennsylvania was derived from ...

and the

Massachusetts Bay Colony The Massachusetts Bay Colony (1628–1691), more formally the Colony of Massachusetts Bay, was an English settlement on the east coast of North America around Massachusetts Bay, one of the several colonies later reorganized as the Province of M ...

also claimed the territory as their own, but New York did not enforce its territorial claim. In 1789 Ontario County was split off from Montgomery as a result of the Phelps and Gorham Purchase. Again, the county theoretically extended west to the Pacific Ocean.

New York State

It was not until the Holland Purchase of 1793 that Western New York was enforced as the territory of New York State. Land in the region was sold through the Holland Land Company's office in Batavia, starting in 1801. All the land in

was in the newly created Genesee County, and all of that was in the single town of Batavia. Genesee County was created by a partition of of land from Ontario County. The county was not fully organized so it remained under the supervision of Ontario County until it achieved full organization and separation during March 1803.New York. ''Laws of New York.'':1802, 25th Session, Chapter 64, Page 97. On April 7, 1806, Genesee's area was reduced to due to a partition that created Allegany County.New York. ''Laws of New York.'':1806, 29th Session, Chapter 162, Section 1, Page 604. On March 8, 1808, Genesee's area was again reduced, this time to due to a partition that created Cattaraugus,

Chautauqua Chautauqua ( ) is an adult education and social movement in the United States that peaked in popularity in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Chautauqua assemblies expanded and spread throughout rural America until the mid-1920s. The Cha ...

, and Niagara Counties.New York. ''Laws of New York.'':1808, 31st Session, Chapter 15, Page 254. On February 23, 1821, Genesee's area was again reduced, this time to due a complex partition that produced LivingstonNew York. ''Laws of New York.'':1820, 44th Session, Chapter 58, Section 1, Page 50. and Monroe Counties.New York. ''Laws of New York.'':1820, 44th Session, Chapter 57, Section 1, Page 46. On April 15, 1825, another partition reduced Genesee's area to in the creation of Orleans County.New York. ''Laws of New York.'':1824, 47th Session, Chapter 266, Section 1, Page 326.New York. ''Laws of New York.'':1825, 48th Session, Chapter 181, Sections 1 & 2, Page 273. On May 1, 1826, the Orleans partition was again surveyed, with of land along the western half of the Orleans/Genesee border returned to Genesee.New York. ''Laws of New York.'':1826, 49th Session, Chapter 269, Page 302. On March 19, 1841, Genesee's area was again reduced, this time to the it remains to this day due to the partitioning to create Wyoming County.New York. ''Laws of New York.'':1841, 64th Session, Chapter 196, Section 1, Page 169.

19th century politics: Origins of antimasonry

Genesee County was included in the 19th century " burned-over district" — the Western region of New York consumed by religious revivals and characterized by "the evangelical desire to convert the entire American population to Christianity and to create a 'moral, homogeneous commonwealth.'" This religious moral crusade provided the social atmosphere that allowed antimasonic sentiment to gain momentum as a significant church-oriented movement and, later, a grass-roots political party that became the nation's first third party. By the 1820s, Freemasonry was prevalent in Genesee County. From 1821 to 1827, half of all county officials were Freemasons. In September 1826, William Morgan, a resident of Batavia, New York, disappeared after having been briefly imprisoned for failure to repay a debt. Morgan had been rejected from the Masonic lodge in Batavia, and, as a result, threatened to publish a book which exposed the secret rituals of Freemasonry. His disappearance and presumed murder ignited a campaign against Freemasonry. The investigation into Morgan's disappearance confronted major obstacles from government officials and the judiciary- positions that were largely occupied by Freemasons. The Morgan affair combined with existing suspicions and distrust of the secrecy of Freemasonry initiated mass meetings throughout the county to decide how the issue of Freemasonry should be handled. The Antimasonry crusade's original goal was to oust Masons from political offices. Through the political guidance of party organizers, such as

Thurlow Weed Edward Thurlow Weed (November 15, 1797 – November 22, 1882) was an American printer, newspaper publisher, and Whig Party (United States), Whig and Republican Party (United States), Republican politician. He was the principal political advisor t ...

and William H. Seward, the crusade developed into a political party that enjoyed a political stronghold in Genesee County and the rest of the "burned-over district." The Antimasonic Party found strong support within Genesee County from 1827 to 1833. The party averaged 69 percent of the vote and won every county office. After continuous domination of Masonic politicians, citizens saw Antimasonry as a solution and an opportunity to restore justice and republicanism. The Baptist and Presbyterian churches favored Antimasonry and encouraged their members to renounce ties with the fraternity. The party was originally associated with populist rhetoric, however, strong Antimasonic sentiment throughout the county correlated with positive economic developments and high population densities. Larger towns, such as Batavia, the county seat and Le Roy, harbored the strongest support for the party. The timing of the creation of the Antimasonic Party coincided with a time in New York politics that encouraged the expansion of political participation. The party leaders made the Antimasonic Party, and later the Whig Party, a great success in Genesee County and other neighboring counties.

Modern day

In 2009, the City and Town of Batavia began exploring ways to merge or consolidate governmental systems.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.5%) is water. Genesee County is east of Buffalo and southwest of Rochester in the western portion of New York State.

Adjacent counties

* Erie County - west * Livingston County - southeast * Monroe County - northeast * Niagara County - northwest * Orleans County - north * Wyoming County - south

Major highways

* Interstate 90 (New York State Thruway) * Interstate 490 * U.S. Route 20 * New York State Route 5 * New York State Route 19 * New York State Route 33 * New York State Route 63 * New York State Route 77 * New York State Route 98

Genesee County watersheds

Source:Genesee County All Hazard Multi-Jurisdictional Mitigation Plan, Chapter 4 Maps (1st Draft, May 2007)
(See Watersheds-Genesee County, NY, Map 5), Genesee/Finger Lakes Regional Planning Council * Black Creek * Canaseraga Creek to Oatka Creek, excluding Beards, Conesus and Cayuga Creek * Honeoye Creeks * Mud Creek * Murder Creek * Oak Orchard Creek * Oatka Creek * Ransom Creek to Mouth * Tonawanda Creek, Middle and Upper

National protected area

* Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge (part)

State protected areas

* Darien Lakes State Park * Oak Orchard Wildlife Management Area * Tonawanda Wildlife Management Area

County parks

* Genesee County Park and Forest consists of of forest and rolling hills. * DeWitt Recreation Area is a park that includes a pond. ''Source:''

Government and politics

Genesee County is governed by a 9–member legislature headed by a chairperson. Genesee County is part of the 8th Judicial District of the

New York Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the State of New York is the superior court in the Judiciary of New York. It is vested with unlimited civil and criminal jurisdiction, although in many counties outside New York City it acts primarily as a court of civil ju ...

and the 4th Department of the New York Supreme Court, Appellate Division.

Presidential elections

Genesee County is solidly Republican at the Presidential level with

Lyndon Johnson Lyndon Baines Johnson (; August 27, 1908January 22, 1973), also known as LBJ, was the 36th president of the United States, serving from 1963 to 1969. He became president after assassination of John F. Kennedy, the assassination of John F. Ken ...

in 1964 being the only Democrat to ever carry the county. Since then the closest a Democrat has gotten to winning the county was

Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton (né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician and lawyer who was the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, ...

in 1996 when he lost to

Bob Dole Robert Joseph Dole (July 22, 1923 – December 5, 2021) was an American politician and attorney who represented Kansas in the United States Senate from 1969 to 1996. He was the Party leaders of the United States Senate, Republican Leader of th ...

by 3 percent. In 2024

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...

received 66.8 percent of the vote which was the best result for a Republican since 1956 when Dwight D. Eisenhower received 74.6 percent.

Law enforcement

The primary law enforcement agency is the Genesee County Sheriff's Office. In most counties in N.Y., the undersheriff is the

warden A warden is a custodian, defender, or guardian. Warden is often used in the sense of a watchman or guardian, as in a prison warden. It can also refer to a chief or head official, as in the Warden of the Mint. ''Warden'' is etymologically ident ...

of the county

jail A prison, also known as a jail, gaol, penitentiary, detention center, correction center, correctional facility, or remand center, is a facility where people are imprisoned under the authority of the state, usually as punishment for various cr ...

. In Genesee County, the sheriff has ultimate authority to operate the 80-bed county jail, built in 1985. In this county, rather than an undersheriff, it is managed by a "jail superintendent" with 27 other employees and managers. The current Genesee County Jail was built in 1985."County Law, Article 17, Section 650, acknowledges the Sheriff as an Officer of the Court; Correction Law, Article 20, Section 500C, designates the Sheriff as custodian of the County Jail," fro
Genesee County government web site Jail page
. Accessed June 26, 2008.

Demographics

2020 Census

2000 census

As of the 2000

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

, there were 60,370 people, 22,770 households, and 15,825 families residing in the county. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

was . There were 24,190 housing units, with an average density of . The county's racial makeup was 94.69%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 2.13%

Black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.78% Native American, 0.48% Asian, 0.02%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 0.71% from other races, and 1.18% from two or more races. 1.50% of the population were

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race. 25.0% were of German, 15.2% Italian, 13.5% English, 13.1% Irish, 8.9% Polish and 5.6%

American ancestry In the demography of the United States, some people self-identify their ancestral origin or descent as "American", rather than the more common officially recognized racial and ethnic groups that make up the bulk of the American people. The ...

according to Census 2000. 96.5% spoke English and 1.5% Spanish as their first language. There were 22,770 households, of which 33.30% had children under the age of 18. 55.4% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 9.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.50% were non-families. 24.80% of households were made up of individuals, and 11.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.59 and the average family size was 3.10. 26.10% of the county's population was under the age of 18, 7.50% were from age 18 to 24, 29.50% were from age 25 to 44, 22.60% were from age 45 to 64, and 14.30% were age 65 or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 96.90 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.00 males. The U.S. Census in 2000 showed the county had a 63.7% employment rate and 2.9% were unemployed. The median household income was $40,542, and the median family income was $47,771. Males had a median income of $34,430 versus $23,788 for females. The county's

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

was $18,498. About 5.60% of families and 7.60% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 9.00% of those under age 18 and 6.80% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Communities

Larger Settlements

† - County Seat ‡ - Not Wholly in this County

Towns

Alabama Alabama ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South, Deep Southern regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gu ...

Alexander Alexander () is a male name of Greek origin. The most prominent bearer of the name is Alexander the Great, the king of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia who created one of the largest empires in ancient history. Variants listed here ar ...

* Batavia *

Bergen Bergen (, ) is a city and municipalities of Norway, municipality in Vestland county on the Western Norway, west coast of Norway. Bergen is the list of towns and cities in Norway, second-largest city in Norway after the capital Oslo. By May 20 ...

Bethany Bethany (,Murphy-O'Connor, 2008, p152/ref> Syriac language, Syriac: ܒܝܬ ܥܢܝܐ ''Bēṯ ʿAnyā''), locally called in Palestinian Arabic, Arabic Al-Eizariya or al-Aizariya (, "Arabic nouns and adjectives#Nisba, laceof Lazarus (name), L ...

Byron George Gordon Byron, 6th Baron Byron (22 January 1788 – 19 April 1824) was an English poet. He is one of the major figures of the Romantic movement, and is regarded as being among the greatest poets of the United Kingdom. Among his best-kno ...

* Darien * Elba * Le Roy * Oakfield * Pavilion * Pembroke *

Stafford Stafford () is a market town and the county town of Staffordshire, England. It is located about south of Stoke-on-Trent, north of Wolverhampton, and northwest of Birmingham. The town had a population of 71,673 at the 2021–2022 United Kingd ...

Other hamlets

* East Bethany * Indian Falls * North Bergen

Indian reservations

* Tonawanda Reservation

References

External links

Genesee County Chamber of Commerce website, includes tourist and area information

Museum Dedicated to the History of Genesee County, NY

{{Coord, 43.00, -78.19, display=title, type:adm2nd_region:US-NY_source:UScensus1990 Finger Lakes 1803 establishments in New York (state) Populated places established in 1803 New York (state) placenames of Native American origin