Fulton County is a

county A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposes Chambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...

in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...

of New York. It forms part of the state's

Mohawk Valley region The Mohawk Valley region of the U.S. state of New York is the area surrounding the Mohawk River, sandwiched between the Adirondack Mountains and Catskill Mountains, northwest of the Capital District. As of the 2010 United States Census, th ...

. Its

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US st ...

is Johnstown. At the 2020 U.S. census, the county had a population of 53,324. The county is named in honor of

Robert Fulton Robert Fulton (November 14, 1765 – February 24, 1815) was an American engineer and inventor who is widely credited with developing the world's first commercially successful steamboat, the (also known as ''Clermont''). In 1807, that steamboa ...

, who is widely credited with developing the first commercially successful steamboat. Fulton County comprises the Gloversville micropolitan statistical area, which is included in the Capital District.

History

In 1838, Fulton County was split off from Montgomery, shortly after the Montgomery county seat was moved to Fonda, New York. The creation of Fulton County was engineered by Johnstown lawyer

Daniel Cady Daniel Cady (April 29, 1773 – October 31, 1859 in Johnstown, Fulton County, New York) was a prominent American lawyer, politician and judge in upstate New York. While perhaps better known today as the father of Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Judge C ...

, whose wife was a cousin of

. Fulton County was created on April 18, 1838, by a partition of Montgomery County, resulting in a county with an area of .New York. ''Laws of New York.'': 1838, 61st Session, Chapter 332, Section 1, Page 328. The old Tryon County courthouse, built in 1772, later the Montgomery County courthouse, became the Fulton County Courthouse, where it is New York's oldest operating courthouse. One adjustment has been made to the area of Fulton County. On April 6, 1860, on the northern border was transferred to Hamilton in the vicinity of Sacandaga Park.New York. ''Laws of New York.'': 1860, 83rd Session, Chapter 178; Page 298. This resulted in the Fulton County that exists today. In the mid-18th century, Sir William Johnson, founder of Fort Johnson in Montgomery County and of Johnstown, arrived in what would become Fulton County. Sir William Johnson, 1st Baronet, was an Irish pioneer and army officer in colonial New York, and the British Superintendent of Indian Affairs from 1755 to 1774. His homes, Fort Johnson and Johnson Hall are current New York State Historic Sites. Fulton County was also home to Elizabeth Cady Stanton, a central pioneer in America's women's rights movement. Shortly after the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

, the manufacture of gloves and leather became the area's primary industry. At one point, Johnstown and Gloversville were known as the world's Glove and Leather capital. The largest rise in population and growth came as a result of the fruits of these businesses. Many residents of Fulton County can trace their ancestry to the glove and leather trades. Today few glovers, tanners and leather dressers remain in the area, although some companies have adapted to the changes in the market to remain competitive.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (7.0%) is water. Fulton County is in the central part of the state, northwest of Albany, lying in the southern

Adirondack Mountains The Adirondack Mountains (; a-də-RÄN-dak) form a massif in northeastern New York with boundaries that correspond roughly to those of Adirondack Park. They cover about 5,000 square miles (13,000 km2). The mountains form a roughly circular ...

. Approximately 58% of the county is within the boundaries of

Adirondack Park The Adirondack Park is a part of Forest Preserve (New York), New York's Forest Preserve in northeastern New York (state), New York, United States. The park was established in 1892 for “the free use of all the people for their health and pleasur ...

Adjacent counties

* Hamilton County - north * Saratoga County - east * Montgomery County - south *

Herkimer County Herkimer County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 60,139. Its county seat is Herkimer. The county was created in 1791 north of the Mohawk River out of part of Montgomery County. It is named af ...

- west

Demographics

The 2019 American Community Survey estimated there were 53,383 residents in the county, down from 55,531 at the

2010 United States Census The United States census of 2010 was the twenty-third United States national census. National Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2010. The census was taken via mail-in citizen self-reporting, with enumerators servi ...

. There were also an estimated 22,439 households, and 29,173 housing units at the 2019 population estimates. The racial makeup of Fulton County was 92.2% non-Hispanic white, 2.2% Black or African American, 0.3% American Indian or Alaska Native, 0.7% Asian American, 1.6% from two or more races, and 3.5% Hispanic or Latino of any race. Roughly 72% of households were owner-occupied and the median gross rent was $759. There were 2.34 persons per household and 3.1% spoke a language other than English at home. Of the population there were 25.1% from ages 18 to 5 and under, and 20.1% aged 65 and older. The median income for a household in the county was $50,248, and the per capita income was $26,875. Roughly 13% of the county population lived at or 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 t ...

. At the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses in ...

of 2000, there were 55,073 people, 21,884 households, and 14,509 families residing in the county. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: 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 geographical ...

was 111 people per square mile (43/km²). There were 27,787 housing units at an average density of 56 per square mile (22/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 95.99%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White o ...

, 1.80%

Black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white ...

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 0.19% Native American, 0.53% Asian, 0.02%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...

, 0.56% from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, and 0.91% from two or more races. 1.61% of the population were

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties forme ...

or Latino of any race. 17.2% were of

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

, 16.4% German, 13.2%

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

, 10.0% English, 8.3% American, 5.8% French and 5.7% Polish ancestry according to

Census 2000 The United States census of 2000, conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2 percent over the 248,709,873 people enumerated during the 1990 ce ...

. 96.1% spoke English and 1.6%

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

as their first language. There were 21,884 households, out of which 30.50% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.00% were married couples living together, 11.30% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.70% were non-families. 27.70% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.90% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 2.94. In the county, the population was spread out, with 24.90% under the age of 18, 7.20% from 18 to 24, 28.10% from 25 to 44, 23.60% from 45 to 64, and 16.30% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 97.10 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.60 males. The median income for a household in the county was $33,663, and the median income for a family was $39,801. Males had a median income of $29,538 versus $22,173 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the county was $16,844. About 9.20% of families and 12.50% of the population were below the

, including 17.50% of those under age 18 and 7.50% of those age 65 or over.

2020 Census

Education

In 2019 the U.S. Census Bureau determined 87.4% of Fulton County's population obtained a high school degree or higher. Nearly 18% had a bachelor's degree or higher. Fulton–Montgomery Community College is in Johnstown, New York. It is a part of the State University of New York system.

Transportation

Airports

The following public use airports are located in the county:Fulton County Public and Private Airports, New York
Retrieved June 13, 2013. * Fulton County Airport (NY0) – Johnstown * Dolgeville Airport (1F6) – Dolgeville

Communities

Cities

* Gloversville * Johnstown (county seat)

Towns

* Bleecker * Broadalbin * Caroga * Ephratah * Johnstown * Mayfield * Northampton * Oppenheim *

Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth i ...

* Stratford

Villages

* Broadalbin * Dolgeville * Mayfield * Northville

Census-designated place

* Caroga Lake

Hamlet

* Kingsboro

Politics

Fulton County has historically been a stronghold for the Republican Party, with the cities of Johnstown and Gloversville being battlegrounds between Democrats and Republicans. The county was won by

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of P ...

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the Impeachment of Dilma Rousseff, impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses duri ...

at 64 percent.

References

External links

Fulton County Government Website

"Glovers and Tanners of Fulton County"

Fulton County Chamber of Commerce

"Fulton-Montgomery Photo Archives

"Fulton County Museum"
* {{coord, 43.11, -74.42, display=title, type:adm2nd_region:US-NY_source:UScensus1990 1838 establishments in New York (state) Populated places established in 1838