Madison

Formed April 7, 1806 (38^th county)

Madison County (68,012), Wampsville (564), Oneida (10,335)

The traditional Classical Revival building was constructed in 1909.  The courthouse is sited on Court Street at Daniels Drive.  New York State Highway 5 passes two blocks south of the site.  James Riely Gordon is the architect.  An Administrative Building was added in 1969.  The county was taken from Chenango County on April 7, 1806 as the 38^th county.  There was an 1865 courthouse previously in Morrisville.  Hamilton (1806), Cazenovia (1810), Morrisville (1817), and Wampsville (1907) have all served as county seat.  The county was named for United States President James Madison.  Wampsville is named for settler Myndert Wemple. 

Madison County government consists of an administrator, a sheriff, a comptroller, an attorney, an assessor, and a clerk (executive).  It has 19 Legislators (legislative.)  One County Court Judge serves Madison County (judicial.)  Madison County is in central New York.  The geographical center of New York is 26 miles southwest of Utica in the county.  Albany, New York is east and Buffalo, New York is west of the county.  The county center is 9.9 miles Southwest of Wampsville nearer Nelson.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Oneida, Otsego, Chenango, Cortland, Onondaga, and Oswego counties. 

The area of the county is 662 square miles.  It is 35 out of 62 in the state.  It ranks 37 out of 62 in population in the state.  It has a density of 102.7 persons per square mile making it 30 out of 62 in the state.  Madison County has 45.0% of its population in its incorporated areas.  Interstate Highway 90 goes east to west in the county from Oneida County to Onondaga County.  United States Highway 20 parallels Interstate Highway 90 from Oneida to Onondaga counties.  The county is shaped like a lounge chair.  Wampsville is located in the northern quarter of the county.  Oneida is in the northeast quarter of the county.  Wampsville is the county seat and Oneida is the largest city.  Wampsville is 0.8% of the county population while Oneida is 15.2% of the county population.  The largest city is pronounced OE-NIE-DA.  This county is in the Syracuse Metropolitan Statistical Area.