Chenango

Formed March 15, 1798 (25^th county)

Chenango County (47,216), Norwich (7,044)

The Modern concrete 1960 building replaced a classier 1837 brick courthouse.  The facility is on Court Street and Fair Street.  The courthouse is one block west of New York State Highway 12 in the town.  Ketcham-Miller-Arnold are the architects.  Chenango County was founded on March 15, 1798 from Tioga and Herkimer counties as the 25^th county with Norwich as the only county seat.  The county’s name is Native American for “large bull thistle.”  The county seat is named for Norwich, Connecticut. 

Chenango County government consists of an administrator, a sheriff, a comptroller, an attorney, an assessor, and a clerk (executive).  It has 23 Legislators (legislative.)  One County Court Judge serves Chenango County (judicial.)  The county is in southern central New York.  Albany, New York is northeast and Buffalo, New York is northwest of the county.  The county center is 7.7 miles West-Southwest of Norwich nearer Preston.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Madison, Otsego, Delaware, Broome, and Cortland counties. 

The area of the county is 899 square miles.  It is 24 out of 62 in the state.  It ranks 50 out of 62 in population in the state.  It has a density of 52.5 persons per square mile making it 51 out of 62 in the state.  Chenango County has 31.3% of its population in its incorporated areas.  Interstate Highway 88 cuts the southern tip of the county east to west from Delaware County to Broome County.  The county is shaped like the State of Mississippi.  Norwich is located slightly east and north of the center of the county.  Norwich is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 14.9% of the county population.  The county is pronounced SHE-NAN-GOE.  The county seat is pronounced NOER-ICH.