Niagara

Formed March 11, 1808 (41^st county)

Niagara County (212,650), Lockport (20,874), Niagara Falls (48,673)

The stone courthouse was constructed in 1887 and remodeled in 1914.  It sits on Hawley Street between Niagara and Park streets.  New York State Highway 78 is one block east of the location.  M. E. Beebe and Sons are the architects of this Second Empire courthouse.  The courthouse was enlarged in 1914 and in 1958.  A County Clerk’s office augments and an Administrative Building was added in 1973.  Niagara County was created from Genesee County on March 11, 1808 as the 41^st county.  Buffalo was the first county seat until Erie County separated in 1822 when Lockport became the seat.  The county is named for the waterfalls whose name is Native American for “thundering waters.”  The county seat is named for its location on locks on the Erie Canal. 

Niagara County government consists of a sheriff and 15 Legislators.  One County Court Judge, Two Family Court Judges, and One Surrogate Court Judge serve Niagara County.  Niagara County is in the northwest corner of the state.  Buffalo, New York is directly south of the county.  Lake Ontario forms its northern border with Canada.  The county center is 8.6 miles West of Lockport nearer Sanborn.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Canada and Orleans, Genesee, and Erie counties. 

The area of the county is 1140 square miles.  It is 19 out of 62 in the state.  It ranks 18 out of 62 in population in the state.  It has a density of 186.5 persons per square mile making it 24 out of 62 in the state.  Niagara County has 50.8% of its population in its incorporated areas.  Interstate Highway 190 originates in the county and goes south into Erie County.  United States Highway 62 parallels Interstate Highway 190 into Erie County.  The county is shaped like a rectangle bent down on its western third.  Lockport is located in the southern third of the county.  Niagara Falls is on the southwest border of the county.  Lockport is the county seat and Niagara Falls is the largest city.  Lockport is 9.8% of the county population while Niagara Falls is 22.9% of the county population.  The county and the largest city are pronounced NIE-AG-RA.  This county is in the Buffalo-Niagara Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area.