Onondaga

Formed January 1, 1794 (21^st county)

Onondaga County (476,511), Syracuse (148,608)

The traditional Beaux Arts courthouse was built in 1906 of masonry and concrete.  The structure is located on State Street at Jefferson Street.  Interstate Highway 81 is three blocks east of the site.  There is a 2003 Criminal Courts facility, a 1995 Justice Center, and a 1957 County Office Building/District Courthouse.  The county was originally part of Herkimer County until it separated on January 1, 1794 as the 21^st county with Syracuse as the only county seat.  Archimedes Russell is the courthouse designer.  There was previously an 1856 courthouse.  Onondaga is a Native American name meaning “people of the hills.”  The county seat is named for Syracuse, Italy.  Onondaga County was the birthplace for 1 New York Governor, Horatio Seymour. 

Onondaga County government consists of a sheriff and 17 Legislators.  Five County Court Judge, Five Family Court Judges, and One Surrogate Court Judge serve Onondaga County.  Onondaga County is in the north central part of the state.  Buffalo, New York is west and Albany, New York is east of the county.  The county center is in Syracuse 2.5 miles Southwest of the city center.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Oswego, Madison, Cortland, and Cayuga counties. 

The area of the county is 806 square miles.  It is 32 out of 62 in the state.  It ranks 11 out of 62 in population in the state.  It has a density of 591.2 persons per square mile making it 12 out of 62 in the state.  Onondaga County has 41.3% of its population in its incorporated areas.  Interstate Highway 81 travels north to south in the county from Oswego County to Cortland County.  Interstate Highway 90 passes east, Madison County, to west, Cayuga County.  United States Highway 11 parallels Interstate Highway 81 from Oswego to Cortland counties.  United States Highway 20 parallels Interstate Highway 90 from Madison to Cayuga counties.  The county is a leaning rectangle shape.  Syracuse is located near the center of the county.  Syracuse is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 31.2% of the county population.  The county is pronounced ON-ON-DAE-GA.  This county is in the Syracuse Metropolitan Statistical Area.

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