Schoharie

Formed January 1, 1795 (22^nd county)

Schoharie County (29,718), Schoharie (945), Cobleskill (4,257)

The 1870 masonry Italianate structure is on Main Street at Cemetery Street.  Main Street is New York State Highway 30.  John Cornelius is the architect.  The building has been enlarged.  An Office Building and Clerk’s Office support the courthouse.  The county was created on January 1, 1795 from Otsego and Albany counties as the 22^nd county.  Schoharie has always been the county seat.  The county and county seat are named for the Native American word meaning “floating driftwood.”  Schoharie County was the birthplace for 1 New York Governor, William C. Bouck. 

Schoharie County government consists of an executive, an administrator, a sheriff, a comptroller, an attorney, an assessor, and a clerk (executive).  It has 16 Legislators (legislative.)  One County Court Judge serves Schoharie County (judicial.)  The county is in eastern New York.  Albany, New York is east and New York City, New York is southeast of the county.  The county center is 11.6 miles West of Schoharie nearer Cobleskill.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Montgomery, Schenectady, Albany, Greene, Delaware, and Otsego counties. 

The area of the county is 626 square miles.  It is 40 out of 62 in the state.  It ranks 58 out of 62 in population in the state.  It has a density of 47.5 persons per square mile making it 54 out of 62 in the state.  Schoharie County has 27.2% of its population in its incorporated areas.  Interstate Highway 88 crosses the county northeast to southwest from Schenectady County to Otsego County.  United States Highway 20 travels from Schenectady County, east, to Otsego County, west.  The county is shaped like a bag of marbles.  The City of Schoharie is located in the northeast quarter of the county.  Cobleskill is in the northern third of the county.  Schoharie is the county seat and Cobleskill is the largest city.  Schoharie is 3.2% of the county population while Cobleskill is 14.3% of the county population.  The county and county seat are pronounced SKOE-HAR-EE.  This county is in the Albany-Schenectady-Troy Metropolitan Statistical Area.