Livingston County, New York

Livingston County Education, Geography, and History

Livingston County is a county located in the state of New York. Based on the 2010 census, the population was 65,393. Its county seat is Geneseo. The county is named after Robert R. Livingston, a member of the committee that drafted the Declaration of Independence.

Livingston County is part of the Rochester Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Etymology - Origin of Livingston County Name

Named in honor of Robert R. Livingston, a delegate to the 1775 Continental Congress and a member of the committee that drafted the Declaration of Independance

Demographics:

County QuickFacts: CensusBureau Quick Facts

Livingston County History

Livingston County was taken from Ontario and Genesee counties in 1821. Greatest length N. and S. 30; greatest breadth E. and W. 28 miles. Centrally distant NW, from New York 360, and from Albany W. 224 miles. The surface of the country is in some parts hilly, in others quite level, or but gently undulated. Flats of richly alluvion border the Genesee river in its course through the county from 1 to 2 miles in width, but a gravelly loam predominates on the upland. The great staples are wheat, pork, and cattle. Of the first, it is estimated that there is an annual surplus of over a million of bushels.

The Avon Springs, in the village of Avon in this county, about 10 miles from Geneseo, have acquired considerable celebrity. The first, called the New Avon Bath Spring, was discovered in 1835. Its depth is about 36 feet, and the formation through which the water psses is limy slate. analysis and experience have fully tested the sanative properties of these waters; they are found peculiarly efficacious in disorders of the digestive organs, rheumatic complaints, and gout, and in many of the most formidable cutaneous affections.

The Genesee Valley canal enters the county at Caledonia and following the valley of the Genesee, crosses the same near Mount Morris, and passing along the valley of the Cashqua creek, leaves the county in the southern portion of Mount Morris. Four miles south of Mount Morris village a branch runs to Dansville. The county is part of the tract ceded to Massachusetts, and is divided into 12 towns. (Historical Collections of the State of New York, Past and Present, Barber, John, Warner, Clark Albien & Co. 1851)

Livingston County, formed from Ontario and Genesee Counties on February 23, 1821, was named in honor of Chancellor Robert Livingston, an eminent jurist, statesman and distinguished patron of agriculture. Between 1822 and 1857 the county annexed more land from Allegany and Steuben Counties to make up a total of seventeen towns including: Avon, Caledonia, Conesus, Geneseo (county seat), Groveland, Leicester, Lima, Livonia, Mount Morris, North Dansville, Nunda, Ossian, Portage, Sparta, Springwater, West Sparta and York.

Geography: Land and Water

Livingston County is located in Western New York, south of Rochester and east of Buffalo.

A popular tourist location in partly in Livingston County is the Finger Lakes. Letchworth State Park in partly in the western part of the county. The Genesee River flows northward through the county.

As reported by the Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 640 square miles (1,659 km²), of which, 632 square miles (1,637 km²) of it is land and 8 square miles (22 km²) of it (1.30%) is water.

Neighboring Counties

Bordering counties are as follows:

• Monroe County, New York - North
• Ontario County, New York - East
• Steuben County, New York - Southeast
• Allegany County, New York - South
• Genesee County, New York - West
• Wyoming County, New York - West

Education

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