Yates County, New York

Yates County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 24,774, making it the third-least populous county in New York. The county seat is Penn Yan. The name is in honor of Joseph C. Yates, who as Governor of New York signed the act establishing the county. The county is part of the Finger Lakes region of the state.

Formation of the county When counties were established in New York State in 1683, the present Yates County was part of Albany County. This was an enormous county, including the northern part of New York State as well as all of the present State of Vermont and, in theory, extending westward to the Pacific Ocean. This county was reduced in size on July 3, 1766, by the creation of Cumberland County, and again on March 16, 1770, by the creation of Gloucester County, both containing territory now in Vermont.

On March 12, 1772, what was left of Albany County was split into three parts, one remaining under the name Albany County. One of the other pieces, Tryon County, contained the western portion (and thus, since no western boundary was specified, theoretically still extended west to the Pacific). The eastern boundary of Tryon County was approximately five miles west of the present city of Schenectady, and the county included the western part of the Adirondack Mountains and the area west of the West Branch of the Delaware River. The area then designated as Tryon County now includes 37 counties of New York State. The county was named for William Tryon, colonial governor of New York.

In the years prior to 1776, most of the Loyalists in Tryon County fled to Canada. In 1784, following the peace treaty that ended the American Revolutionary War, the name of Tryon County was changed to honor the general, Richard Montgomery, who had captured several places in Canada and died attempting to capture the city of Quebec, replacing the name of the hated British governor.

On January 27, 1789, of Montgomery County was split off to create Ontario County, including the lands of the present Allegany, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Erie, Genesee, Livingston, Monroe, Niagara, Orleans, Steuben, Wyoming, and Yates counties, and part of Schuyler and Wayne counties.

On March 18, 1796, of Ontario County was partitioned to form Steuben County.

On April 3, 1801, Ontario County exchanged land with Cayuga County, and lost as a result.

On March 30, 1802, Ontario County lost of land through the partition of Genesee County, including the present Allegany, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Erie, Niagara, Orleans and Wyoming counties and parts of Livingston and Monroe counties.

In 1821, Ontario County was reduced in size by combining portions of Genesee and Ontario counties to create Livingston and Monroe counties.

On February 5, 1823, Yates County was formed from of Ontario County, including the area that included Vine Valley, Middlesex, Penn Yan, and Dresden, New York.New York. Laws of New York.1823, 46th Session, Chapter 30, Section 1; Page 21

On January 1, 1826, of Steuben County was partitioned and added to Yates, which included Starkey, Dundee, and Lakemont, New York.New York. Laws of New York.1824, 47th Session, Chapter 171; Page 182

On April 15, 1828, was partitioned from Yates, and passed to Seneca and Tompkins counties, mostly in the forest.New York. Revised Statutes of the State of New York, Passed during the years 1827 and 1828; 3 Volumes; Albany, New York.1829; Volume 3;Pages 14–15

On March 17, 1860, Ontario County was authorized to gain land from Yates, but it was never put into effect.New York. Laws of New York.1860, 83rd Session, Chapter 76; Page 120

On April 18, 1946, Yates gained from Schuyler and Seneca counties, which produced the current borders of Yates County.New York. Laws of New York.1946, 169th Session, Chapter 901; Page 1686

History In 1790 the Public Universal Friend and their society moved to the area from their original base in Rhode Island, forming a community at New Jerusalem, south west of Penn Yan, where The Friend's house can still be seen.Cleveland, S. C. (1873). History and Directory of Yates County: Containing a Sketch of Its Original Settlement by the Public Universal Friends, the Lessee Company and Others, with an Account of Individual Pioneers and Their Families; Also, of Other Leading Citizens, Including Church, School, and Civil History, and a Narrative of the Universal Friend.

In 1974 a new Mennonite settlement was started in Yates County. It grew quickly and steadily and with a population of more than 3,000 in 2015 it was almost as large as the Lancaster County, Pennsylvania settlement.

Geography According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (10%) is water.

Yates County is in the western part of New York State, northwest of Ithaca and southeast of Rochester. It is in the Finger Lakes Region.

Adjacent counties Ontario County - northwest Seneca County - east Schuyler County - south Steuben County - southwest

Demographics

2020 census +Yates County, New York – Racial and ethnic compositionRace / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)Pop 1980Pop 1990Pop 2000Pop 2010 Pop 2020% 1980% 1990% 2000% 2010% 2020White alone (NH)21,14922,33023,98324,37123,04998.56%97.90%97.41%96.15%93.04%Black or African American alone (NH)1281391301961450.60%0.61%0.53%0.77%0.59%Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)20463235280.09%0.20%0.13%0.14%0.11%Asian alone (NH)26646696930.12%0.28%0.27%0.38%0.38%Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)x included in the Asian category in the 1980 Censusx included in the Asian category in the 1990 Census418xx0.02%0.00%0.03%Other race alone (NH)2111113770.10%0.00%0.04%0.05%0.31%Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)x not an option in the 1980 Censusx not an option in the 1990 Census167215700xx0.68%0.85%2.83%Hispanic or Latino (any race)1152302284216740.54%1.01%0.93%1.66%2.72%Total21,45922,81024,62125,34824,774 100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%

The most reported ancestries in 2020 were: English (27%) German (19.5%) Irish (14.4%) Italian (5.2%) Scottish (3.2%) Dutch (3%) Polish (2.6%) Danish (2.3%) Swiss (2.3%) French (2.1%)

2000 census As of the census of 2000, there were 24,621 people, 9,029 households, and 6,284 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 12,064 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 97.90% White, 0.56% African American, 0.15% Native American, 0.28% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.36% from other races, and 0.74% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.93% of the population. 21.3% were of English, 16.5% German, 11.4% Irish, 10.7% American, 5.3% Danish and 5.3% Italian ancestry according to Census 2000.

5.46% of the population over 5 years old, mostly Wenger Old Order Mennonites,Reid, Judson: Old Order Mennonites in New York: Cultural and Agricultural Growth, in Journal of Amish and Plain Anabaptist Studies 3(2):212, 2015, pages 107-129. report speaking Pennsylvania Dutch, German, or Dutch at home, a further 1.54% speak Spanish.

There were 9,029 households, out of which 31.50% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.00% were married couples living together, 9.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.40% were non-families. 24.60% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.60% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.59 and the average family size was 3.08.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 26.70% under the age of 18, 9.30% from 18 to 24, 24.70% from 25 to 44, 23.90% from 45 to 64, and 15.50% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 95.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.30 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $34,640, and the median income for a family was $40,681. Males had a median income of $29,671 versus $21,566 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,781. About 8.90% of families and 13.10% of the population were below the poverty line, including 20.90% of those under age 18 and 7.10% of those age 65 or over.

Education Keuka College is in this county.

Transportation Yates County has one private airstrip and two public-use airports: Penn Yan Airport (PEO), the principal airport in the county, is on a hill south of Penn Yan. Middlesex Valley Airport (4N2) – Middlesex

Yates Transit Service provides bus service to Yates County. The county's Highway Department is headquartered in Penn Yan and is charged with maintaining roads, including: Overseeing road construction and repair Issuing special permits for hauling, driveway installation and replacement, and installation of non-standard and supplemental signs Removing snow and ice Each town and village within Yates County maintains its own highway department.

Major roadways

New York State Route 14 New York State Route 14A New York State Route 21 New York State Route 54 New York State Route 54A New York State Route 230 New York State Route 245 New York State Route 247 New York State Route 364 List of county routes in Yates County, New York

The former New York State Route 961H was located in Yates County.

Communities #LocationPopulationType1†Penn Yan5,159Village2Dundee1,725Village3Keuka Park1,137CDP4‡Rushville655Village5Dresden308Village † County seat ‡ Not wholly in this county

Towns

Barrington Benton Italy Jerusalem Middlesex Milo Potter Starkey Torrey

Hamlets

Bellona Branchport Glenora Himrod Lakemont Middlesex Potter Center Rock Stream

Politics Yates County has been a Republican bastion, voting for a Democrat only twice since 1856. Although Mitt Romney won the county by only 3.3% in 2012, Donald Trump had won the county by a decisive 19.9% in 2016. In 2020, however, Trump won by a slightly lower margin, of 18.5%. In 2024, Trump won again, but by a reduced margin of 15.9%, bucking the national trend.

Yates County, New York

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