Section 4- County Profile
SECTION 4: COUNTY PROFILE SECTION 4 COUNTY PROFILE This profile provides general information for Chenango County’s physical setting, population and demographics, general building stock, land use and population trends, and critical facilities located within the county. Analyzing this information leads to an enhanced understanding of the study area. The economic, structural, and demographic contexts can be related to hazards analyzed later in this plan. 4.1 GENERAL INFORMATION Chenango is a word from Oneida tribal language name meaning “pleasant river flowing through the land of the bull thistle”. Chenango County was named after the Chenango River, which runs through the County (McFee, 2000). This largely rural and wooded county is located within the “Southern Tier Region” of New York State and was established on March 15, 1798, which included all of Madison County and Chenango County (Chenango County Visitors Guide, 2005, NYGenWeb, 2007). Today’s boundaries were established on March 21, 1806 (Sullivan, 1927). According to the American Community Survey, the 2018 estimated population for Chenango County is 48,348 (U.S. Census, 2018). Currently, Chenango County comprises 899 square miles and includes numerous state forests, rural landscapes, residential areas, business districts, over 103,000 acres of agricultural land, four rivers, various transportation systems, natural features, over 112,700 acres of forested land, and educational facilities (Draft Chenango Comprehensive Plan, 2013). This combination of natural and developed features lays the foundation for Chenango County’s vulnerability to natural hazards, both in terms of exposure to a hazard event and the potential impact of hazard events. Chenango County is comprised of 21 towns, 8 villages, and 1 city as described in the table below.
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