Editing Onondaga County, New York (section)

==History==
{{See also|History of Syracuse, New York}}

The name ''Onondaga'' derives from the name of the Native American [[tribe (Native American)|tribe]] indigenous to this area, one of the original [[Iroquois|Five Nations]] of the ''Haudenosaunee''. They call themselves ([[Endonym|autonym]]) [[Onondaga people|''Onoda'gega'']], sometimes spelled ''Onontakeka.'' The word means "People of the Hills." Sometimes the term is ''Onondagaono'' ("The People of the Hills"). The federally recognized Onondaga Nation has a {{convert|9.3|sqmi|km2|0}} [[Indian reservation|reservation]] within the county, on which they have self-government.

When counties were established in [[New York (state)|New York]] in 1683, the present Onondaga County was part of [[Albany County, New York|Albany County]]. This enormous county included the northern part of New York State as well as all of the present State of [[Vermont]] and, in theory, extended westward to the [[Pacific Ocean]]. It was reduced in size on July 3, 1766, by the creation of [[Cumberland County, New York|Cumberland County]], and further on March 16, 1770, by the creation of [[Gloucester County, New York|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, New York|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 {{convert|5|mi|km|0}} west of the present city of [[Schenectady, New York|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.

[[Image:Oneida Lake seen from Yacht Club in Cicero New York.jpg|thumb|300px|left|[[Oneida Lake]] borders Onondaga County to the northeast. It is the largest lake wholly within the state of New York. This picture was taken from the town of Cicero, a northern suburban town in the northeast part of Onondaga County.]]

In the years prior to 1776, most of the [[Loyalists]] in [[Tryon County, New York|Tryon County]] fled to [[Canada]]. The Onondaga were among four Iroquois tribes that allied with the British against the American colonists, as they hoped to end their encroachment. Instead, they were forced to cede most of their land in New York to the United States after the war. Many Onondaga went with [[Joseph Brant]] and other nations to [[Canada]], where they received land grants in compensation and formed the [[Six Nations of the Grand River First Nation]].

In 1784, after a peace treaty ended the [[American Revolutionary War]], the [[name]] of Tryon County was changed to [[Montgomery County, New York|Montgomery County]]. It honored General [[Richard Montgomery]], who had captured several places in Canada and died attempting to capture the city of [[Quebec]], and replaced the name of the hated British governor.

In 1789, Montgomery County was reduced by the splitting off of [[Ontario County, New York|Ontario County]] from Montgomery. The actual area split off from Montgomery County was much larger than the present county, also including the present [[Allegany County, New York|Allegany]], [[Cattaraugus County, New York|Cattaraugus]], [[Chautauqua County, New York|Chautauqua]], [[Erie County, New York|Erie]], [[Genesee County, New York|Genesee]], [[Livingston County, New York|Livingston]], [[Monroe County, New York|Monroe]], [[Niagara County, New York|Niagara]], [[Orleans County, New York|Orleans]], [[Steuben County, New York|Steuben]], [[Wyoming County, New York|Wyoming]], [[Yates County, New York|Yates]], and part of [[Schuyler County, New York|Schuyler]] and [[Wayne County, New York|Wayne Counties]].

In 1791, Herkimer County was one of three counties split off from Montgomery (the other two being [[Otsego County, New York|Otsego]], and [[Tioga County, New York|Tioga County]]). This was much larger than the present county, however, and was reduced by a number of subsequent splits.

In 1794, Onondaga County was split off from Herkimer County. This county was larger than the current Onondaga County, including the present [[Cayuga County, New York|Cayuga]], [[Cortland County, New York|Cortland]], and part of [[Oswego County, New York|Oswego Counties]].

In 1799, [[Cayuga County, New York|Cayuga County]] was split off from Onondaga.

In 1808, [[Cortland County, New York|Cortland County]] was split off from Onondaga.

In 1816, parts of Oneida and Onondaga Counties were taken to form the new [[Oswego County, New York|Oswego County]].

At the time Onondaga County was organized, it was divided into eleven towns: Homer, Pompey, Manlius, Lysander, Marcellus, Ulysses, Milton, Scipio, Ovid, Aurelius and Romulus.<ref name="original">{{Citation|url=https://archive.org/stream/historyofonondag00clay/historyofonondag00clay_djvu.txt|title=History of Onondaga County|year=1878 |access-date=August 25, 2010|publisher=Professor W. W. Clayton, 1878|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120927064946/http://archive.org/stream/historyofonondag00clay/historyofonondag00clay_djvu.txt|archive-date=September 27, 2012}}</ref>

[[Central New York]] developed rapidly after the [[Central New York Military Tract|New Military Tract]] provided land in lieu of payment to Revolutionary War veterans. Migration was largely from the east, mostly from New England states. The [[Genesee Road]], which became the [[Seneca Turnpike]] in 1800, provided access. Generally settlers preferred higher land, since they associated lowlands with disease. Over time, as early clearing and farming eroded hillside soil, valley lands were more fertile and highly prized for agriculture as well as for water power, which was the origin of many communities. An early settler of 1823 was [[James Hutchinson Woodworth]], a native of Washington County, NY. He helped clear land for his family's farm in this region before he moved to [[Chicago]] where he became Mayor. The completion of the [[Erie Canal]] across New York state in 1825 accelerated trade, development and migration.

The city of [[Syracuse, New York|Syracuse]], [[New York (state)|New York]] developed relatively late, due to its marshy situation. It was incorporated as a village in 1825 and as a city in 1847; by contrast, the [[Manlius (village), New York|Village of Manlius]], along the [[Cherry Valley Turnpike|Cherry Valley]] and [[Seneca Turnpike]]s, was incorporated in 1813. The population of these rural towns was greatest in the late nineteenth century, when more people cultivated land and farms were relatively small, supporting large households.

Since that time, agriculture has declined in the county. Some Onondaga County towns like [[Spafford, New York|Spafford]] were largely depopulated and many villages became veritable ghost towns. Onondaga County highlands now are more heavily reforested, with public parks and preserves providing recreation. Two [[Finger Lakes]] in the county, Skaneateles and Otisco, also attract visitors. The village of [[Skaneateles (village), New York|Skaneateles]] on scenic [[Route 20]] has become a major tourist destination.

At the turn of the twenty-first century, population declined in the City of Syracuse while suburban communities generally grew, particularly with tract developments north of the city. Elsewhere, scattered commuter houses appeared, generally on fairly large parcels. The rapid development of the village of Skaneateles and shores of Skaneateles Lake led to increased demand for property and property values.

[[Image:Onondaga Lake Park.jpg|thumb|250px|right|Onondaga Lake Park in the northern suburbs of Syracuse. Picture captures Onondaga Lake with the Syracuse skyline in the background. Onondaga Lake Park attracts over one million visitors each year.]]