Editing Madison County, New York (section)

==Geography==
According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the county has a total area of {{convert|661|sqmi}}, of which {{convert|655|sqmi}} is land and {{convert|6.4|sqmi}} (1.0%) is water.<ref name="GR1">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/geo/maps-data/data/docs/gazetteer/counties_list_36.txt|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=January 5, 2015|date=August 22, 2012|title=2010 Census Gazetteer Files|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140519062322/http://www.census.gov/geo/maps-data/data/docs/gazetteer/counties_list_36.txt|archive-date=May 19, 2014}}</ref>

Madison County is located in central New York State, just east of [[Syracuse, New York|Syracuse]], north of [[Binghamton, New York|Binghamton]], and slightly north of due west from [[Albany, New York|Albany]]. Madison County contains the geographic center of the state at Pratts Hollow in the Town of Eaton.

[[Oneida Lake]] and [[Oneida Creek]] define part of the northern boundary. The Great Swamp, formerly located south of the lake, was a rich [[wetlands]] habitat important to many species of birds and wildlife. This was drained by local and state construction projects in the early decades of the twentieth century, chiefly by [[Italian people|Italian]] immigrants. The fertile soil supported high production of onions and other commodity crops, and the Italian families grew wealthy from their work. The area was known as "Black Beach" for its [[mucklands]].<ref>{{cite web|last=Barbagallo|first=Tricia|url=http://www.archives.nysed.gov/apt/magazine/archivesmag_summer05.pdf|format=PDF|title=Black Beach: The Mucklands of Canastota, New York|work=New York Archives|date=June 1, 2005|access-date=June 4, 2008|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131113180442/http://www.archives.nysed.gov/apt/magazine/archivesmag_summer05.pdf|archive-date=November 13, 2013}}</ref> [[Chittenango Creek]] defines much of the western boundary.

=== Adjacent counties and areas ===
[[Chenango County, New York|Chenango County]] is across the southern border. [[Onondaga County, New York|Onondaga]] and [[Cortland County, New York|Cortland]] counties form the western border, with Onondaga serving as Madison County's longest and most prominent border. [[Otsego County, New York|Otsego County]] forms a short boundary in the southeastern corner of Madison County. [[Oneida County, New York|Oneida County]] shares a northeastern border with Madison County. [[Oneida Lake]] is the northern border with part of [[Oswego County, New York|Oswego County]] on the opposite shore.