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Chemung County, New York facts for kids

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Chemung County
County
Chemung County Courthouse
Chemung County Courthouse
Official seal of Chemung County
Seal
Map of New York highlighting Chemung County
Location within the U.S. state of New York
Map of the United States highlighting New York
New York's location within the U.S.
Country  United States
State  New York
Founded March 29, 1836
Named for Unami for "big horn"
Seat Elmira
Largest city Elmira
Area
 • Total 411 sq mi (1,060 km2)
 • Land 407 sq mi (1,050 km2)
 • Water 3.4 sq mi (9 km2)  0.8%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total 84,148
 • Density 206.6/sq mi (79.8/km2)
Time zone UTC−5 (Eastern)
 • Summer (DST) UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district 23rd

Chemung County is a county in New York State. About 84,148 people lived here in 2020. Its main city and county seat is Elmira. The name "Chemung" comes from a Native American word that means "big horn." This county is part of the "Southern Tier" region of New York.

Chemung County is also part of the Elmira, NY Metropolitan Statistical Area. This area is sometimes called "Mark Twain Country." That's because the famous author Mark Twain lived and wrote in Elmira for many years.

Exploring Chemung County's Past

Chemung County New York - Beers 1869
An 1869 map of Chemung County

Chemung County was created in 1836. It was formed from a part of Tioga County. At first, it was about 520 square miles big.

Later, in 1854, a piece of Chemung County was used to create Schuyler County. This made Chemung County smaller, about 410 square miles. That's its size today!

Discovering Chemung County's Location

John H. Hazlett Building, Elmira
The Chemung County Government Building in Elmira

Chemung County is in the southwestern part of New York State. It shares a border with Pennsylvania. This area is known as the Southern Tier of New York. It's also part of the beautiful Finger Lakes Region.

The county has a total area of 411 square miles. Most of this is land, about 407 square miles. The rest, about 3.4 square miles, is water.

The Southern Tier Expressway is a major road that goes through the county. It runs from east to west. You can find it near the Pennsylvania border. It connects towns like Waverly and Corning through Elmira.

Getting Around Chemung County

Major Roads

  • I-86.svg NY-17.svg Interstate 86 / New York State Route 17 (Southern Tier Expressway)
  • NY-13.svg New York State Route 13
  • NY-14.svg New York State Route 14
  • NY-34.svg New York State Route 34
  • NY-223.svg New York State Route 223
  • NY-328.svg New York State Route 328
  • NY-352.svg New York State Route 352
  • NY-367.svg New York State Route 367
  • NY-414.svg New York State Route 414
  • NY-427.svg New York State Route 427

Airport Access

  • Elmira Corning Regional Airport is the main airport for the area.

People of Chemung County

Historical population
Census Pop. %±
1840 20,732 —
1850 28,821 39.0%
1860 26,917 −6.6%
1870 35,281 31.1%
1880 43,065 22.1%
1890 48,265 12.1%
1900 54,063 12.0%
1910 54,662 1.1%
1920 65,872 20.5%
1930 74,680 13.4%
1940 73,718 −1.3%
1950 86,827 17.8%
1960 98,706 13.7%
1970 101,537 2.9%
1980 97,656 −3.8%
1990 95,195 −2.5%
2000 91,070 −4.3%
2010 88,830 −2.5%
2020 84,148 −5.3%
U.S. Decennial Census
1790-1960 1900-1990
1990-2000 2010-2020

Who Lives Here? (2020 Census)

Chemung County Racial Composition
Race Number of People Percentage
White (not Hispanic) 69,559 82.66%
Black or African American (not Hispanic) 5,009 5.95%
Native American (not Hispanic) 198 0.23%
Asian (not Hispanic) 1,426 1.69%
Pacific Islander (not Hispanic) 15 0.02%
Other/Mixed (not Hispanic) 5,003 5.95%
Hispanic or Latino 2,938 3.49%

Learning in Chemung County

See also: Category:Education in Chemung County, New York

Students in Chemung County have many choices for education. There are public and private schools. High school students and adults can also go to GST BOCES. BOCES offers special training for jobs and adult classes.

Public School Districts

Here are some of the public school districts that serve Chemung County:

  • Corning City School District
  • Elmira City School District
  • Elmira Heights Central School District
  • Horseheads Central School District
  • Odessa-Montour Central School District
  • Spencer-Van Etten Central School District
  • Watkins Glen Central School District
  • Waverly Central School District

Private Schools

  • Chemung Valley Montessori School
  • Elmira Christian Academy
  • Holy Family Middle School
  • Saint Mary Our Mother School
  • Notre Dame High School
  • Twin Tiers Christian Academy

Colleges and Higher Learning

  • Arnot Ogden School of Nursing
  • Corning Community College (has sites in the area)
  • Elmira College
  • Elmira Business Institute

Public Libraries

Chemung County Library District

Steele Memorial Library
Steele Memorial Library
  • Steele Memorial Library
  • Horseheads Free Library
  • Big Flats Library
  • West Elmira Library
  • Van Etten Library
  • Chemung County Bookmobile

Communities in Chemung County

Larger Towns and Villages

# Location Population Type Area
1 †Elmira 29,200 City Elmira-Horseheads
2 Southport 7,238 CDP Elmira-Horseheads
3 Horseheads 6,461 Village Elmira-Horseheads
4 Big Flats 5,277 CDP West
5 West Elmira 4,967 CDP Elmira-Horseheads
6 Elmira Heights 4,097 Village Elmira-Horseheads
7 Horseheads North 2,843 CDP North
8 Pine Valley 813 CDP North
9 Breesport 626 CDP/Hamlet Northeast
10 Wellsburg 580 Village Southeast
11 ††Van Etten 537 CDP/Hamlet Northeast
12 Erin 483 CDP Northeast
13 Millport 312 Village North

† - County Seat (main city)

†† - Used to be a village

Towns in the County

Hamlet (Small Community)

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Condado de Chemung para niños

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