Tompkins County, New York facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Tompkins County
County
Images, from top down, left to right: Ithaca Falls, Johnson Museum of Art, Allan H. Treman State Marine Park, Stewart Park, Ithaca Commons, and Cornell University
Flag Seal
Location within the U.S. state of New York
New York's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	New York
Founded	April 17, 1817
Named for	Daniel D. Tompkins
Seat	Ithaca
Largest City	Ithaca
Area
• Total	492 sq mi (1,270 km2)
• Land	475 sq mi (1,230 km2)
• Water	17 sq mi (40 km2)  3.4%
Population  (2020)
• Total	105,740
• Density	222.8/sq mi (86.0/km2)
Demonym(s)	Tompkins Countyan
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
ZIP Codes	13053, 13062, 13068, 13073, 13102, 13736, 14817, 13864, 14850, 14851, 14852, 14853, 14854, 14867, 14881, 14882, 14883, 14886
Area code	607
Congressional district	19th

Tompkins County is a place in New York State. In 2020, about 105,740 people lived there. The main city, called the county seat, is Ithaca. The county is named after Daniel D. Tompkins. He was a governor of New York and later the Vice President of the United States. Tompkins County is in the 'Southern Tier' part of New York.

Tompkins County is part of the Ithaca Metropolitan Statistical Area. It's famous for its colleges! You'll find Cornell University, Ithaca College, and Tompkins Cortland Community College here.

History of Tompkins County

When counties were first set up in New York in 1683, the area that is now Tompkins County was part of a huge county called Albany County. This county was so big it even included parts of what is now Vermont.

Over many years, Albany County was split into smaller counties. In 1772, a new county called Tryon County was created. It covered a large western part of New York. After the American Revolutionary War, in 1784, Tryon County was renamed Montgomery County. This was to honor Richard Montgomery, a general who fought in the war.

More counties were formed from Montgomery County, including Herkimer County in 1791, and then Onondaga County in 1794.

In 1799, Cayuga County was formed from Onondaga County. This new Cayuga County was much larger than it is today. It included the land that would become Tompkins County. Later, in 1804, Seneca County was created from Cayuga County.

Finally, on April 7, 1817, Tompkins County was officially created. It was made from parts of Seneca County and the remaining part of Cayuga County. The county was named after Daniel Tompkins, who was the Vice President of the United States at that time.

In 1854, a small part of Tompkins County was given to the newly formed Schuyler County.

Geography of Tompkins County

Robert H. Treman State Park in Tompkins County is a beautiful place to visit.

Tompkins County covers about 492 square miles. Most of this area, about 475 square miles, is land. The rest, about 17 square miles, is water.

The county is located in the west-central part of New York State. It is south of Syracuse and northwest of Binghamton. Many people consider Tompkins County to be part of the beautiful Finger Lakes region.

Neighboring Counties

Tompkins County shares borders with these other counties:

• Cayuga County - to the north
• Cortland County - to the east
• Tioga County - to the south
• Chemung County - to the southwest
• Schuyler County - to the west
• Seneca County - to the northwest

Main Roads in Tompkins County

Many important roads run through Tompkins County, helping people travel around. Here are some of the main ones:

• New York State Route 13
• New York State Route 13A
• New York State Route 34
• New York State Route 34B
• New York State Route 38
• New York State Route 79
• New York State Route 89
• New York State Route 96
• New York State Route 96B
• New York State Route 222
• New York State Route 227
• New York State Route 327
• New York State Route 366
• New York State Route 392

People of Tompkins County

[[US Census population |1820= 20681 |1830= 36545 |1840= 37948 |1850= 38746 |1860= 31409 |1870= 33178 |1880= 34445 |1890= 32923 |1900= 33830 |1910= 33647 |1920= 35285 |1930= 41490 |1940= 42340 |1950= 59122 |1960= 66164 |1970= 77064 |1980= 87085 |1990= 94097 |2000= 96501 |2010= 101564 |2020= 105740 |estimate= 104777 |estyear=2022 |estref= |align-fn=center |footnote=U.S. Decennial Census
1790-1960 1900-1990
1990-2000 2010-2020 ]] In 2000, there were 96,501 people living in Tompkins County. The population density was about 203 people per square mile. Most people (85.50%) were White. Other groups included African American (3.64%) and Asian (7.19%). About 3.08% of the population was Hispanic or Latino.

The average age of people in the county was 29 years old. About 19% of the population was under 18 years old. Many young adults aged 18 to 24 lived here, making up 26% of the population. This is likely because of the colleges in the area.

The average income for a household in the county was $37,272. For families, the average income was $53,041.

2020 Census Data

The 2020 census showed that the population of Tompkins County was 105,740.

Communities in Tompkins County

This map shows the different towns, cities, and villages in Tompkins County.

Tompkins County Court House in Ithaca, where important county decisions are made.

Tompkins County has one main city, several villages, and many smaller communities.

Largest Settlements

The biggest city and villages in Tompkins County are:

Name	Population (2020)	Type	Area (2020)		Coordinates
			sq mi	km2
Ithaca	32,108	City	6.07	15.7	42°26′36″N 76°30′0″W / 42.44333°N 76.50000°W / 42.44333; -76.50000
South Hill	7,245	CDP	6	15.5	42°24′42″N 76°29′26″W / 42.41167°N 76.49056°W / 42.41167; -76.49056
Cayuga Heights	4,114	Village	1.77	4.6	42°27′59″N 76°29′19″W / 42.46639°N 76.48861°W / 42.46639; -76.48861
Lansing	3,648	Village	4.63	12.0	42°29′16″N 76°29′10″W / 42.48778°N 76.48611°W / 42.48778; -76.48611
East Ithaca	3,175	CDP	1.8	4.7	42°25′36″N 76°27′33″W / 42.42667°N 76.45917°W / 42.42667; -76.45917
Northeast Ithaca	2,701	CDP	1.5	3.9	42°28′12″N 76°27′51″W / 42.47000°N 76.46417°W / 42.47000; -76.46417
Northwest Ithaca	2,231	CDP	3.6	9.3	42°28′4″N 76°32′20″W / 42.46778°N 76.53889°W / 42.46778; -76.53889
Groton	2,145	Village	1.74	4.5	42°35′13″N 76°21′54″W / 42.58694°N 76.36500°W / 42.58694; -76.36500
Dryden	1,887	Village	1.77	4.6	42°29′21″N 76°17′59″W / 42.48917°N 76.29972°W / 42.48917; -76.29972
Trumansburg	1,714	Village	1.39	3.6	42°32′26″N 76°39′36″W / 42.54056°N 76.66000°W / 42.54056; -76.66000
Forest Home	1,168	CDP	0.3	0.8	42°27′11″N 76°28′17″W / 42.45306°N 76.47139°W / 42.45306; -76.47139
South Lansing	1,078	CDP	2.8	7.3	42°32′16″N 76°30′21″W / 42.53778°N 76.50583°W / 42.53778; -76.50583
Varna	767	CDP	0.71	1.8	42°27′18″N 76°26′17″W / 42.45500°N 76.43806°W / 42.45500; -76.43806
Newfield	725	CDP	1.2	3.1	42°21′43″N 76°35′32″W / 42.36194°N 76.59222°W / 42.36194; -76.59222
Jacksonville	516	CDP	3.6	9.3	42°30′30″N 76°36′54″W / 42.50833°N 76.61500°W / 42.50833; -76.61500
Danby	506	CDP	3.46	9.0	42°21′9″N 76°28′50″W / 42.35250°N 76.48056°W / 42.35250; -76.48056
Freeville	498	Village	1.09	2.8	42°30′45″N 76°20′45″W / 42.51250°N 76.34583°W / 42.51250; -76.34583
McLean	378	CDP	0.23	0.6	42°33′07″N 76°17′28″W / 42.55194°N 76.29111°W / 42.55194; -76.29111
Brooktondale	261	CDP	0.24	0.6	42°22′50″N 76°23′41″W / 42.38056°N 76.39472°W / 42.38056; -76.39472
West Danby	211	CDP	1.36	3.5	42°19′8″N 76°31′31″W / 42.31889°N 76.52528°W / 42.31889; -76.52528
Slaterville Springs	208	CDP	0.26	0.7	42°23′44″N 76°21′02″W / 42.39556°N 76.35056°W / 42.39556; -76.35056

Towns in Tompkins County

Tompkins County is divided into nine towns:

• Caroline
• Danby
• Dryden
• Enfield
• Groton
• Ithaca
• Lansing
• Newfield
• Ulysses

Other Communities

You can also find these smaller communities in Tompkins County:

• Caroline Center
• Enfield Center
• Etna
• Freeville
• West Danby
• McLean
• Trumansburg
• Brooktondale
• Slaterville Springs
• Cayuga Heights
• Varna
• Forest Home
• Podunk
• South Hill
• Ellis Hollow
• College Town
• Jacksonville
• Trumbulls Corners

Education in Tompkins County

The Tompkins County Public Library is a great place to find books and learn.

The historic Dryden District School No. 5 is an old one-room schoolhouse.

Tompkins County is a great place for learning! It has three main colleges:

• Cornell University in the City of Ithaca
• Ithaca College in the Town of Ithaca
• Tompkins-Cortland Community College in the Town of Dryden

Many school districts serve the county, helping younger students learn and grow. The largest one is the Ithaca City School District. Other school districts include:

• Candor Central School District
• Cortland City School District
• Dryden Central School District
• Groton Central School District
• Homer Central School District
• Lansing Central School District
• Newark Valley Central School District
• Newfield Central School District
• Odessa-Montour Central School District
• Southern Cayuga Central School District
• Spencer-Van Etten Central School District
• Trumansburg Central School District

The county also has several public libraries where you can borrow books and use computers. These include the Tompkins County Public Library, the Southworth Library, and the Ulysses Philomathic Library.

Images for kids

• 

  McGraw Tower at Cornell University, a tall and famous building.

• 

  The beautiful Upper Gorge at Buttermilk Falls State Park.

See also

In Spanish: Condado de Tompkins para niños