Overview
Onondaga County is in the west central portion of New York State, west of Utica, east of Rochester and north of Ithaca. The City of Syracuse serves as the county seat.
Key Aspects
Main Industries: Education and the healthcare industry are the county's largest employers. Syracuse is host to the annual The Great New York State Fair, which attracts thousands of visitors from across the country.
Land: The northern part of the county is fairly level lake plain, extending northward to Lake Ontario. Oneida Lake three rivers, as well as the Erie and subsequent Barge Canals are in the lake plain. The main line of the New York Central Railroad and the New York State Thruway extend east and west across the county through the lake plain.
The southern part of the county is Appalachian Plateau, with high hills rising at the southern edge of Syracuse. This is the eastern part of the Finger Lakes region. Skaneateles Lake and Otisco Lake are both in Onondaga County.
Education: The county hosts 32,000 students currently attending college. Syracuse University is one of the nation's most highly regarded private colleges, offering a diverse portfolio of undergraduate and graduate degrees to its 18,200 students. LeMoyne College, a Jesuit-run liberal arts college; the State University of New York's Upstate Medical University, the largest medical school in upstate New York; the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry; and Onondaga Community College round out the higher education institutions in Onondaga County.
Elected Officials
County Executive - J. Ryan McMahon II
Chair, County Legislature - Timothy T. Burtis
Municipalities
- Syracuse, City of
- Camillus, Town of
- Camillus, Village of
- Cicero, Town of
- North Syracuse, Village of (shared with Town of Clay)
- Clay, Town of
- DeWitt, Town of
- Elbridge, Town of
- Fabius, Town of
- Fabius, Village of
- Geddes, Town of
- LaFayette, Town of
- Lysander, Town of
- Baldwinsville, Village of (shared with Towns of Clay and Van Buren)
- Manlius, Town of
- Marcellus, Town of
- Onondaga, Town of
- Otisco, Town of
- Pompey, Town of
- Salina, Town of
- Skaneateles, Town of
- Spafford, Town of
- Tully, Town of
- Van Buren, Town of