Relocation Information

Relocation Guide PDF

Population - 32,277 (2005 Statistics)

Area Codes - 518 and 607

Geography - Schoharie County is located in the east-central part of New York State, 30 minutes southwest of the Capital Region.

The Capital Region, comprised of Albany, Schenectady, Troy and suburbs has a population base of approximately 800,000. It is the center of N.Y.S. Government and crossroads of all transportation systems serving the northeastern U.S. Route 7, Route 20 and I-88 that joins N.Y.S. Thruway, at Exit 25A connect Schoharie County to the Capital Region. Westerly routes include Route 7 and I-88 to Binghamton and Route 20 to Utica and Syracuse. The Adirondack Mountains to the north and Catskill Mountains to the south are easily accessed via Routes 10 and 30. Schoharie County is located approximately three hours from New York City.

The County is rural in nature with a strong agricultural and tourism base. Topography consists of rolling hills and flat lands covering approximately six hundred square miles. The population is 33,263 and is concentrated predominantly in the Villages of Cobleskill, Schoharie, Middleburgh, Sharon Springs and Richmondville all in the northern half of the County.

The County enjoys educational and cultural features as a result of the New York State University Agricultural and Technical College at Cobleskill which provides many varied and interesting opportunities.

Climate - Temperatures range from -20 degrees to 80 degrees F with annual average of 43 degrees F. Precipitation totals approximately 36 inches of rainfall and 55 to 60 inches of snowfall.

Relocation Documents

Coming Soon

Government

The County is made up of 16 townships governed by a Town Supervisor and Board of five to seven members for each of the Towns. The County Seat is Schoharie. Click here to access government contact information for each of the towns in Schoharie County.

Colleges & Universities

State University of New York at Cobleskill (518) 234-5011
State University of New York at Albany (518) 442-3300
State University of New York at Oneonta (607) 431-3500

Education and Training - demographic data and basic information for Schoharie County's public schools.

Banks

The county has several commercial banks, and savings and loan associations. New checking accounts may take ten working days to open. Most local stores will not cash out-of-town checks. New residents may initially need traveler's checks, cash and /or credit cards. ATM machines are located throughout the county.

For a list of financial institutions in Schoharie County, please see our Membership Directoy "Financial Services ".

Community Services

For a complete list of community and human services in Schoharie County,please see our Membership Directoy "Services ".

Newspapers

Times Journal (weekly)
19 Division Street
P.O. Box 339
Cobleskill, NY 12043

518-234-2515

My Shopper (Pennysaver-type weekly)
Eastside Village Mall
2403 State Route 7, Suite 4
Cobleskill, NY 12043

518-234-8215

Daily Gazette Newspaper (daily)
2345 Maxon Road PO Box 1090
Schenectady NY 12301 (518) 395-3022

Mountain Eagle (weekly)
POB 968 Railroad Avenue
Tannersville, NY 12485 (518) 589-7007

Libraries

Some villages in Schoharie County have their own Public Library. Please contact the one of your choice for any further information needed.

The Community Library 110 Union Street, Cobleskill 518-234-7897	Middleburgh Public Library 323 Main Street, Middleburgh 827-5142
Schoharie Public Library Corner of Knower Avenue and Bridge Street Schoharie 295-7127	Sharon Springs Free Library 128 Main Street Sharon Springs 284-3126

Health Care Services

For a complete list of health care providers and services in Schoharie County, please see our Membership Directoy "Health Care ".

Housing and Real Estate

To access a listing of realtors in Schoharie County, please see our Membership Directoy "Real Estate ".

Utilities

To access a listing of the utilities in Schoharie County, please see our Membership Directoy "Utilities".

Economy and Employment

The local economy is primarily based on agriculture, light manufacturing, banking, tourism, insurance, government, education and the wholesale, retail and service industries. Click here for more demographic information.

Little Known Facts...

DID YOU KNOW... The Old Stone Fort Museum in Schoharie has a 1731 fire engine thought to be the oldest in the state. 

Only, First, Last and Most

• The only New York State Governor to come from Schoharie was its 13th, William C. Bouck, 1842-1844. He cut the executive household budget by having his wife do the cooking. Often described as New York’s first farmer-governor, he was born, educated and married in Schoharie County.
• The first drive-in theater in the United States was in the Village of Schoharie. In the 1930s, the movie theater was Main Street, with road traffic diverted during the shows.
• Mrs. Perry Taylor, Mayor of Schoharie, was New York State's first woman mayor and the state’s first licensed woman driver.
• The first automobile accident in Schoharie County occurred in 1901.
• The last Revolutionary War veteran in Schoharie County, Nicholas Weeder, died in 1863.
• The flood plain of Vroman's land in Middleburgh is one of the richest, most fertile cornfields in the world.
• Fossil trees, dating back more than 370 million years, were first found in Schoharie County.

Life for the Early Settlers

• The first Schoharie German settler in 1712 ate corn meal mush at almost every meal.
• Early Schoharie settlers made change by cutting their coins and bills in pieces.
• The Schoharie County settlers were indebted to a pregnant mare, purchased by the Palatine women of Old Schoharie. Before the mare arrived, they often had to pull the plow themselves and walked to Schenectady to grind their grain.
• Hard sulfur water was prized in early Schoharie as a cure for skin disease.
• In early Schoharie, water pipes were often made by drilling holes in the length of small logs. Some of these "pump logs" are believed to still be in use.
• Cobleskill was purchased from the Indians on November 9, 1752, for 50 Spanish-milled silver dollars.
• The village of old Gilboa (now at the bottom of the lake) was once the largest settlement in the county.
• Children in Old Schoharie often did not have shoes or, to save them, they would walk barefoot to school before putting them on.

During the Revolutionary War

• Nicholas Somers, the Schoharie Lutheran minister, was blind for 20 years before suddenly regaining his sight at an old age.
• The population of Old Schoharie in 1776 was probably less than 200 people.
• The 1778 Battle of Cobleskill was actually fought in Warnerville.
• The first U.S. Continental Army commander in the Schoharie Valley in 1778 complained that the residents were all Tories.

The 20th Century

• Until the early years of the century, a dollar a day was the common wage for a laboring man.
• From the 1860s to 1930s, Schoharie County had its own railroad, the Middleburgh and Schoharie. There was one car.
• The favorite breakfast in old Schoharie in 1900 was buckwheat pancakes.
• Schoharie students once rode the D&H Railroad to college classes in Albany.
• Until less than 80 years ago, Schoharie farmers often paid their bill at the grocery store with butter and eggs.
• As late as 1920, car owners in Schoharie stored their cars during the winter months, leaving the battery at the local hardware store to be kept charged.

 Historical society's website: 

http://schohariehistory.net/