Erie County, New York
Erie County | |
|---|---|
Left to right from top: Erie County Hall, Wendt Beach Park, Akron Falls Park, Chestnut Ridge Park, Canisius University, Gateway Park, Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens | |
Location within the U.S. state of New York | |
New York's location within the U.S. | |
| Coordinates: 42°45′N 78°47′W / 42.75°N 78.78°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | New York |
| Founded | 1821 |
| Named after | Eriechronon |
| Seat | Buffalo |
| Largest city | Buffalo |
| Government | |
| • County Executive | Mark C. Poloncarz (D) |
| Area | |
• Total | 1,227 sq mi (3,180 km2) |
| • Land | 1,043 sq mi (2,700 km2) |
| • Water | 184 sq mi (480 km2) 15% |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 954,236 |
| • Density | 914.9/sq mi (353.2/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) |
| Congressional districts | 23rd, 26th |
| Website | erie |
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Erie County is a county along the shore of Lake Erie in western New York State. As of the 2020 census, the population was 954,236. However, in the 2023 census, the Erie County population was 946,147. The county seat is Buffalo, which makes up about 28% of the county's population. Both the county and Lake Erie were named for the regional Iroquoian language-speaking Erie tribe of Native Americans, who lived in the area before 1654. They were later pushed out by the more powerful Iroquoian nations tribes. The county is part of the Western New York region of the state.
Erie County, along with its northern neighbor Niagara County, makes up the Buffalo-Niagara Falls metropolitan area, the second largest in the State of New York behind New York City. The county's southern part is known as the Southtowns. The county has seen one of the highest growth rates of any county in the State of New York from the 2010 to 2020 census, although, in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, Erie County has faced some population decline, due to the harsh economic hit many businesses dealt with, leaving them to either close down completely or move to a larger city.