Lewis County is a county in New York, United States, between the Adirondack Mountains and the Tug Hill Plateau, in the northwestern part of the state. It had a population of 26,582 at the 2020 census and covers 1,290 square miles (3,300 km2) centred near 43°47′N 75°27′W.
Lowville is the county seat, and its postal code is 13367. The county has 17 towns, 8 incorporated villages and dozens of unincorporated hamlets and crossroads, and it sits in the Eastern time zone.
Towns & Villages in Lewis County
Lewis County has 8 incorporated villages — Castorland, Constableville, Copenhagen, Croghan, Lowville, Lyons Falls, Port Leyden and Turin — plus dozens of unincorporated hamlets, most of them old mill sites or crossroads dating to the county’s 19th-century lumber and farming era. “Unincorp.” below means the place has no separate municipal government; it is governed as part of its surrounding town.
| Place | Type | Pop. | ZIP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alpina | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Barnes Corners | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Beaver Falls | Unincorp. | — | 13305 |
| Belfort | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Bellwood | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Brantingham | Unincorp. | — | 13312 |
| Briggs Corner | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Bushes Landing | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Castorland | Village | — | 13620 |
| Clark Corners | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Collinsville | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Constableville | Village | — | 13325 |
| Copenhagen | Village | — | 13626 |
| Croghan | Village | — | 13327 |
| Crystal Dale | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Dadville | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Deer River | Unincorp. | — | 13627 |
| Denmark | Unincorp. | — | 13631 |
| Diana Center | Unincorp. | — | — |
| East Martinsburg | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Fish Creek | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Forest City | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Fowlersville | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Freeman Mill | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Glendale | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Glenfield | Unincorp. | — | 13343 |
| Goulds Mill | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Greig | Unincorp. | — | 13345 |
| Harrisburg | Unincorp. | — | — |
| High Falls | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Hooker | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Hoseville | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Indian River | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Jerden Falls | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Kimball Mill | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Kirschnerville | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Kosterville | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Lake Bonaparte | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Leisher Mill | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Locust Grove | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Lowville | Village · seat | 3,470 | 13367 |
| Lyons Falls | Village | — | 13368 |
| Lyonsdale | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Martinsburg | Unincorp. | — | 13404 |
| Michigan Mills | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Mohawk Hill | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Monteola | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Naumburg | Unincorp. | — | — |
| New Boston | Unincorp. | — | — |
| New Bremen | Unincorp. | — | — |
| New Campbellwood Wye | Unincorp. | — | — |
| North Croghan Crossing | Unincorp. | — | — |
| North Osceola | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Number Four | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Old Campbellwood Wye | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Osceola | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Otter Creek | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Page | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Parkers | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Parson Mill | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Petries Corners | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Pine Grove | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Port Leyden | Village | — | 13433 |
| Rector | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Remington Corners | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Shuetown | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Soft Maple | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Sperryville | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Swancott Mill | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Talcottville | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Texas | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Turin | Village | — | 13473 |
| Watson | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Welch Hill | Unincorp. | — | — |
| West Leyden | Unincorp. | — | 13489 |
| West Lowville | Unincorp. | — | — |
| West Martinsburg | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Wetmore | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Windecker | Unincorp. | — | — |
Several names above are hamlets within civil towns that share part of the name — for example Croghan is both a village and the larger town around it, and the same pattern holds for Turin. Their town-level population figures could not be independently verified this session and are not published here; see the notes for the county total instead.
ZIP Codes
- 13367 — Lowville (also serves West Lowville)
- 13620 — Castorland
- 13626 — Copenhagen
- 13327 — Croghan (also serves North Croghan Crossing)
- 13433 — Port Leyden
- 13343 — Glenfield
- 13368 — Lyons Falls
- 13473 — Turin
- 13325 — Constableville
- 13489 — West Leyden
- 13345 — Greig
- 13305 — Beaver Falls
- 13312 — Brantingham
- 13404 — Martinsburg (also serves East and West Martinsburg)
- 13631 — Denmark
- 13627 — Deer River
Most of the remaining crossroads hamlets in the county use a neighboring post office town’s ZIP code rather than one of their own.
Geography
Lewis County lies on the eastern edge of the Tug Hill Plateau where it rises toward the Adirondack Mountains, and it sits squarely in New York’s heaviest lake-effect snowbelt off Lake Ontario. The Black River runs the length of the county from south to north through Lowville and Port Leyden, joined by the Moose and Independence Rivers; the Beaver River and Stillwater Reservoir cross the county’s eastern, more mountainous towns.
Lewis County borders St. Lawrence County to the north, Herkimer County to the east, Oneida County to the south, Oswego County to the west and Jefferson County to the northwest. Herkimer, Oneida and Oswego all have pages on this site (Herkimer County, Oneida County, Oswego County), as does Jefferson County; St. Lawrence County does not currently have one.
Demographics
Lewis County had 26,582 residents at the 2020 census, making it one of the least populous counties in New York. Lowville, the county seat, is the largest single community; the Croghan-Belfort and Turin-Constableville areas along NY-812 and NY-26 form the county’s next-largest population clusters. Household income in Lewis County runs below the New York state median of $82,095, reflecting the county’s agricultural and forestry-based economy. At 1,275 square miles of land, the county averages roughly 21 people per square mile, one of the lowest densities in the state outside the Adirondack interior.
Economy & Local Life
Dairy farming anchors the Lewis County economy; the county is consistently ranked among New York’s top dairy-producing counties, and its maple syrup output is among the largest of any county in the state. Forestry and forest-products milling remain active in the Tug Hill towns, and the plateau’s heavy, reliable winds support several utility-scale wind farms, including the Maple Ridge Wind Farm spanning the towns of Harrisburg, Lowville and Martinsburg. Winter recreation — snowmobiling on the Tug Hill trail network in particular — draws visitors from across the Northeast each year, and the Lewis County Fair in Lowville is the county’s largest annual event.
History
Lewis County was formed in 1805 from part of Oneida County and named for Morgan Lewis, who was serving as governor of New York at the time. Its early economy centred on lumbering and potash production along the Black River, and its position on the edge of the Tug Hill Plateau later made it one of the state’s principal dairy and maple-producing counties as farms replaced cleared timberland through the 19th century. Winter isolation, driven by the county’s exceptional lake-effect snowfall, shaped its rural settlement pattern of small mill hamlets rather than large towns.
Getting There
NY-12 and NY-26 run north-south through the county, NY-3 crosses its northern towns, and NY-812 links Croghan and Turin to Lowville. Useful anchors:
- Lowville — the county seat, on NY-12 and NY-26
- Watertown, Jefferson County — about 30 miles northwest via NY-12/NY-3
- Boonville, Oneida County — about 15 miles south via NY-12
- Utica, Oneida County — about 50 miles south via NY-12
The nearest commercial airport is Watertown International Airport, roughly 30 miles north; Syracuse Hancock International Airport, about 65 miles southwest, offers a wider range of flights. There is no passenger rail service in Lewis County.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Lewis County, New York?
It is in northwestern New York, on the Tug Hill Plateau between the Adirondack Mountains and the Black River valley, bordering St. Lawrence, Herkimer, Oneida, Oswego and Jefferson counties.
What is the population of Lewis County?
26,582, at the 2020 census.
How big is Lewis County?
1,290 square miles (3,300 km2) in total, including 1,275 square miles of land.
What is the county seat of Lewis County?
Lowville is the county seat.
How many towns and villages are in Lewis County?
17 towns and 8 incorporated villages, plus dozens of unincorporated hamlets.
What ZIP codes are in Lewis County?
Lowville (13367), Croghan (13327), Copenhagen (13626), Turin (13473), Port Leyden (13433), Constableville (13325), Castorland (13620), Lyons Falls (13368), Glenfield (13343), Greig (13345), Beaver Falls (13305), Brantingham (13312), Martinsburg (13404), Denmark (13631), Deer River (13627) and West Leyden (13489).
Why is Lewis County so snowy?
The county sits directly downwind of Lake Ontario on the Tug Hill Plateau, one of the snowiest places in the eastern United States, and it is one reason its rural hamlets stayed small and widely spaced.
More counties in this state: Towns and villages in New York.