Otsego County is a county in New York, United States, in the Mohawk Valley and Central New York regions. It had a population of 58,524 at the 2020 census and covers 1,002 square miles (2,600 km2) of land, centred near 42°38′N 75°02′W.
Cooperstown is the county seat, and its postal code is 13326. The county has one city (Oneonta), about a dozen incorporated villages, and dozens of smaller hamlets and unincorporated communities spread across its 20 towns. Otsego County uses Eastern Time, and its FIPS code is 36091.
Towns & Villages in Otsego County
The table below lists the county’s city, incorporated villages, and named hamlets and unincorporated communities. “Village” means an incorporated village government; “Unincorp.” covers hamlets, crossroads, and other named places with no municipal government of their own. Duplicate scrape entries from the old page (Burlington Flats, Fly Creek, Garrattsville, Hartwick Seminary, Mount Vision, Portlandville, Schuyler Lake, South Edmeston, Unadilla Forks, Wells Bridge, Westford) have been merged into single rows.
| Place | Type | Pop. | ZIP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oneonta | City | 13,939 | 13820 |
| Cooperstown | Village · seat | 1,754 | 13326 |
| Cherry Valley | Village | — | 13320 |
| Edmeston | Unincorp. | — | 13335 |
| Gilbertsville | Village | — | 13776 |
| Laurens | Village | — | 13796 |
| Milford | Village | — | 13807 |
| Morris | Village | — | 13808 |
| Otego | Village | — | 13825 |
| Richfield Springs | Village | — | 13439 |
| Schenevus | Unincorp. | — | 12155 |
| Unadilla | Village | — | 13849 |
| Worcester | Village | — | 12197 |
| Amblers Crossing | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Barnes Trailer Park | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Barrett Corners | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Bowerstown | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Brighton | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Burlington | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Burlington Flats | Unincorp. | — | 13315 |
| Calcutta | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Cardtown | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Cattown | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Center Valley | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Chapinville | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Chase | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Chaseville | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Cliffside | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Clintonville | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Colliersville | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Cooperstown Junction | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Copes Corner | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Decatur | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Dogtown | Unincorp. | — | — |
| East Springfield | Unincorp. | — | 13333 |
| East Worcester | Unincorp. | — | 12064 |
| Elk Creek | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Elm Grove | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Emmons | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Exeter Corner | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Fall Bridge | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Field Crossing | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Five Points | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Fly Creek | Unincorp. | — | 13337 |
| Freer Corner | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Frone Corner | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Furnaceville | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Garrattsville | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Gothicville | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Hartwick | Unincorp. | — | 13348 |
| Hartwick Heights MH Park | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Hartwick Seminary | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Heslops Corner | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Hoboken | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Huntly Corners | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Hyde Park | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Index | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Jones Crossing | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Lena | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Lentsville | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Lidell Corners | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Lloydsville | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Mallory Corner | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Maple Grove | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Maple Valley | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Maryland | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Middle Village | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Middlefield | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Middlefield Center | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Milford Center | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Mill Creek Estates | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Mount Vision | Unincorp. | — | 13810 |
| New Lisbon | Unincorp. | — | — |
| North Edmeston | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Oaksville | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Oneida Village MH Park | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Otsdawa | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Paige MH Park | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Pail Shop Corners | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Patent | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Pecktown | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Perkins Crossing | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Phoenix Mills | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Pierstown | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Pittsfield | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Plainfield Center | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Pleasant Brook | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Portlandville | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Robinson Corners | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Rootville | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Roseboom | Unincorp. | — | 13450 |
| Sand Hill | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Schuyler Lake | Unincorp. | — | 13457 |
| Scotch Hill | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Silver Lake | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Snowdon | Unincorp. | — | — |
| South Edmeston | Unincorp. | — | 13486 |
| South Hartwick | Unincorp. | — | — |
| South Valley | Unincorp. | — | — |
| South Worcester | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Springfield | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Springfield Center | Unincorp. | — | 13468 |
| Springfield Four Corners | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Stetsonville | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Summit Crossing | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Taylortown | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Toddsville | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Toll Corner | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Tuscan | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Unadilla Center | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Unadilla Forks | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Weber Corners | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Welcome | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Wells Bridge | Unincorp. | — | 13491 |
| West Burlington | Unincorp. | — | — |
| West Edmeston | Unincorp. | — | 13485 |
| West End | Unincorp. | — | — |
| West Exeter | Unincorp. | — | — |
| West Laurens | Unincorp. | — | — |
| West Oneonta | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Westford | Unincorp. | — | 13488 |
| Westville | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Whig Corners | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Wileytown | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Youmans Corner | Unincorp. | — | — |
ZIP Codes
- 13326 — Cooperstown (also serves Toddsville and Fly Creek-area addresses)
- 13820 — Oneonta (also serves West Oneonta)
- 13320 — Cherry Valley
- 13335 — Edmeston (also serves North and South Edmeston)
- 13776 — Gilbertsville
- 13796 — Laurens
- 13807 — Milford
- 13808 — Morris
- 13825 — Otego
- 13439 — Richfield Springs
- 12155 — Schenevus
- 13849 — Unadilla
- 12197 — Worcester (also serves East and South Worcester)
- 13450 — Roseboom
- 13457 — Schuyler Lake
- 13468 — Springfield Center
Most of the smaller crossroads and hamlets listed above share the ZIP code of their nearest post-office village rather than having one of their own.
Geography
Otsego County sits in the foothills of the Catskills and Allegheny Plateau, in the headwaters area of the Susquehanna River, which rises out of Otsego Lake at Cooperstown. The county is bordered by Herkimer County to the north, Montgomery County to the northeast, Schoharie County to the east, Delaware County to the south, Chenango County to the southwest, and Oneida County and Madison County to the northwest.
Demographics
Otsego County had 58,524 residents at the 2020 census. Oneonta, home to SUNY Oneonta and Hartwick College, is the largest municipality; Cooperstown, the county seat, is far smaller but drives much of the county’s tourism economy. Median household income in Otsego County runs below the New York median of $82,095, reflecting the county’s rural, small-college-town economy. Population density is roughly 58 people per square mile, among the lower densities in the Mohawk Valley region.
Economy & Local Life
Health care and social assistance is the county’s largest employment sector, anchored by Bassett Healthcare Network, headquartered in Cooperstown. Education is a major employer too, through SUNY Oneonta and Hartwick College in Oneonta. Tourism centers on Cooperstown’s National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, the Fenimore Art Museum, and the Farmers’ Museum, drawing visitors from across the country each summer, especially around the Hall of Fame’s annual induction weekend.
History
Otsego County was organised on February 16, 1791, split off from Montgomery County. Its name comes from a Mohawk or Oneida word meaning “place of the rock,” referring to a rock formation at the outlet of Otsego Lake. Cooperstown takes its name from the Cooper family, including novelist James Fenimore Cooper, who grew up there; his father, William Cooper, founded the settlement in the 1780s. The county’s dairy-farming and small-manufacturing economy gradually gave way over the 20th century to healthcare, education, and tourism as its leading industries.
Getting There
Interstate 88 crosses the southeastern part of the county through Oneonta, and NY Route 28 runs north-south connecting Oneonta with Cooperstown and Richfield Springs. Selected distances:
- Oneonta — 70 miles southwest of Albany
- Cooperstown — 68 miles west of Albany
- Utica — 45 miles north of Cooperstown
- Binghamton — 40 miles south of Oneonta
The nearest commercial airport is Albany International Airport, about 75 miles from Oneonta; Greater Binghamton Airport is closer for the county’s southern towns.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Otsego County, New York?
It is in central New York, in the Mohawk Valley/Central New York region, about 70 miles west of Albany.
What is the population of Otsego County?
58,524 people at the 2020 census.
How big is Otsego County?
1,002 square miles (2,600 km2) of land area.
What is the county seat of Otsego County?
Cooperstown, home of the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
How many towns and villages are in Otsego County?
One city (Oneonta), about a dozen incorporated villages, and dozens of smaller hamlets spread across the county’s 20 towns.
What ZIP codes are in Otsego County?
Cooperstown uses 13326 and Oneonta uses 13820, with smaller villages such as Cherry Valley (13320), Milford (13807), and Unadilla (13849) each holding their own ZIP.
Why is Cooperstown famous?
It is the home of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum and the setting for much of James Fenimore Cooper’s writing.
More counties in this state: Towns and villages in New York.