Schoharie County is a county in New York, United States, in the Catskill foothills west of Albany. It had a population of 29,714 at the 2020 census and covers 626 square miles (1,620 km2) centred near 42°35′N 74°26′W.
Schoharie is the county seat, and its postal code is 12157. The county holds 6 incorporated villages and 16 towns, plus dozens of small hamlets and crossroads, and it sits in the Eastern time zone.
Towns & Villages in Schoharie County
Schoharie County’s map is built from 16 towns — the local units of government — each holding a village, hamlet, or open countryside. Six places are incorporated villages; everything else below is an unincorporated hamlet, crossroads, or rural settlement (labelled “Unincorp.”). Two duplicate entries in the county’s old settlement list (a second “Jefferson” and a second “North Blenheim”) and a repeated “Valley MH Court” have been merged into one row each.
| Place | Type | Pop. | ZIP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arabia | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Argusville | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Barnerville | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Bates | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Beards Hollow | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Bramanville | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Breakabeen | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Broome Center | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Carlisle | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Carlisle Center | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Central Bridge | Unincorp. | — | 12035 |
| Charlotteville | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Clove | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Cobleskill | Village | — | 12043 |
| Colonial Village MH Park | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Conesville | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Dorloo | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Dwelly Corners | Unincorp. | — | — |
| East Cobleskill | Unincorp. | — | — |
| East Jefferson | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Eminence | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Engleville | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Esperance | Village | — | 12066 |
| Flat Creek | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Franklinton | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Fultonham | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Gallupville | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Gardnersville | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Gilbert Corners | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Gilboa | Unincorp. | — | 12076 |
| Greenbush | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Grovenor Corners | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Hawversville | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Howes Cave | Unincorp. | — | 12092 |
| Huntersland | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Hyndsville | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Janesville | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Jefferson | Unincorp. | — | 12093 |
| Lawyersville | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Leesville | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Lincoln MH Park | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Little York | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Livingstonville | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Lutheranville | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Mackey | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Manorkill | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Middleburgh | Village | — | 12122 |
| Mineral Springs | Unincorp. | — | — |
| North Blenheim | Unincorp. | — | 12131 |
| Old Central Bridge | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Owlsville | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Patria | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Pine Grove | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Richmondville | Village | — | 12149 |
| Schoharie | Village · seat | 3,107 | 12157 |
| Schoharie Junction | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Seward | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Sharon | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Sharon Center | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Sharon Springs | Village | — | 13459 |
| Shutter Corners | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Sloansville | Unincorp. | — | — |
| South Gilboa | Unincorp. | — | — |
| South Gilboa Station | Unincorp. | — | — |
| South Jefferson | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Staleyville | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Summit | Unincorp. | — | 12175 |
| Valley MH Court | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Vintonton | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Vorman Corners | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Warnerville | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Watsonville | Unincorp. | — | — |
| West Conesville | Unincorp. | — | — |
| West Fulton | Unincorp. | — | — |
| West Jefferson | Unincorp. | — | — |
| West Middleburgh | Unincorp. | — | — |
| West Richmondville | Unincorp. | — | — |
ZIP Codes
- 12157 — Schoharie (also serves Schoharie Junction)
- 12043 — Cobleskill (also serves East Cobleskill, Howes Cave)
- 12122 — Middleburgh (also serves West Middleburgh, Franklinton)
- 12149 — Richmondville (also serves West Richmondville, Warnerville)
- 13459 — Sharon Springs (also serves Sharon Center, Leesville)
- 12066 — Esperance (also serves Sloansville)
- 12076 — Gilboa (also serves South Gilboa)
- 12093 — Jefferson (also serves East, West and South Jefferson)
- 12131 — North Blenheim
- 12175 — Summit
- 12035 — Central Bridge
Most of the county’s smaller hamlets share a ZIP with the nearest post office town rather than carrying one of their own.
Geography
Schoharie County sits in the Catskill foothills of central New York, drained by Schoharie Creek and its Schoharie Reservoir, which supplies part of New York City’s water system from behind the Gilboa Dam in the county’s southwest. Land rises from the fertile Schoharie Valley in the north to the wooded Catskill highlands around Huntersfield Mountain (3,423 feet) in the south. Howe Caverns, a limestone cave system near the hamlet of the same name, is the county’s best-known natural landmark.
The county borders Montgomery County to the north, Albany County to the east, Greene County to the southeast, Delaware County to the southwest, Otsego County to the west, and Schenectady County to the northeast. Live pages: Montgomery County, Greene County, Delaware County, Otsego County, and Schenectady County. Albany County has no live page on this site yet.
Demographics
Schoharie County had 29,714 residents at the 2020 census, a density of roughly 48 people per square mile of land. The Town of Cobleskill, home to the county’s largest village and SUNY Cobleskill, is the most populous civil division at 6,086; the Town of Schoharie, seat of county government, follows at 3,107. Household income in the county runs well below the New York median of $82,095 — Schoharie is a mostly rural, agricultural county without the wage base of the state’s metro areas.
Economy & Local Life
Dairy and field-crop farming anchor the county’s economy, alongside the State University of New York College of Agriculture and Technology at Cobleskill (SUNY Cobleskill), one of the area’s largest employers and the source of much of the village’s population. A Walmart distribution center near Sharon Springs employs several hundred workers. Tourism draws on Howe Caverns, the Old Stone Fort Museum in Schoharie, the Iroquois Indian Museum near Howes Cave, and the mineral springs that gave Sharon Springs its 19th-century reputation as a spa resort.
History
Schoharie County was organized in 1795 from parts of Albany and Otsego counties. Its name comes from a Mohawk word meaning “floating driftwood,” referring to log jams once common on Schoharie Creek. The Schoharie Valley was a Revolutionary War frontier, and the Old Stone Fort in Schoharie village, built as a church in 1772 and fortified during the war, repelled a British and Loyalist raid in 1780. In August 2011, Hurricane Irene sent Schoharie Creek over its banks, flooding the villages of Schoharie and Middleburgh and causing some of the worst damage the county has seen in living memory.
Getting There
Interstate 88 crosses the county through Richmondville and Cobleskill, linking it to Binghamton to the southwest and Albany/Schenectady to the northeast. NY Route 7 parallels I-88 near Cobleskill, and NY Route 30 runs north-south through Schoharie village and Middleburgh.
- Albany — 40 miles east
- Schenectady — 35 miles northeast
- Oneonta — 25 miles southwest
- Cooperstown — 30 miles west
The nearest commercial airport is Albany International Airport, about 45 miles east of Cobleskill.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Schoharie County, New York?
It is in central New York, in the Catskill foothills west of Albany, bordered by Montgomery, Albany, Greene, Delaware, Otsego, and Schenectady counties.
What is the population of Schoharie County?
29,714 at the 2020 census, one of New York’s least populous counties.
How big is Schoharie County?
626 square miles (1,620 km2), of which about 622 square miles is land.
What is the county seat of Schoharie County?
The village of Schoharie is the county seat.
How many towns and villages are in Schoharie County?
16 towns and 6 incorporated villages, plus dozens of unincorporated hamlets and crossroads.
What ZIP codes are in Schoharie County?
Main post office ZIPs include 12157 (Schoharie), 12043 (Cobleskill), 12122 (Middleburgh), 12149 (Richmondville), and 13459 (Sharon Springs).
What is Schoharie County known for?
Howe Caverns, the Old Stone Fort, dairy farming, and SUNY Cobleskill.
More counties in this state: Towns and villages in New York.