Seneca

Seneca, county, central New York state, U.S., lying between Cayuga Lake to the east and Seneca Lake to the west, the latter the largest and deepest of the Finger Lakes. Lowlands in the north that are forested with oak and hickory rise to a plateau region in the south that contains maple, birch, and beech trees. The principal stream is the Seneca River, which comprises part of the New York State Canal System (and its constituent Erie Canal) and Seneca and Cayuga canals. Several state parks and vineyards are found along the shores of the lakes, while Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge is located in marshland in the northeastern corner of the county.

In 1779 an American military campaign razed the local villages of the Seneca Indians, members of the Iroquois Confederacy. Seneca Falls was the home of feminists Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Amelia Jenks Bloomer and the site of the Seneca Falls Convention for women’s rights (1848). Waterloo is the county seat. The Seneca Army Depot is located in the centre of the county.

Seneca county was created in 1804 and named for the Indian tribe. The economy is based on manufacturing and agriculture. Area 325 square miles (842 square km). Pop. (2000) 33,342; (2010) 35,251.