[3] Its name is derived from a Delaware Indian village whose name means "big horn" in the Seneca language.

Many signs posted along roads in Chemung County refer to the area as "Mark Twain Country," because the noted author lived and wrote for many years in Elmira.

[5] In the late 1870s, the Greenback Party became prominent in Chemung and nearby counties in western New York.

There were also strikes that year in Albany, Syracuse and Buffalo, starting with the railroad workers.

It gradually declined after that, due to internal dissension and the strength of the two major parties.

16.4% were of German, 15.7% Irish, 12.5% English, 11.8% Italian, 7.8% American and 6.3% Polish ancestry according to Census 2000 [1].

Most of those claiming to be of "American" ancestry are of English descent and, in upstate New York, also in some cases of Dutch descent, but have family that has been in the country for so long, in many cases since the early seventeenth century, that they choose to identify simply as "American".

Chemung County is a part of the 23rd congressional district, represented by Republican Nick Langworthy.

In 2008, the margin was much closer, but voters still gave John McCain a 1.23% win over Barack Obama.

In 2016, Donald Trump carried Chemung County with 55.64% of the vote compared to Hillary Clinton's 38.09%.