This was an enormous county, including the northern part of New York State as well as all of the present State of Vermont and, in theory, extending westward to the Pacific Ocean.

The county was named for William Tryon, colonial governor of New York.

In the years prior to 1776, most of the Loyalists in Tryon County fled to Canada.

In 1784, following the peace treaty that ended the American Revolutionary War, Tryon County's name was changed to Montgomery County in honor of the general, Richard Montgomery, who had captured several places in Canada and died attempting to capture the city of Quebec, replacing the name of the hated British governor.

The actual area split off from Montgomery County was much larger than the present county, also including the present Allegany, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Erie, Genesee, Livingston, Monroe, Niagara, Orleans, Steuben, Wyoming, Yates, and part of Schuyler and Wayne counties.

[4] Schuyler County is in the western part of New York State, west of Ithaca at the southern end of Seneca Lake.

The Finger Lakes National Forest is in the north part of the county.

17.3% were of German, 15.5% English, 13.9% Irish, 11.8% American and 11.4% Italian ancestry according to Census 2000.

23.60% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.70% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

[12] The county's Highway Department is headquartered in Watkins Glen and is charged with maintaining roads, including:[13] Each town and village within Schuyler County maintains its own highway department.

All larger settlements are villages † - County Seat Schuyler County is strongly Republican, having backed the Republican presidential candidate in all but two elections since the Civil War, with 1912 and 1964 being the sole exceptions.