Area Information

Cayuga County (pronounced ka-yu-ga), located in the Finger Lakes region of New York, was founded in 1799 on land split from Onondaga County. Cayuga occupies land that is the traditional territory of the Cayuga and Seneca Nations of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy. Cayuga means “people of the wetlands.”

In 1859 the county was established into 23 townships and six incorporated villages. The City of Auburn, established in 1806, is the County Seat. The county now consists of 864 square miles, 172 of which are water. As of the 2020 Census, the county’s population was 76,248. Two colleges call the county home: Cayuga Community College and Wells College.