Mexico

History

The first Mexico (a proposed county), with all the surrounding towns, was originally created from Town of Whitestown, Oneida County, New York, on April 10, 1792, by the State Land Commissioner. It was to include present day Oswego and Jefferson Counties. The original organization of the proposed Mexico County and a town of that name was abandoned for a time. In December 1794, George Frederick William Augustus Scriba purchased and patented a large tract of land; subsequently becoming a second Mexico, hence the Village of Mexico and the Town of Mexico. In 1813 a system of public schools was established with 14 districts. The number increased to 19 by 1895 as new settlements developed. In 1822 a two-story brick school housing grades on the first floor and high school on the second. This was called "The Academy" and was admitted to the state system by the regents in 1833. Mexico was the first school of secondary education to be founded in what is now Oswego County. Mexico was the first school to centralize in Oswego county. This occurred in 1936 when 31 districts in the towns of Mexico, Palermo and New Haven closed to make Mexico Academy and Central School. An elementary school continued in New Haven and Palermo while the rest of the students were bussed to Mexico.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 47.0 square miles (121.7 km2), of which 46.3 square miles (120.0 km2) is land and 0.6 square mile (1.6 km2) (1.34%) is water. The northwest part of the town borders Lake Ontario.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Black-capped Chickadee

  Poecile atricapillus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  5,374
• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  5,157
• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  4,952
• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  4,771
• Red-winged Blackbird

  Agelaius phoeniceus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  4,708
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  4,556
• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  4,288
• Song Sparrow

  Melospiza melodia (A.Wilson, 1810) · Aves
  4,194

Most recent

• M 2.5 — 2026-04-26
  6 km SE of Lowville, New York
• M 2.8 — 2026-03-21
  28 km WSW of Henderson, New York
• M 3.3 — 2024-06-29
  14 km W of Ellisburg, New York
• M 3.6 — 2023-04-23
  New York
• M 2.6 — 2023-04-14
  1 km W of Adams Center, New York
• M 2.64 — 2007-08-11
  4 km N of Kingston, Canada