Oswego

Oswego, city, seat of Oswego County, north central New York, a port on Lake Ontario, at the mouth of the Oswego River; incorporated as a city 1848. It is the northern terminus of the New York State Canal System (completed 1917) and the easternmost port on the Great Lakes. Manufactures include aluminum, paper, fabricated metals, and boilers. Located here is the State University of New York at Oswego (1861). On this site in 1722 the British established a fur-trading post, which was succeeded in 1755 by Fort Ontario (now a state historic site). The community was permanently settled in 1796 and developed as an important shipbuilding hub in the early 19th century. Its name is derived from an Iroquois word referring to the mouth of the river. Population 19,793 (1980); 19,195 (1990); 17,954 (2000); 17,705 (2005 estimate).