Sherrill, New York’s smallest city, is still the Silver City

With 3,077 people at the 2020 census, Sherrill is the least populous city in New York. It is also one of the stranger ones on paper.

Sherrill was created in 1916 by a special act of the state legislature. It is named for Sherrill Babcock Sherman, the infant son of Congressman James S. Sherman of Utica. Its charter says that for many purposes it should be treated as if it were still a village inside the town of Vernon. Other cities in New York are outside any town’s reach. In Sherrill, the Vernon town government still has jurisdiction.

The city sits at the western end of Vernon on Route 5, and it is known as the Silver City. That name comes from Oneida Limited, the silverware company that grew out of the Oneida Community and made its flatware there for generations.

For a small place, Sherrill has an outsized spot in the county’s business history, and it remains one of the more unusual local governments anywhere in the state.