Erie County is located in wetsern New York. The county's name comes from Lake Erie, which in turn comes from the Erie tribe of Indians who lived south and east of the lake before 1654. Erie County is the most populous county in New York State outside of the New York City metropolitan area. As of the census of 2000, there were 950,265 people, 380,873 households, and 243,377 families residing in the county. Erie County has a total area of approximately 1,227 square miles of which 85% is land and 15% water.