The original township of Cicero was part of the Central New York Military Tract that was surveyed in 1790 into 100 lots, each containing about 600 acres. These lots were reserved or drawn by soldiers for services in the Revolutionary War. Onondaga County was formed in 1794 and Cicero was separated from Lysander in 1807. In 1827 the township was divided with the Town of Cicero having 50 lots – about 29,000 acres of land.

The village was called Cody’s Corner until 1820. Isaac Cody ran a tavern, which was located on the southwest corner of Crabtree Lane and Route 11. Cody was the first Postmaster and his wife operated the first store. The salt industry in Salina provided many people with jobs, either making barrels or in furnishing lumber. The business declined in the 1890s, while farming and the dairy industry became important. Cheese factories were built including one right in the village along with a flour mill, stave and lumber mill, canning factory, wagon and carriage factory.

The present Route 11 was for many years a series of Indian trails north and south through Cicero from Pennsylvania to the Thousand Islands. Part of it was called the Salt Road in 1812. In 1846 the first toll plan road in the United States was built. It was 16.5 miles long and went from Central Square to Syracuse right through Cicero. The stage was the only means of transportation until replaced by the trolley line built in 1909. The trolley to South Bay brought visitors to the area around Oneida Lake. Regular boat excursions met the trolley for trips to Frenchman’s Island, a popular vacation spot. The trolley was used until 1932. The tracks were torn up and South Bay Road built, also known as the Trolley Bed Road.