Canton (town), New York
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Canton is a town in St. Lawrence County, New York, USA. The population was 10,334 at the 2000 census. The town is named after Canton in China (now named Guangzhou).
The Town of Canton also contains a village named Canton.
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[edit] History
The town was organized in 1805. The name Canton was supposedly selected due to contemporary interests in the China trade. Canton was one of the original ten towns of the county.
[edit] Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 274.3 km² (105.9 mi²). 271.4 km² (104.8 mi²) of it is land and 2.8 km² (1.1 mi²) of it (1.03%) is water.
The Grasse River and the Oswegatchie River
[edit] Demographics
As of the census2 of 2000, there were 10,334 people, 3,198 households, and 2,011 families residing in the town. The population density was 38.1/km² (98.6/mi²). There were 3,515 housing units at an average density of 12.9/km² (33.5/mi²). The racial makeup of the town was 94.60% White, 2.66% Black or African American, 0.40% Native American, 0.68% Asian, 0.63% from other races, and 1.04% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.39% of the population.
There were 3,198 households out of which 31.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.3% were married couples living together, 9.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.1% were non-families. 29.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.40 and the average family size was 2.99.
In the town the population was spread out with 18.9% under the age of 18, 29.6% from 18 to 24, 21.8% from 25 to 44, 18.4% from 45 to 64, and 11.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 27 years. For every 100 females there were 99.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.6 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $36,875, and the median income for a family was $43,819. Males had a median income of $33,993 versus $25,989 for females. The per capita income for the town was $14,896. About 9.2% of families and 12.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.6% of those under age 18 and 7.5% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] Communities and locations in the Town of Canton
- Crary Mills -- A hamlet north of Canton.
- Brick Chapel -- A hamlet south of Canton village on Route 27.
- Canton -- The Village of Canton is centrally located in the town by the Grass River.
- Eddy -- A hamlet in the southwest corner of the town.
- Morley -- A hamlet on the northern town line by the Grass River. The community was originally known as "Long Rapids." This is a wonderful place to fish. Especially across from the old gristmill.
- Pyrites -- A community in the southwest corner of the town.
- Rensselaer Falls -- The Village of Rensselaer Falls is in the northwest corner of the town on Routes 14 and 15.
- St. Lawrence University -- A university in Canton village.
- SUNY Canton -- State technical college northwest of Canton village.
- Upper and Lower Lakes State Wildlife Area -- A conservation area in the north half of town.
- Woodbridge Corners -- A location Route 68 northwest of Canton village.
[edit] Noteable persons from Canton, NY
- The area was home for artist Frederic Remington and Governor Silas Wright.
- Charles Edward Bennett, Florida congressman, was born in Canton.
- Tom Ryan, professional lacrosse player, played in Canton.
[edit] Canton Athletics
Canton High school offers athletics for most sports, most noteably hockey, lacrosse and football. The hockey team has been to the state championships on several occasions, and once won them. Lacrosse is considered the dominant sport in Canton. The Canton lacrosse team has been very successful, and some of its players have received scholarships.
