Clayton (town), New York
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Clayton is a town in Jefferson County, New York, USA on the St. Lawrence River just beyond Lake Ontario. Across the river lies Ontario, Canada. The population was 4,817 at the 2000 census. The village is named after statesman John M. Clayton. The village of Clayton was long home to Frink Snow Plows until the plant closed in the 1980s. Today, Clayton is a small town with a thriving summer tourism business. It is a popular launching point for tours of the Thousand Islands, and is home to the well-known Antique Boat Museum.and Clayton Opera House.
Clayton, together with nearby Cape Vincent, NY and Alexandria Bay, NY are popular tourist towns on the New York mainland side of the Thousand Islands region.
The Town of Clayton contains a village named Clayton. The town is on the northern border of the county, and the northern part of the town is a vacation area stretching along the adjacent river banks.
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[edit] History
The area was first settled around 1801. The town was formed from parts of the Town of Orleans and Lyme in 1833.
[edit] Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 269.4 km² (104.0 mi²). 213.8 km² (82.6 mi²) of it is land and 55.6 km² (21.5 mi²) of it (20.64%) is water.
The northern border of the town is defined by the St. Lawrence River and is adjacent to the Thousand Islands. The town includes one of the larger Thousand Islands, Grindstone Island, along with smaller islands, such as Bluff Island, Grenell Island, Maple Island, Pictan Island, and Round Island.
The northern town line is at the United States-Canada border. A ferry once connected Clayton with Gananoque, Ontario, Canada, but was discontinued due to the construction of the Thousand Islands Bridge ten miles down-river on what is now Interstate 81.
[edit] Demographics
As of the census2 of 2000, there were 4,817 people, 1,914 households, and 1,335 families residing in the town. The population density was 22.5/km² (58.3/mi²). There were 3,337 housing units at an average density of 15.6/km² (40.4/mi²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.24% White, 0.93% Black or African American, 0.35% Native American, 0.23% Asian, 0.10% Pacific Islander, 0.48% from other races, and 0.66% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.58% of the population.
There were 1,914 households out of which 34.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.0% were married couples living together, 8.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.2% were non-families. 25.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.51 and the average family size was 3.00.
In the town the population was spread out with 26.7% under the age of 18, 6.5% from 18 to 24, 29.0% from 25 to 44, 22.6% from 45 to 64, and 15.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years.
The median income for a household in the town was $35,805, and the median income for a family was $39,727. Males had a median income of $31,402 versus $21,091 for females. The per capita income for the town was $16,947. About 4.8% of families and 8.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.0% of those under age 18 and 7.0% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] Communities and locations in the Town of Clayton
- Antique Boat Museum
- Clayton Opera House
- Clayton -- The Village of Clayton is on the shore of the St. Lawrence River in the northern part of the town.
- Bartlett's Point -- A hamlet west of Clayton village.
- Depauvlle -- A hamlet on Route 12, south of Clayton village.
- Canoe-Picnic Point State Park -- A park on Grindstone Island accessible only by boat.
- Clayton Center -- A hamlet on Route 10 in the east part of the town.
- Deferno -- A former location in the town.
- Frontenac -- A hamlet on northeast end of Round Island.
- Grenell Island -- An island in the St. Lawrence River.
- Grenell -- A hamlet on Grenell Island.
- Grindstone -- A hamlet on Grindstone Island.
- Grindstone Island -- One of the large Thousand Islands.
- Gunns Corners -- A hamlet in the southeast corner of the town.
- Murray Isle -- An island in the St. Lawrence River.
- Round Island -- An island in the St. Lawrence River near Clayton.
- South Corners -- A hamlet between Clayton village and Depauville on Route 12.
