Peru, New York

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Peru is a town in Clinton County in the U.S. state of New York. The population was 6,370 at the 2000 census. The town was named Peru because its mountainous nature suggested that country.

The Town of Peru is in the eastern part of the county.

1 History
2 Geography
3 Demographics
4 Communities and locations in Peru
5 Notable residents
6 References
7 External links

[edit] History

The town was first settled in 1772. Peru was formed from parts of the Town of Plattsburgh and the Town of Willsboro (now in Essex County, New York) in 1792. in 1838 part of the town was used to form the Towns of Au Sable and Black Brook.

[edit] Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 239.3 km² (92.4 mi²). 205.5 km² (79.3 mi²) of it is land and 33.8 km² (13.1 mi²) of it (14.12%) is water.

The eastern part of the town ends in Lake Champlain and that town line is the border of Vermont. The Northway (Interstate 87) and US Route 9 pass through the town.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census ² of 2000, there were 6,370 people, 2,309 households, and 1,777 families residing in the town. The population density was 31.0/km² (80.3/mi²). There were 2,510 housing units at an average density of 12.2/km² (31.6/mi²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.22% White, 0.91% Black or African American, 0.08% Native American, 0.61% Asian, 0.16% from other races, and 1.02% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.85% of the population.

There were 2,309 households out of which 39.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.4% were married couples living together, 9.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.0% were non-families. 18.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.73 and the average family size was 3.07.

In the town the population was spread out with 28.3% under the age of 18, 6.5% from 18 to 24, 30.4% from 25 to 44, 23.2% from 45 to 64, and 11.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 94.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.8 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $39,051, and the median income for a family was $47,853. Males had a median income of $32,196 versus $23,984 for females. The per capita income for the town was $19,676. About 7.6% of families and 11.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.3% of those under age 18 and 9.6% of those age 65 or over.

[edit] Communities and locations in Peru

Clark Corners -- A location west of Peru village.
Colley Corners -- A location near the north town line.
Cromie Corners -- A location west of Peru village.
Lapham Mills -- A hamlet northeast of Peru village, near the Northway.
Peru -- The hamlet of Peru is at the junctions of Route 22 and Route 22B. It was first settled around 1795.
South Junction -- A hamlet on the northeast town line.
Valcour -- A hamlet on the shore of Lake Champlain.
Valcour Island -- The south part of this island in Lake Champlain is part of the town.