Potsdam (village), New York

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Potsdam is a village located in the Town of Potsdam in St. Lawrence County, New York. The population was 9,425 at the 2000 census. The village is named after the city of Potsdam, Germany.

The Village of Potsdam is the locale of Clarkson University and State University of New York at Potsdam.

Western View of Potsdam, New York (circa 1856-1860) by John Warner Barber

1 History
2 Geography
3 Demographics
4 External links

[edit] History

The village was incorporated in 1831. In 1841 the village charter was amended to increase the size of the village.

[edit] Geography

Potsdam is located at 44°40′15″N, 74°59′3″W (44.670873, -74.984281)^GR1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 12.6 km² (4.8 mi²). 11.4 km² (4.4 mi²) of it is land and 1.2 km² (0.5 mi²) of it (9.48%) is water.

The village is on the bank of the Raquette River.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^GR2 of 2000, there were 9,425 people, 2,543 households, and 1,040 families residing in the village. The population density was 828.9/km² (2,148.2/mi²). There were 2,705 housing units at an average density of 237.9/km² (616.5/mi²). The racial makeup of the village was 91.60% White, 2.50% Black or African American, 0.36% Native American, 3.88% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.53% from other races, and 1.11% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.75% of the population.

There were 2,543 households out of which 21.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 28.5% were married couples living together, 10.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 59.1% were non-families. 40.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.14 and the average family size was 2.90.

In the village the population was spread out with 11.3% under the age of 18, 56.2% from 18 to 24, 14.1% from 25 to 44, 9.4% from 45 to 64, and 9.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 22 years. For every 100 females there were 110.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 109.8 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $21,273, and the median income for a family was $37,933. Males had a median income of $31,610 versus $24,324 for females. The per capita income for the village was $10,824. About 18.2% of families and 34.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 20.8% of those under age 18 and 13.8% of those age 65 or over.