Moriah, New York

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For other uses, see Moriah (disambiguation).

Moriah is a town in Essex County, New York, United States. The population was 4,879 at the 2000 census.

The Town of Moriah is in the eastern part of the county and is south of Plattsburgh. Moriah is inside the Adirondack State Park.

1 History
2 Geography
3 Demographics
4 Communities and locations in Moriah
- 4.1 See also
5 External links

[edit] History

After the French and Indian War, some British soldiers were granted land in the region. When the first settlement was made around 1785, local natives were still hunting in the area.

The town was formed in 1808 from the Town of Elizabethtown.

The early industry was primarily the mining and smelting of iron. These operations were conducted from 1824 until 1971. The Iron Center Museum in Port Henry recalls that past era.

Ice-fishing for Smelt on the frozen Lake Champlain has been a popular sport for more than a century, drawing tourists to join the natives in this activity.

[edit] Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 184.3 km² (71.2 mi²). 167.5 km² (64.7 mi²) of it is land and 16.8 km² (6.5 mi²) of it (9.09%) is water.

The east town line is formed by Lake Champlain and the border of Vermont.

New York State Route 9N is a north-south highway near Lake Champlain. Interstate 87, The Northway, crosses the northwest corner of Moriah.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census ² of 2000, there were 4,879 people, 1,894 households, and 1,253 families residing in the town. The population density was 29.1/km² (75.4/mi²). There were 2,253 housing units at an average density of 13.4/km² (34.8/mi²). The racial makeup of the town was 94.71% White, 2.79% African American, 0.20% Native American, 0.47% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 1.21% from other races, and 0.55% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.30% of the population.

There were 1,894 households out of which 29.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.8% were married couples living together, 10.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.8% were non-families. 28.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.9% 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 2.91.

In the town the population was spread out with 22.5% under the age of 18, 9.4% from 18 to 24, 29.3% from 25 to 44, 21.9% from 45 to 64, and 16.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 110.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 111.5 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $31,903, and the median income for a family was $39,827. Males had a median income of $31,747 versus $21,592 for females. The per capita income for the town was $19,721. About 8.5% of families and 12.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.4% of those under age 18 and 7.0% of those age 65 or over.

[edit] Communities and locations in Moriah

Bartlett Pond -- A pond by the north town line, northeast of Mineville.
Bulwagga Bay -- A bay of Lake Champlain, southeast of Port Henry.
Grover Hills -- A hamlet north of Moriah Center on County Road 7.
Moriah -- The hamlet of Moriah is west of Port Henry village on County Road 42 at the junction of County Road 7.
Moriah Center -- A hamlet north of Moriah on County Road 7 at County Road 4.
Mineville -- A hamlet northeast of Witherbee on County Road 6.
Mullen Bay -- A bay of Lake Champlain north of Port Henry by the north town line.
Port Henry -- The Village of Port Henry on the shore of Lake Champlain.
Witherbee -- A hamlet near the north town line on County Road 7.
Cheever--An area of Port Henry located North of the Village along route 9n on the way to Westport, NY
Moriah Corners--A small hamlet, similar to Moriah Center in that it is based around a four way intersection and a few small locally owned businesses
Lincold Pond-- a popular camping and fishing destination for residents of the town of Moriah in the summer time.
Coot Hill--Another area of Moriah, a large hill with a small population, probably the most rural area of the the town