Potsdam (town), New York
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Potsdam is a town located in St. Lawrence County, New York, USA. The population was 15,957 at the 2000 census. The postal ZIP code is 13676. The town is named after the city of Potsdam in Germany.
The Town of Potsdam also contains a village named Potsdam. Potsdam is centrally located within the county and is northeast of Canton, the county seat. The town and village are south of the U.S.-Canadian border
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[edit] History
The region was part of Macomb's Purchase. David Clarkson and Garret van Horn were early investors in the town, and settlement began around 1803. The pioneers found Native Americans still residing in the town and in the fur trade.
The town was established in 1806 from part of the Town of Madrid. Potsdam is one of the original ten towns of St. Lawrence County.
The community of Potsdam set itself apart from the town in 1831 by incorporating as a village. The community of Raquetteville incorporated as the Village of Potsdam Junction (now Norwood) in 1871.
St. Lawrence Academy, the predecessor of the State University of New York at Potsdam was founded in 1816. In 1896, Clarkson University was founded.
In 1968, a Clarkson student film project, spoofing horror flicks capturing scenes along Elm Street in Potsdam, became the inspiration for Hollywood film producer (and former Clarkson instructor) Wes Craven's smash box-office movie series, "A Nightmare On Elm Street."
The Potsdam area is well known for its reddish-orange Potsdam sandstone. A large slab of it is on display at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, D.C.
[edit] Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 267.9 km² (103.4 mi²). 262.8 km² (101.5 mi²) of it is land and 5.2 km² (2.0 mi²) of it (1.92%) is water.
The Raquette River flows northward through the center of the town. The Grasse River flows through the northwest part of Potsdam.
US Route 11 and New York State Route 11B are east-west highways. New York State Route 56 is a north-south highway. New York State Route 345 is a northwest-southeast highway that intersects New York State Route 310 near the northwest town line.
[edit] Demographics
As of the census2 of 2000, there were 15,957 people, 5,073 households, and 2,810 families residing in the town. The population density was 60.7/km² (157.3/mi²). There were 5,431 housing units at an average density of 20.7/km² (53.5/mi²). The racial makeup of the town was 94.21% White, 1.59% Black or African American, 0.42% Native American, 2.53% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.36% from other races, and 0.88% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.25% of the population.
There were 5,073 households out of which 27.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.5% were married couples living together, 9.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 44.6% were non-families. 31.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 2.97.
In the town the population was spread out with 17.2% under the age of 18, 36.8% from 18 to 24, 19.9% from 25 to 44, 16.2% from 45 to 64, and 9.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 23 years. For every 100 females there were 105.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 104.2 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $30,782, and the median income for a family was $42,450. Males had a median income of $32,464 versus $24,776 for females. The per capita income for the town was $13,753. About 13.0% of families and 23.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.1% of those under age 18 and 9.9% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] Local Schools
The town of Potsdam has an elementary school (Lawrence Avenue), a middle school (A.A. Kingston), and a high school. The high school is the home of the Potsdam Sandstoners, or better known as the "Stoners." There are also many colleges in the area, including SUNY Potsdam and Clarkson University in Potsdam and St. Lawrence University and SUNY Canton in nearby Canton.
[edit] Communities and locations in Potsdam
- Bucks Bridge -- A hamlet in the northwest corner of the town at the Grass River.
- Burnhams Corners -- A location on NY-245 at County Road 35, northwest of Potsdam village.
- Casey Corners -- A location on County Road 34 in the west part of the town.
- Clarkson University -- A private engineering college, located southwest of Potsdam village.
- Hewittville --- A hamlet on the west bank of the Raquette River, north of Potsdam village.
- Norwood -- The south part of the Village of Norwood is located by the north town line on NY-56. It was formerly called "Raquetteville" and "Potsdam Junction."
- Potsdam -- The Village of Potsdam on the Raquette River.
- Potsdam Municipal Airport - Damon Field (PTD) -- A small airport east of Potsdam village.
- Sisson -- A small hamlet on NY-56 north of Potsdam village.
- Slab City -- A location on County Road 35 is in the west part of the town and south of West Potsdam.
- Stafford Corners -- A location south of Potsdam village at the southeast town line.
- SUNY Potsdam -- A state college, located southeast of Potsdam village.
- Sugar Island -- A location in the Raquette River south of Potsdam village.
- Unionville -- A hamlet north of Potsdam village on NY-56. This is the site of one of the first cooperative settlements in New York.
- West Potsdam -- A hamlet on County Road 34 in the west part of the town, formerly known as "Smiths Corners."
[edit] Bibliography
- Author Unknown (1894). in Curtis, Gates (editor): Our County and Its People: A Memorial Record of St. Lawrence County, New York. Syracuse, NY: D. Mason and Company.
- History and Pictures of Potsdam New York. Potsdam, NY 13676. Retrieved on January 6, 2006.
