| Peru, New York | |
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| — Town — | |
| Valcour Island, Peru, NY | |
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Peru, New York
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| Coordinates: | |
| Country | United States |
| State | New York |
| County | Clinton |
| Government | |
| • Type | Town Council |
| • Town Supervisor | Peter G. Glushko (R) |
| • Town Council |
Members' List
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| Area | |
| • Total | 92.4 sq mi (239.3 km2) |
| • Land | 79.4 sq mi (205.5 km2) |
| • Water | 13.1 sq mi (33.8 km2) |
| Elevation | 436 ft (133 m) |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Total | 6,998 |
| Time zone | Eastern (EST) (UTC-5) |
| • Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| ZIP code | 12972 |
| Area code(s) | 518 |
| FIPS code | 36-57375 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0979358 |
Peru is a town in Clinton County in the U.S. state of New York. The population was 6,998 at the 2010 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 and is south of Plattsburgh.
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The town was first settled in 1772. The Battle of Valcour Island was fought in Lake Champlain in the eastern part of Peru in 1776.
Peru was formed from parts of the Town of Plattsburgh and the Town of Willsboro (the latter now in Essex County, New York) in 1792. Part of Peru was returned to Willsboro in 1799. In 1838, part of the town was used to form the Towns of Au Sable and Black Brook.
On April 20, 2002, around 6:50 am, a magnitude 5.2 earthquake was centered in Keeseville, approx. 15 miles south of Peru. The earthquake was felt as far north as Montreal, as far west as Michigan and Ohio, as far south as Washington, D.C., and as far east as Boston, MA and Maine. No injuries or deaths were reported, however moderate damage in the epicentral area was common to include partial road collapses, fallen chimneys, and broken windows.
In the year 2001 the Peru football team went undefeated and won the New York state Class B championship game.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 92.4 square miles (239.3 km²), of which 79.3 square miles (205.5 km²) is land and 13.1 square miles (33.8 km²) (14.12%) is water.
The eastern part of the town ends at Lake Champlain, and that town line is the border of Vermont. The Ausable River forms part of the south town line, and the Little Au Sable River flows eastward through the south part of Peru.
The Northway (Interstate 87) and U.S. Route 9 are north-south highways through the town. New York State Route 22, New York State Route 22B, and New York State Route 442 (an east-west highway) intersect at Peru village.
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 80.3 people per square mile (31.0/km²). There were 2,510 housing units at an average density of 31.6 per square mile (12.2/km²). 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.
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