Peru is a

town A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...

Clinton County Clinton County may refer to: *Counties named for George Clinton, first and third Governor of New York, and later the fourth Vice President of the United States: **Clinton County, New York ** Clinton County, Ohio *Counties named for DeWitt Clinton, ...

in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

. The population was 6,772 at the 2020 census. The town was so named for its views of the

Adirondack Mountains The Adirondack Mountains ( ) are a massif of mountains in Northeastern New York which form a circular dome approximately wide and covering about . The region contains more than 100 peaks, including Mount Marcy, which is the highest point in Ne ...

to the west and the farmlands throughout the town, resembling scenery found in the country of

Peru Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a considerably smaller portion in the Northern Hemisphere. It can also be described as the southern Subregion#Americas, subregion o ...

. Peru, New York, is in the southeastern part of Clinton County, south of

Plattsburgh Plattsburgh is a city in and the county seat of Clinton County, New York, United States, situated on the north-western shore of Lake Champlain. The population was 19,841 at the 2020 census. The population of the surrounding (and separately in ...

History

The area was first settled by Connor VanNess in 1772. The

Battle of Valcour Island The Battle of Valcour Island, also known as the Battle of Valcour Bay, was a naval engagement that took place on October 11, 1776, on Lake Champlain. The main action took place in Valcour Bay, a narrow strait between the Province of New York, Ne ...

was fought in

Lake Champlain Lake Champlain ( ; , ) is a natural freshwater lake in North America. It mostly lies between the U.S. states of New York (state), New York and Vermont, but also extends north into the Canadian province of Quebec. The cities of Burlington, Ve ...

in the eastern part of Peru in 1776. Peru was formed from parts of the towns of

and Willsboro (the latter now in Essex County) 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 the western part of Peru, southwest of Plattsburgh with only marginal damages.

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the town of Peru has a total area of , of which is land and , or 14.60%, is water. The eastern part of the town fronts on

, and the eastern town line, in the center of the lake, is the state border with

Vermont Vermont () is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, New York (state), New York to the west, and the Provinces and territories of Ca ...

. The Ausable River forms part of the southern town line, and the Little Ausable River flows eastward through the southern section of Peru. The Adirondack Northway ( Interstate 87) and U.S. Route 9 are north–south highways through the town.

New York State Route 22 New York State Route 22 (NY 22) is a north–south state highway that parallels the eastern border of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, from the outskirts of New York City to the hamlet of Mooers (CDP), New York, Mooers i ...

, New York State Route 22B, and New York State Route 442 (an east–west highway), also known as the Bear Swamp Road, intersect at Peru village.

Demographics

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2000, there were 6,370 people, 2,309 households, and 1,777 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 2,510 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 97.22%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 0.91%

Black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.08% Native American, 0.61% Asian, 0.16% from other races, and 1.02% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

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 Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

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 Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the town was $19,676. About 7.6% of families and 11.1% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 14.3% of those under age 18 and 9.6% of those age 65 or over.

Communities and locations in Peru

*Clark Corners – A location west of Peru village. *Coffey Corners – A location near the northern town line, north of Peru village. *Cromie Corners – A location northwest of Peru village. *Day Point – A location on the shore of Lake Champlain, opposite Valcour Island. *Lapham's Mills (formerly "Bartonville") – A hamlet northeast of Peru village, near the Northway. * Macomb Reservation State Park – A

state park State parks are parks or other protected areas managed at the sub-national level within those nations which use "Federated state, state" as a political subdivision. State parks are typically established by a state to preserve a location on accou ...

at the northern town line. *Peasleeville – A location west of the town. *

– The

hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play. Set in Denmark, the play (the ...

of Peru is at the junction of NY Route 22 and NY Route 22B in the east-central part of the town. It was first settled ''circa'' 1795. *South Junction – A hamlet at the northeastern town line. *Valcour (formerly "Port Valcour") – A hamlet on the shore of Lake Champlain and US-9. * Valcour Island – The southern 80% of this island in Lake Champlain is part of the town.

Notable people

Asa Adgate Asa Adgate (November 17, 1767February 15, 1832) was an iron manufacturer, farmer, and local government official who was selected to fill the vacancy in the United States House of Representatives caused by the death of Benjamin Pond. Biography A ...

(17671832),

congressman A member of congress (MOC), also known as a congressman or congresswoman, is a person who has been appointed or elected and inducted into an official body called a congress, typically to represent a particular constituency in a legislature. The t ...

from New York, held several local government positions here * Frances Elizabeth "Fran" Allen (19322020),

IBM International Business Machines Corporation (using the trademark IBM), nicknamed Big Blue, is an American Multinational corporation, multinational technology company headquartered in Armonk, New York, and present in over 175 countries. It is ...

computer scientist raised in Peru. * Charles H. Anson (18411928), Wisconsin state legislator and businessman, was born in Peru. * Frank A. Anson (18441909), Wisconsin state legislator and businessman, was born in Peru. * James Henry Lockwood (17931857), lawyer, fur trapper, merchant * Francis A. Pratt (18271902), Connecticut mechanical engineer, inventor, and founder of

Pratt & Whitney Pratt & Whitney is an American aerospace manufacturer with global service operations. It is a subsidiary of RTX Corporation (formerly Raytheon Technologies). Pratt & Whitney's aircraft engines are widely used in both civil aviation (especially ...

References

External links

*
Town of Peru history

Peru Central School District
{{authority control Populated places established in 1772 Towns in Clinton County, New York Towns in New York (state) 1772 establishments in the Province of New York