Potsdam is a

village A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town (although the word is often used to describe both hamlets and smaller towns), with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to ...

located in the Town of Potsdam in

St. Lawrence County, New York St. Lawrence County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 108,505. The county seat is Canton. The county is named for the Saint Lawrence River, which in turn was named for the Christian saint La ...

, United States. The population was 8,312 at the 2020 census. The Village of Potsdam is in the eastern part of the town and is northeast of Canton, the county seat. The village is the locale of the

State University of New York at Potsdam The State University of New York at Potsdam (SUNY Potsdam or, colloquially, Potsdam) is a public college in Potsdam, New York. It is the northernmost member of the State University of New York (SUNY) system. Founded in 1816, it is among the ...

and

Clarkson University Clarkson University is a private research university with its main campus in Potsdam, New York, and additional graduate program and research facilities in the New York Capital Region and Beacon, New York. It was founded in 1896 and has an enr ...

History

The village was formerly a community of the St. Regis Indians. The early European settlers arrived at that location ''{{circa, '' 1803. The village was incorporated in 1831. In 1841, the village charter was amended to increase the size of the village. Potsdam was the seventh town erected by an Act of the Legislature passed February 21, 1806, formerly attached to

Madrid Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the second-largest city in the European Union (EU), and ...

. It was one of the original ten townships, No. 3, and is said to have been named thus by the commissioners on the discovery by the surveyors of a bed of reddish sandstone resembling the

sandstone Sandstone is a clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate grains. Sandstones comprise about 20–25% of all sedimentary rocks. Most sandstone is composed of quartz or feldspar (both silicates) ...

Potsdam Potsdam () is the capital and, with around 183,000 inhabitants, largest city of the German state of Brandenburg. It is part of the Berlin/Brandenburg Metropolitan Region. Potsdam sits on the River Havel, a tributary of the Elbe, downstream of B ...

, Germany. The Market Street Historic District, Bayside Cemetery and Gatehouse Complex, Clarkson Office Building, Clarkson-Knowles Cottage,

Nathaniel Parmeter House Nathaniel Parmeter House is a historic home located at Potsdam (town), New York, Potsdam in St. Lawrence County, New York. It was built about 1830 and is a -story, three-by-two-bay, gable-roofed rural Federal architecture, Federal-style residenc ...

, Trinity Episcopal Church, and

United States Post Office The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or Postal Service, is an independent agency of the executive branch of the United States federal government responsible for providing postal service in the ...

are listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

.{{NRISref, 2009a

Notable people

Job Bicknell Ellis Job Bicknell Ellis (January 21, 1829 – December 30, 1905) was a pioneering North American mycologist known for his study of ascomycetes, especially the grouping of fungi called the Pyrenomycetes (known today as the Sordariomycetes). Born and r ...

, a

mycologist Mycology is the branch of biology concerned with the study of fungus, fungi, including their genetics, genetic and biochemistry, biochemical properties, their Taxonomy (biology), taxonomy and ethnomycology, their use to humans, including as a so ...

, was born in Potsdam and briefly taught there *

Frank B. Kellogg Frank Billings Kellogg (December 22, 1856December 21, 1937) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served in the U.S. Senate and as U.S. Secretary of State. He co-authored the Kellogg–Briand Pact, for which he was awarded the ...

, co-author of the

Kellogg–Briand Pact The Kellogg–Briand Pact or Pact of Paris – officially the General Treaty for Renunciation of War as an Instrument of National Policy – is a 1928 international agreement on peace in which signatory states promised not to use war to ...

, was born in Potsdam *

Marguerite LeHand Marguerite Alice "Missy" LeHand (September 13, 1896 – July 31, 1944) was a private secretary to U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt (FDR) for 21 years. According to LeHand's biographer Kathryn Smith in ''The Gatekeeper'', she eventually ...

, secretary to President

Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the ...

, was born in Potsdam * Clarence F. Stephens, a

mathematician A mathematician is someone who uses an extensive knowledge of mathematics in their work, typically to solve mathematical problems. Mathematicians are concerned with numbers, data, quantity, structure, space, models, and change. History On ...

, taught in Potsdam and developed model teaching methods for college mathematics

Geography

Potsdam is located at {{coord, 44, 40, 15, N, 74, 59, 3, W, type:city (44.670873, -74.984281).{{cite web, url=https://www.census.gov/geographies/reference-files/time-series/geo/gazetteer-files.html, publisher=

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

, access-date=2011-04-23, date=2011-02-12, title=US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990 According to the

, the village has a total area of 4.8 square miles (12.6 km²), of which 4.4 square miles (11.4 km²) is land and 0.5 square mile (1.2 km²) (9.48%) is water. The village is on the banks of the

Raquette River The Raquette River ( moh, Ahná:wate), sometimes spelled Racquette, originates at Raquette Lake in the Adirondack Mountains in New York. long, it is the third longest river entirely in the state of New York. The river is a popular destination ...

. U.S. Route 11 passes through the village from east to west, and

New York State Route 56 New York State Route 56 (NY 56) is a north–south state highway in eastern St. Lawrence County, New York, in the United States. The southern terminus of the route is at an intersection with NY 3 in the town of Colton. Its north ...

passes through from north to south.

New York State Route 11B New York State Route 11B (NY 11B) is a state highway in northern New York in the United States. It provides a parallel, more southerly east–west route to U.S. Route 11 between US 11 in Potsdam and US 11, NY 30, an ...

enters from the east, and New York State Route 345 enters from the northwest.

Demographics

{{US Census population , 1850= 1471 , 1860= 1699 , 1870= 2891 , 1880= 2762 , 1890= 3961 , 1900= 3843 , 1910= 4036 , 1920= 4039 , 1930= 4136 , 1940= 4821 , 1950= 7491 , 1960= 7765 , 1970= 10303 , 1980= 10635 , 1990= 10251 , 2000= 9425 , 2010= 9428 , 2020= 8312 , footnote=U.S. Decennial Census{{cite web, url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html, title=Census of Population and Housing, publisher=Census.gov, access-date=June 4, 2015{{cite web, url=https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/potsdamvillagenewyork,US/PST045221, title=United States Census Bureau QuickFacts, publisher=United States Census Bureau, access-date=February 26, 2022 As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...

of 2010, there were 9,428 people, 2,265 households, and 1,040 families residing in the village. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopul ...

was 2,148.2 people per square mile (828.9/km²). There were 2,705 housing units at an average density of 616.5 per square mile (237.9/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 91.60%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...

, 2.50%

Black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white have o ...

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 0.36% Native American, 3.88%

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

, 0.01%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe the original p ...

, 0.53% from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, and 1.11% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

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 Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...

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 Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the village was $10,824. About 18.2% of families and 34.0% 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 t ...

, including 20.8% of those under age 18 and 13.8% of those age 65 or over.

Gallery

Image:First Presbyterian Church of Potsdam.JPG, First Presbyterian Church of Potsdam Image:St. Mary's Catholic Church of Potsdam.JPG, St. Mary's Catholic Church Image:Satterlee.jpg, SUNY Potsdam's Satterlee Hall Image:Cu newsnell.jpg, Clarkson U., Bertrand H. Snell Hall

Radio

* 1340 WMSA * WTSC-FM 91.1 The Source * WVLF-FM Mix 96.1 * WRCD-FM 101.5 The Fox{{cite web, url=http://www.1015thefox.com , title=1015thefox.com , publisher=1015thefox.com , access-date=2012-09-24

References

{{reflist

External links

{{wikivoyage, Potsdam (New York) * {{Official website, http://vi.potsdam.ny.us/content
Discover Potsdam

{{St. Lawrence County, New York {{authority control Villages in New York (state) Villages in St. Lawrence County, New York