Santa Clara is a

town A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares an ori ...

in Franklin County,

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

, United States. The population was 345 at the 2010 census. The name was derived from the wife of an early town businessman, John Hurd. The town is in the southwestern part of the county, southwest of the village of

Malone Malone is an Irish surname. From the Irish "''Mael Eóin''", the name means a servant or a disciple of Saint John. People * Gilla Críst Ua Máel Eóin (died 1127), historian and Abbot of Clonmacnoise, Ó Maoil Eoin * Adrian Malone (1937–2 ...

and west of the village of Saranac Lake. The town is within the

Adirondack Park The Adirondack Park is a part of New York's Forest Preserve in northeastern New York, United States. The park was established in 1892 for “the free use of all the people for their health and pleasure”, and for watershed protection. The park ...

. It includes the 58 ponds of the

Saint Regis Canoe Area The Saint Regis Canoe Area in Adirondack Park is the largest wilderness canoe area in the Northeastern United States and the only designated canoe area in New York state. It is closed to motorized vehicles. Among the 50 ponds (small lakes) and lak ...

, presently the only Canoe

Wilderness Area Wilderness or wildlands (usually in the plural), are natural environments on Earth that have not been significantly modified by human activity or any nonurbanized land not under extensive agricultural cultivation. The term has traditionally re ...

in the park, as well as most of

Upper Saranac Lake Upper Saranac Lake is one of three connected lakes, part of the Saranac River, in the towns of Santa Clara and Harrietstown, near the village of Saranac Lake in the Adirondacks in northern New York. Upper Saranac Lake is the sixth largest lak ...

History

The town of Santa Clara was formed from part of the town of

Brandon Brandon may refer to: Names and people *Brandon (given name), a male given name *Brandon (surname), a surname with several different origins Places Australia *Brandon, a farm and 19th century homestead in Seaham, New South Wales *Brandon, Q ...

in 1888. An addition from Brandon was added to Santa Clara in 1896.

William Rockefeller William Avery Rockefeller Jr. (May 31, 1841 – June 24, 1922) was an American businessman and financier. Rockefeller was a co-founder of Standard Oil along with his elder brother John Davison Rockefeller. He was also part owner of the Anaconda ...

began buying property in the town around 1896 in order to establish an estate, used by members of his family during the summer. The

St. Regis Mountain Fire Observation Station The St. Regis Mountain Fire Observation Station is a historic fire observation station located on Saint Regis Mountain at Santa Clara in Franklin County, New York. The station and contributing resources include a , steel frame lookout tower erect ...

was 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 ...

in 2005.

Geography

According to the

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 ...

, the town has a total area of , of which is land and , or 9.02%, is water. Santa Clara is the second largest town in the county. The southern part of the town is dominated by numerous lakes.

New York State Route 458 New York State Route 458 (NY 458) is a state highway in the North Country of New York in the United States. It extends for from an intersection with NY 11B in the St. Lawrence County town of Hopkinton to a junction with NY ...

is a north-south highway in Santa Clara. New York State Route 30 crosses the southern section of the town. The St. Regis River, a northward-flowing tributary of the

St. Lawrence River The St. Lawrence River (french: Fleuve Saint-Laurent, ) is a large river in the middle latitudes of North America. Its headwaters begin flowing from Lake Ontario in a (roughly) northeasterly direction, into the Gulf of St. Lawrence, connecting ...

, flows out the western town line.

Demographics

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 2000, there were 395 people, 155 households, and 119 families residing in the town. 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 2.3 people per square mile (0.9/km²). There were 953 housing units at an average density of 5.4 per square mile (2.1/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 96.20%

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 ...

, 0.25%

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 ...

, 1.77% Native American, 0.25%

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 ...

, 0.76% 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 0.76% from two or more races. There were 155 households, out of which 31.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.2% 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, 9.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.6% were non-families. 20.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.55 and the average family size was 2.90. In the town, the population was spread out, with 25.1% under the age of 18, 4.3% from 18 to 24, 23.5% from 25 to 44, 31.1% from 45 to 64, and 15.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females, there were 110.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 105.6 males. The median income for a household in the town was $42,083, and the median income for a family was $45,750. Males had a median income of $30,000 versus $24,688 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 town was $19,683. About 8.3% of families and 7.4% 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 10.5% of those under age 18 and 6.6% of those age 65 or over.

Communities and locations in Santa Clara

*Bay Pond – A hamlet in the south-central part of the town. It was a former Rockefeller summer home. *Brandon – A former community, located north of Bay Pond. It became part of the Rockefeller estate and its buildings were removed. *Derrick – A hamlet west of Saranac Inn. *Everton – A former community, abandoned after the forests had been stripped. *Floodwood – A hamlet west of Saranac Inn near the western town line. *Kildare – A hamlet west of Saranac Inn near the western town boundary. *Madawaska – A

hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depicts ...

near the eastern town line. *Madawaska Pond – A lake near the center of the town. *

Middle Saranac Lake Middle Saranac Lake, also called Round Lake, is the smallest of three connected lakes, part of the Saranac River, near the village of Saranac Lake in the Adirondacks in northern New York. Two-thirds of its shoreline is state-owned. The lake is lo ...

– Part of the lake is in the southeastern corner of the town. *Meno – A location northeast of Madawaska. *The

– A wilderness area with 58 ponds (no motorized vehicles are allowed). *Santa Clara – the hamlet of Santa Clara is near the western town line in the northern part of the town on NY-458. *

Saranac Inn The Saranac Inn was a large, luxurious hotel located on a peninsula at the northern end of the Upper Saranac Lake in the town of Santa Clara in the Adirondacks in New York State, United States. It was frequented by US Presidents Grover Cleveland ...

(also "Upper Saranac") – A hamlet in the southern part of the town. *Saranac Inn Station – A location east of Saranac Inn. *Spring Cove – A hamlet near the western town boundary, south of Santa Clara village. *

– Most of the lake is in the southern part of the town. * Weller Pond – A large pond in the southern part of the town.

References

External links

Town of Santa Clara, NY

{{authority control Towns in Franklin County, New York