St. Lawrence County is a county in the U.S. state of

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 * '' ...

. As of the 2020 census, the population was 108,505. The county seat is

Canton Canton may refer to: Administrative division terminology * Canton (administrative division), territorial/administrative division in some countries, notably Switzerland * Township (Canada), known as ''canton'' in Canadian French Arts and ent ...

. The county is named for the Saint Lawrence River, which in turn was named for the

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

saint In religious belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of Q-D-Š, holiness, likeness, or closeness to God. However, the use of the term ''saint'' depends on the context and Christian denomination, denominat ...

Lawrence of Rome, on whose

feast day The calendar of saints is the traditional Christian method of organizing a liturgical year by associating each day with one or more saints and referring to the day as the feast day or feast of said saint. The word "feast" in this context d ...

the river was visited by French explorer

Jacques Cartier Jacques Cartier ( , also , , ; br, Jakez Karter; 31 December 14911 September 1557) was a French-Breton maritime explorer for France. Jacques Cartier was the first European to describe and map the Gulf of Saint Lawrence and the shores of th ...

. St. Lawrence County comprises the Ogdensburg- Massena, NY Micropolitan Statistical Area and is New York's largest county by area.

History

When counties were established in the Province of New York in 1683, the present St. Lawrence County was part of Albany County. This was an enormous territory, including the northern part of New York State as well as all of the present State of Vermont and, in theory, extending westward to the Pacific Ocean. The county was reduced in size on July 3, 1766, by the creation of Cumberland County, and further on March 16, 1770, by the creation of Gloucester County, both containing territory now in Vermont. On March 12, 1772, what was left of Albany County was split into three parts, one remaining under the name Albany County. The other two were called Tryon County (later renamed

Montgomery County Montgomery County may refer to: Australia * The former name of Montgomery Land District, Tasmania United Kingdom * The historic county of Montgomeryshire, Wales, also called County of Montgomery United States * Montgomery County, Alabama * Mon ...

) and Charlotte County (later renamed Washington County). Tryon County contained the western portion (and, since no western boundary was specified, theoretically extended west to the Pacific). The eastern boundary of Tryon County was approximately five miles west of the present city of Schenectady, and the county included the western part of the Adirondack Mountains and the area west of the West Branch of the

Delaware River The Delaware River is a major river in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. From the meeting of its branches in Hancock (village), New York, Hancock, New York, the river flows for along the borders of N ...

. The area then designated as Tryon County includes what are now 37 counties of New York State. The county was named for William Tryon, colonial governor of New York. Charlotte County contained the eastern portion of Albany County. In 1784, following the peace treaty that ended the American Revolutionary War, the name "Charlotte County" was changed to Washington County to honor

George Washington George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of th ...

, the American Revolutionary War general and later President of the United States of America. Tryon County was changed to

to honor the general,

Richard Montgomery Richard Montgomery (2 December 1738 – 31 December 1775) was an Irish soldier who first served in the British Army. He later became a major general in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War, and he is most famous for l ...

, who had captured several places in Canada and died trying to capture the city of Quebec; it replaced the name of the hated British governor. In 1788, Clinton County was split off from Washington County. This was a much larger area than the present Clinton County, including part of what would later become St. Lawrence County, as well as several other counties or county parts of the present New York State. In 1789, the size of Montgomery County was reduced by the splitting off of Ontario County from Montgomery. The actual area split off from Montgomery County was much larger than the present county, also including the present Allegany, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Erie,

Genesee Genesee, derived from the Seneca word for "pleasant valley", may refer to: Geographic features Canada * Genesee, Alberta, an unincorporated community United States * Genesee, California *Genesee, Colorado *Genesee County, Michigan *Genesee C ...

Livingston Livingston may refer to: Businesses * Livingston Energy Flight, an Italian airline (2003–2010) * Livingston Compagnia Aerea, an Italian airline (2011–2014), also known as Livingston Airline * Livingston International, a North American custom ...

, Monroe,

Niagara Niagara may refer to: Geography Niagara Falls and nearby places In both the United States and Canada *Niagara Falls, the famous waterfalls in the Niagara River *Niagara River, part of the U.S.–Canada border *Niagara Escarpment, the cliff ov ...

, Orleans,

Steuben Steuben or Von Steuben most commonly refers to Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben (1730–1794), Prussian-American military officer, or to a number of things named for him in the United States. It may also refer to: Places *Steuben Township, Marshall C ...

, Wyoming,

Yates Yates may refer to: Places United States *Fort Yates, North Dakota *Yates Spring, a spring in Georgia, United States *Yates City, Illinois * Yates Township, Illinois *Yates Center, Kansas * Yates, Michigan * Yates Township, Michigan * Yates, Misso ...

, and part of Schuyler and Wayne Counties. St. Lawrence County is part of Macomb's Purchase of 1791. In 1791, Herkimer County was one of three counties split off from Montgomery (the other two being Otsego, and Tioga County). This was much larger than the present county, however, and was reduced by a number of subsequent splits. The first was the splitting off in 1794 of Onondaga County. This county was larger than the current Onondaga County, including the present

Cayuga Cayuga often refers to: * Cayuga people, a native tribe to North America, part of the Iroquois Confederacy * Cayuga language, the language of the Cayuga Cayuga may also refer to: Places Canada * Cayuga, Ontario United States * Cayuga, Illinois ...

, Cortland, and part of

Oswego Counties Oswego County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 117,525. The county seat is Oswego. The county name is from a Mohawk-language word meaning "the pouring out place", referring to the point at ...

. This was followed by the splitting off in 1798 from Herkimer County of two portions: one, Oneida County, was larger than the current Oneida County, including the present Jefferson, Lewis, and part of

; another portion, together with a portion of Tioga County, was taken to form Chenango County. In 1799, Clinton County was reduced in size by the splitting off of Essex County from Clinton County. In 1802, parts of Clinton, Herkimer, and Montgomery Counties were taken to form the new St. Lawrence County. At that time Ogdensburg was the county seat. In 1828 the county seat was moved to

. The selection of Canton as the county seat was a compromise by the state legislature to end competition between factions supporting Ogdensburg and Potsdam for the county seat.

Earthquake

On September 5, 1944, a 5.8magnitude earthquake centered in Massena struck the county. The earthquake was felt from Canada to Maryland, and from Maine to Indiana. The earthquake was the strongest earthquake in New York State history.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (5.0%) is water. It is the largest county by area in New York. It is larger than the entire state of Rhode Island (1544.9 square miles) and the state of Delaware (2488.72 square miles). St. Lawrence County is part of the

North Country North Country may refer to: Places * North Country, Cornwall, England * North Country, the northern third of New Hampshire, U.S. ** Great North Woods Region (New Hampshire) * North Country (New York), a region of Upstate New York ** North Country ...

region. Part of the county is in the Adirondack Park and includes much of the Oswegatchie River,

Cranberry Lake Cranberry Lake is a lake on the East branch of the Oswegatchie River in the Adirondack Park in New York in the United States. It is the third largest lake in the Adirondack Park (after Lake George and the Great Sacandaga Lake). About 75 percent ...

and

Lake Ozonia Lake Ozonia is a lake located by Lake Ozonia, New York, St. Lawrence county in the Adirondacks in upstate New York. The outlet of the lake is Lake Ozonia Outlet which flows into the St. Regis River. Fishing The lake is a popular fishing spot ...

. The Port of Ogdensburg in St. Lawrence County is the only U.S. port on the

St. Lawrence Seaway The St. Lawrence Seaway (french: la Voie Maritime du Saint-Laurent) is a system of locks, canals, and channels in Canada and the United States that permits oceangoing vessels to travel from the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes of North Americ ...

, which allows ships and vessels to pass through the St. Lawrence River and on to the Great Lakes.

Ogdensburg Harbor Light Ogdensburg Harbor Light is a privately owned lighthouse on the St. Lawrence River, listed on the National Park Service's Maritime Heritage Program as Lighthouse to visit. and as one of New York's Historic Light Stations. In 2016 it was listed on ...

is listed in the National Register of Historic Places, and in the

National Register of Historic Places listings in St. Lawrence County, New York List of the National Register of Historic Places listings in St. Lawrence County, New York This is intended to be a complete list of historic properties and districts listed on the National Register of Historic Places in St. Lawrence County, N ...

Adjacent counties

* Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry United Counties, Ontario, Canada – north * Leeds and Grenville United Counties, Ontario, Canada – northwest * Franklin County – east * Herkimer County – south * Hamilton County – south * Lewis County – southwest * Jefferson County – west

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 113,931 people, 40,506 households, and 26,936 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 49,721 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 94.51% White, 2.38% African American, 0.87% Native American, 0.71% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.69% from other races, and 0.51% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.79% of the population. 16.9% were of

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

, 16.1% Irish, 13.9% American, 11.6% English, 8.1%

French Canadian French Canadians (referred to as Canadiens mainly before the twentieth century; french: Canadiens français, ; feminine form: , ), or Franco-Canadians (french: Franco-Canadiens), refers to either an ethnic group who trace their ancestry to Fren ...

, 7.9% German and 7.6% Italian ancestry according to Census 2000. 95.6% spoke only English, while 3.2% spoke French and 1.2% Spanish at home. There were 40,506 households, out of which 31.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.50% 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, 10.30% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.50% were non-families. 26.50% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.20% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 2.99. In the county, the population was spread out, with 23.40% under the age of 18, 13.80% from 18 to 24, 27.40% from 25 to 44, 22.40% from 45 to 64, and 13.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 103.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 102.10 males. The median income for a household in the county was $30,356, and the median income for a family was $34,510. Males had a median income of $30,135 versus $24,253 for females. The per capita income for the county was $14,728. About 12.30% of families and 19.90% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.30% of those under age 18 and 10.30% of those age 65 or over.

2020 Census

Education

School districts

There are 17 school districts centered in

St. Lawrence County 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 L ...

, all under the jurisdiction of th
St. Lawrence-Lewis BOCES Supervisory District
along with Harrisville Central School District in

Lewis County, New York Lewis County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 26,582, making it the fourth-least populous county in New York. Its county seat is Lowville. The county is named after Morgan Lewis, ...

. * Brasher Falls Central School District: St. Lawrence Central School, Brasher Falls * Canton Central School District: Hugh Williams Senior High School, Canton * Clifton-Fine Central School District: Clifton-Fine Central School, Star Lake * Colton-Pierrepont Central School District: Colton-Pierrepont Central School, Colton * Edwards-Knox Central School District: Edwards-Knox Central School, Russell * Gouverneur Central School District: Gouverneur Junior/Senior High School, Gouverneur * Hammond Central School District: Hammond Central School, Hammond * Hermon-Dekalb Central School District: Hermon-Dekalb Central School, Dekalb Junction * Heuvelton Central School District: Heuvelton Central School, Heuvelton * Lisbon Central School District: Lisbon Central School, Lisbon * Madrid-Waddington Central School District: Madrid-Waddington Central School, Madrid * Massena Central School District: Massena Senior High School, Massena * Morristown Central School District: Morristown Central School, Morristown * Norwood-Norfolk Central School District: Norwood-Norfolk Central School, Norfolk * Ogdensburg City School District:

Ogdensburg Free Academy Ogdensburg Free Academy is a public high school in Ogdensburg, New York. It consists of around 750 or more students in the 7th through 12th grade. The famous Golden Dome is located on State Street and attracts residents from across the North Coun ...

, Ogdensburg * Parishville-Hopkinton Central School District: Parishville-Hopkinton Central School, Parishville * Potsdam Central School District: Potsdam High School, Potsdam All public high schools in St. Lawrence County compete in the

New York State Public High School Athletic Association The New York State Public High School Athletic Association (NYSPHSAA) is the governing body of interscholastic sports for most public schools in New York outside New York City.http://www.nysphsaa.org/ ''nysphsaa.org'', accessed 15-JAN-2008. Th ...

br>Section X Northern Athletic Conference

Universities and colleges

Saint Lawrence County is home to St. Lawrence University,

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 ...

, Clarkson University, the SUNY-ESF Ranger School, and the

State University of New York at Canton The State University of New York at Canton (SUNY Canton) is a public college in Canton, New York. It is part of the State University of New York. The college offers 31 bachelor's degrees, 20 associate degrees, three one-year certificate programs ...

Politics

Prior to the 1992 presidential election, St. Lawrence County was a traditionally Republican county, supporting the Democrats only in their sweep of New York State counties in

1964 Events January * January 1 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved. * January 5 - In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the fifteenth century, Pope Paul VI and Patriarch ...

. From 1992 through the

2012 election This national electoral calendar for 2012 lists the national/ federal elections held in 2012 in all sovereign states and their dependent territories. By-elections are excluded, though national referendums are included. January *3–4 January: ...

, St. Lawrence County swung Democratic, posting double-digit victories for Democratic candidates, most notably in

1996 File:1996 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: A Centennial Olympic Park bombing, bomb explodes at Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta, set off by a radical Anti-abortion violence, anti-abortionist; The center fuel tank explodes on TWA Flight 8 ...

when Bill Clinton won the county by 28-point margin over

Bob Dole Robert Joseph Dole (July 22, 1923 – December 5, 2021) was an American politician and attorney who represented Kansas in the United States Senate from 1969 to 1996. He was the Republican Leader of the Senate during the final 11 years of his te ...

. The first Republican victory in the county since 1988 came in

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...

when Donald Trump carried the county by an eight-point margin. In 2020, it was one of only a few counties in Upstate New York where Trump improved his margin, this time carrying it by over 10 points.

Media

Radio

* 1340 WMSA, Massena * WVLF-FM Mix 96.1 * WRCD-FM 101.5 The Fox * WSNN (99.3, Potsdam) * WPDM (1470, Potsdam) * WSLU (89.5, Canton)

Transportation

Airports

The following public use airports are located in the county:St. Lawrence County Public and Private Airports, New York
. Retrieved June 13, 2013. *

Massena International Airport Massena International Airport (Richards Field) is in St. Lawrence County, New York. It is east of the village of Massena. The airport sees one airline, subsidized by the Essential Air Service program. Federal Aviation Administration records ...

(MSS) – Massena * Ogdensburg International Airport (OGS) – Ogdensburg *

Potsdam Municipal Airport Potsdam Municipal Airport , also known as Damon Field, is a village owned, public use airport located two nautical miles (4 km) east of Potsdam, a village in the Town of Potsdam, St. Lawrence County, New York, United States. It is inc ...

(PTD) – Potsdam *

Moores Airport Moores Airport is a privately owned, public use airport in St. Lawrence County, New York, United States. It is located three nautical miles (6 kilometre, km) north of Degrasse, New York, Degrasse, a Administrative divisions of New Yo ...

(1E8) – Degrasse

Communities

Larger settlements

† - County Seat ‡ - Not Wholly in this County

Towns

* Brasher *

Clare Clare may refer to: Places Antarctica * Clare Range, a mountain range in Victoria Land Australia * Clare, South Australia, a town in the Clare Valley * Clare Valley, South Australia Canada * Clare (electoral district), an electoral district * Cl ...

Clifton Clifton may refer to: People *Clifton (surname) *Clifton (given name) Places Australia * Clifton, Queensland, a town **Shire of Clifton *Clifton, New South Wales, a suburb of Wollongong *Clifton, Western Australia Canada *Clifton, Nova Scotia ...

* Colton * De Kalb * De Peyster *

Edwards Edwards may refer to: People * Edwards (surname) * Edwards family, a prominent family from Chile * Edwards Barham (1937-2014), a former member of the Louisiana State Senate * Edwards Pierrepont (1817–1892), an American attorney, jurist, and ora ...

Fine Fine may refer to: Characters * Sylvia Fine (''The Nanny''), Fran's mother on ''The Nanny'' * Officer Fine, a character in ''Tales from the Crypt'', played by Vincent Spano Legal terms * Fine (penalty), money to be paid as punishment for an offe ...

* Fowler * Gouverneur *

Hammond Hammond may refer to: People * Hammond Innes (1913–1998), English novelist * Hammond (surname) * Justice Hammond (disambiguation) Places Antarctica * Hammond Glacier, Antarctica Australia *Hammond, South Australia, a small settlement in South ...

* Hermon * Hopkinton * Lawrence *

Lisbon Lisbon (; pt, Lisboa ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 544,851 within its administrative limits in an area of 100.05 km2. Grande Lisboa, Lisbon's urban area extends beyond the city's administr ...

* Louisville * Macomb * Madrid * Massena *

Morristown Morristown may refer to: Places Canada *Morristown, Nova Scotia (disambiguation) United States * Morristown, Arizona *Morristown, Indiana ** Morristown station (Indiana) *Morristown, Minnesota ** Morristown Township, Rice County, Minnesota *Morris ...

* Norfolk * Oswegatchie * Parishville * Piercefield * Pierrepont * Pitcairn * Potsdam * Rossie *

Russell Russell may refer to: People * Russell (given name) * Russell (surname) * Lady Russell (disambiguation) * Lord Russell (disambiguation) Places Australia *Russell, Australian Capital Territory *Russell Island, Queensland (disambiguation) **Ru ...

Stockholm Stockholm () is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, largest city of Sweden as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people liv ...

* Waddington

Hamlets

Conifer Conifers are a group of conifer cone, cone-bearing Spermatophyte, seed plants, a subset of gymnosperms. Scientifically, they make up the phylum, division Pinophyta (), also known as Coniferophyta () or Coniferae. The division contains a single ...

* Crary Mills *

Helena Helena may refer to: People *Helena (given name), a given name (including a list of people and characters with the name) *Katri Helena (born 1945), Finnish singer *Helena, mother of Constantine I Places Greece * Helena (island) Guyana * ...

* Massena Center * Morley * Newton Falls * Pyrites *

Rooseveltown Rooseveltown is a hamlet in the town of Massena, New York, United States located in St. Lawrence County. It is near the eastern town line, by the Raquette River. Rooseveltown was the site of a station on the New York and Ottawa Railway, and was or ...

* South Colton * Wanakena * Chase Mills

References

External links

St. Lawrence County webpage

*