Dannemora 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 ...

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, ...

, New York, United States. The population was 4,898 at the 2010 census. The town is named after

Dannemora, Sweden Dannemora is an old mining town and a locality situated in Östhammar Municipality, Uppsala County, Sweden. It had 213 inhabitants in 2010. Dannemora mine Dannemora is the location of an important iron ore mine, the Dannemora mine, which formed th ...

, an important iron-mining region. The town of Dannemora contains 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 ...

also called Dannemora, the southern portion of which is located in the town of Saranac. Both village and town are on the western border of Clinton County, west of Plattsburgh.

History

The area was first settled ''circa'' 1838. A prison was opened in 1845, so as to utilize the prisoners in local mining operations. The town of Dannemora was formed in 1854 from the town of

Beekmantown Beekmantown is a town in Clinton County, New York, United States. The population was 5,545 at the 2010 census. The town name is that of William Beekman, an original landowner. It is on the eastern border of the county, just north of Plattsburgh ...

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 t ...

, the town of Dannemora has a total area of , of which is land and , or 10.27%, is water. The western town line is the border of Franklin County. Most of the town is within the

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

, on the western side of the county. However, the statute defining the Adirondack Park specifically excludes Dannemora and nearby Altona, due to the prison facilities located in both towns.

New York State Route 374 New York State Route 374 (NY 374) is a state highway in the North Country of New York in the United States. The route follows a generally northwest to southeast progression; however, the portion of the route within Franklin County runs ...

is an east-west highway in Dannemora. Chazy Lake is a large water body that occupies the center of the town. The

Great Chazy River Chazy River is the name of two tributaries of Lake Champlain in Clinton County, New York in the United States. The more northerly river is the Great Chazy River, which empties into Lake Champlain at King Bay in the Town of Champlain. The more ...

begins at the northern end of Chazy Lake and is an eastward-flowing tributary of

Lake Champlain Lake Champlain ( ; french: Lac Champlain) is a natural freshwater lake in North America. It mostly lies between the US states of New York and Vermont, but also extends north into the Canada, Canadian province of Quebec. The New York portion of t ...

. Upper Chateaugay Lake, near the western border of the town, empties through the Chateaugay Narrows into Lower Chateaugay Lake in Franklin County, which marks the beginning of the Chateaugay 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 ...

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 in ...

of 2000, there were 5,149 people, 850 households, and 584 families residing in the town. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Stock (disambiguation), 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 ...

was 87.0 people per square mile (33.6/km²). There were 1,253 housing units at an average density of 21.2 per square mile (8.2/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 56.30%

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 o ...

, 32.34% Black or African American, 0.54% Native American, 0.85%

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 ...

, 0.04%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...

, 8.95% 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 0.97% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 15.87% of the population. There were 850 households, out of which 30.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.2% were married couples living together, 11.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.2% were non-families. Of all households 26.6% were made up of individuals, and 14.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 2.91. The age distribution was 10.3% under the age of 18, 11.7% from 18 to 24, 53.6% from 25 to 44, 18.0% from 45 to 64, and 6.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 367.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 446.6 males. The median income for a household in the town was $37,805, and the median income for a family was $43,850. Males had a median income of $27,045 versus $25,132 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 $18,614. About 13.6% of families and 14.2% 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 24.3% of those under age 18 and 5.8% of those age 65 or over. Note: The census counts prisoners based on where they are incarcerated. With the all-male state prison in Dannemora, the data listed above, except for household and family data, is likely to be skewed in comparison with the remainder of the town population and the population of neighboring non-prison towns, particularly with regard to ethnicity and the female:male ratio, because a disproportionate percentage of the prison population is male and black or Hispanic.

Education

Saranac Central School District is the local school district.

Communities and locations in the town

Chazy Lake - View from the Top of Lyon Mountain

* Chazy Lake: A lake centrally located in the town. * Chazy Lake: 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 ...

on the western side of Chazy Lake. *

Clinton Correctional Facility Clinton Correctional Facility is a New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision maximum security state prison for men located in the Village of Dannemora, New York. The prison is sometimes colloquially referred to as Dannem ...

(also known as "Dannemora"): One of New York State's maximum security prisons is located in the village of Dannemora. ( Lucky Luciano once served time there.) The site also formerly housed the state's mental hospital for the criminally insane. * Dannemora: The village of Dannemora is on the southern town line, located on NY-374. * Dannemora Mountain: A small mountain north of the village. * Ledger Corners: A location near the northern town line on NY-374. * Lyon Mountain: The hamlet of Lyon Mountain is in the western part of the town. * Lyon Mountain Correctional Facility: Formerly a

minimum security prison A prison, also known as a jail, gaol (dated, standard English, Australian, and historically in Canada), penitentiary (American English and Canadian English), detention center (or detention centre outside the US), correction center, correc ...

located in the western part of the town. * Seine Bay: A small bay in Chazy Lake north of the community of Chazy Lake. * Upper Chateaugay Lake: A lake in the northwestern corner of the town.

References

External links

Town of Dannemora official website

Town of Dannemora archived website

Village of Dannemora

Historical views of Dannemora
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dannemora (Town), New York 1838 establishments in New York (state) Populated places established in 1838 Towns in Clinton County, New York