Alexandria Bay is a
village
A village is a human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand. Although villages are often located in rural areas, the term urban v ...
in
Jefferson County,
New York, United States, within the town of
Alexandria
Alexandria ( ; ) is the List of cities and towns in Egypt#Largest cities, second largest city in Egypt and the List of coastal settlements of the Mediterranean Sea, largest city on the Mediterranean coast. It lies at the western edge of the Nile ...
. It is located in the
Thousand Islands region of northern New York. The population of the village was 1,078 at the
2010 United States census.
It lies near the
Thousand Islands Border Crossing of Canada and the United States.
History
Settlement began around 1817. By 1836, the community had about 25 dwellings.
The
George C. Boldt Yacht House,
Church of Saint Lawrence,
Cornwall Brothers' Store,
Holland Library,
Ingleside, and
Longue Vue Island are listed on the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...
.
In its heyday as a late 19th century and early 20th century resort, its main access was via steamer from
Clayton, NY. Its nearest rail connection was
Redwood
Sequoioideae, commonly referred to as redwoods, is a subfamily of Pinophyta, coniferous trees within the family (biology), family Cupressaceae, that range in the Northern Hemisphere, northern hemisphere. It includes the List of superlative tree ...
on the
Rome, Watertown and Ogdensburg Railroad's Rochester line bound for Ogdensburg.
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 village has a total area of , of which are land and , or 49.77%, are water.
The village is located on the south bank of the
Saint Lawrence River near the
U.S. and Canada international border.
Keewaydin State Park is southwest of the village.
New York State Route 12 and
New York State Route 26 intersect at the only stoplight in the village. NY-12 leads northeast (downriver) to
Ogdensburg and southwest to
Clayton. NY-26 has its northern terminus at Alexandria Bay and leads southeast to
Theresa.
Interstate 81
Interstate 81 (I-81) is a north–south (physically northeast–southwest) Interstate Highway in the eastern part of the United States. Its southern terminus is at Interstate 40, I-40 in Dandridge, Tennessee, Dandridge, Tennessee; its nort ...
intersects NY-12 southwest of Alexandria Bay, leading south to
Watertown and to
Syracuse, and north to the
Thousand Islands Bridge into Canada.
Buildings
The village has a number of properties on the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...
.
Historic Sites
The following are the historic sites in Alexandria Bay of such significance as to be listed on the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...
.
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 1,088 people, 482 households, and 270 families residing in the village. The population density was . There were 624 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 99.08%
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 ...
, 0.37% Hispanic or Latino of any race, 0.09%
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 ...
, 0.09%
Native American, and 0.74% from two or more races.
There were 482 households, out of which 24.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 38.4% 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, 14.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 43.8% were non-families. 38.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.12 and the average family size was 2.81.
In the village, the population was spread out, with 20.3% under the age of 18, 5.3% from 18 to 24, 27.7% from 25 to 44, 23.4% from 45 to 64, and 23.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females, there were 80.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 79.9 males.
The median income for a household in the village was $29,338, and the median income for a family was $36,979. Males had a median income of $31,250 versus $21,429 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 village was $16,875. About 11.0% of families and 13.5% 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 16.3% of those under age 18 and 18.7% of those age 65 or over.
According to the 2008-2012
American Community Survey
The American Community Survey (ACS) is an annual demographics survey program conducted by the United States Census Bureau. It regularly gathers information previously contained only in the long form of the United States census, decennial census ...
, the total population of Alexandria Bay was 1,999 and 95.5% white. 12.6% of the population over 25 does not have a high school or equivalent degree. Median household income, in 2012 inflation adjusted dollars, was $37,303.
Local attractions

While Alexandria Bay has a relatively low population during the winter months and has no colleges, the late spring, summer, and early fall seasons bring an influx of vacationers and avid boaters that cause the population of the village to exceed 15,000. Several motels and hotels are available in the immediate village area. Boat tours are available of the bay and river area daily.
Boldt Castle is a 120-room mansion on Heart Island, located near Alexandria Bay. The castle was designed by the firm of
W. D. Hewitt and G.W. Hewitt, Architects of
Philadelphia
Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...
, who also designed
Druim Moir Castle in Philadelphia. Boldt Castle was built at the turn of the century by multi-millionaire
George C. Boldt for his wife, Louise, as a testimony of his love for her. Mr. Boldt invested over $2.5 million to build this replica of a
Rhineland
The Rhineland ( ; ; ; ) is a loosely defined area of Western Germany along the Rhine, chiefly Middle Rhine, its middle section. It is the main industrial heartland of Germany because of its many factories, and it has historic ties to the Holy ...
castle.
Boldt planned on presenting it to his wife on Valentine's Day. Work was underway on the eleven buildings that would comprise the castle complex when in January 1904 Louise Boldt died, ending the dreams of a lifetime. George Boldt ordered that all work be stopped and for 73 years the Castle and the other structures on the island were left to the forces of nature. The Thousand Islands Bridge Authority acquired the property in 1977; since that time, several million dollars have been spent rehabilitating and restoring the castle and surrounding structures. Ferries allow access to the castle on an hourly schedule daily. In 1979, the movie
Fear No Evil was filmed at several sites in and around Boldt Castle, marking the only time the castle has made an appearance in cinema.
Every August, 10 days are devoted to "Bill Johnston's Pirate Days", a town-wide festival that features professional performers acting out
pirate battles and a "siege" of the town by the "Pirate of the Thousand Islands",
Bill Johnston, whom the festival is named after. It is encouraged that attendees dress in pirate attire, as do the actors who line the streets. The festival is also educational, with many groups providing galleries, displays, and informative presentations of the weapons and ships used during the
Golden Age of Piracy.
Economy
The total value of exports of Alexandria Bay, New York was $6.73 billion in 2020.
Airport
Maxson Airfield
(FAA LID: 89NY) is a privately owned, private-use general aviation airport located south of the central business district of Alexandria Bay. It once had commercial service provided by Mohawk Airlines. At that time, the airport bore the
IATA
The International Air Transport Association (IATA ) is an airline trade association founded in 1945. IATA has been described as a cartel since, in addition to setting technical standards for airlines, IATA also organized tariff conferences tha ...
airport code AXB.
The Maxson Airport was originally owned by Howard C. Maxson. He ran it as a grass-field airport until his death in 1984. Howard Maxson would provide airplane tours over the 1000 Islands during the summer as well as flight instruction.
Education
The school district is
Alexandria Central School District.
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Text list
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References
External links
*
Village of Alexandria Bay official website
AlexBay.org - Alexandria Bay Chamber of Commerce
{{Authority control
Villages in New York (state)
Villages in Jefferson County, New York
New York (state) populated places on the Saint Lawrence River