
Canton 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 ...
and
county seat
A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...
of
St. Lawrence County, New York, United States. The village is centrally located in both the
town
A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city.
The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...
of
Canton and the
county
A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...
of St. Lawrence. The population was 7,155 at the 2020 census. The name comes from the Chinese city of
Canton (now Guangzhou).
The village of Canton provides many municipal services such as a fully functional village highway department, water and sewer department, volunteer fire department, court system and a police department along with other municipal agencies.
History

The first attempt at settlement was made in 1800, but the first permanent settlement occurred in 1801. The first post office used the name "New Cairo," but changed to Canton by 1807. The early economy was based on farming and lumbering.
The village was incorporated in 1845. Between 1887 and 1889, the village was modernized with a sewage system, water works, and electrical lighting.
St. Lawrence University was founded here in 1856, and the
State University of New York at Canton (northwest of the village) was begun in 1906.
In addition to
Herring-Cole Hall Richardson Hall, and the
Old Campus Historic District of St. Lawrence University, the
Village Park Historic District and
United States Post Office 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 ...
.
Notable people
*
George R. Malby, former US Congressman.
*
Frederic Remington, the noted Western artist, was born in Canton.
*
Silas Wright, a New York State Governor and political leader, made the area his home. Wright's home was made into the
Silas Wright Museum in 1978, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The site is owned by the
St. Lawrence County Historical Association.
Education
The Village of Canton is home to two colleges.
SUNY Canton is a two-/four-year college located in the western part of the village. Its entrance is accessible via NY RT 68 (West Main Street).
SUNY Canton is also home to the David Sullivan/St. Lawrence County Law Enforcement Academy that provides police training to local, county, state and federal agencies as well as new police officers in its 5-month
police academy every spring.
St. Lawrence University, a four-year liberal arts college located in the eastern part of the village, is home to several sports, including its famous NCAA Division I hockey team and several notable alumni. Access to the college is via US RT 11 (East Main Street).
Canton Central School District, which covers the entire village,
[ ]
Text list
/ref> is centered in the village of Canton at Hugh Williams Senior High School, home of the Golden Bears.
Police department
The village's police department is located in the municipal building on Main Street. It is composed of a Chief of Police, three sergeants and five patrolmen. The department has one full-time and two part-time dispatchers.
In January 2025, Canton Police Chief Ryan Cole made an announcement that the village would be at full sworn officer capacity upon the hiring of 1 additional officer.[ https://northcountrynow.com/stories/village-hires-new-sergeant-for-canton-police-department,280173]
Fire department
The Canton Fire Department, located at 77 Riverside Drive, is an all-volunteer fire department with one chief, three assistant chiefs and nearly 80 members. The department also operates a Paramedic Ambulance service and serves the people of the village and town of Canton as well as providing mutual aid services to surrounding towns. In 2008 the fire department answered over 1500 fire and EMS calls.
Geography
Canton is located at (44.5976, -75.17118).
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 3.3 square miles (8.7 km2), of which 3.2 square miles (8.4 km2) is land and 0.1 square mile (0.3 km2) (2.99%) is water.
The village is located on the Grasse River, a tributary of the St. Lawrence River.
The village is served by U.S. Route 11, New York State Route 68, New York State Route 310, and County Roads 27 and 24.
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 5,882 people, 1,531 households, and 797 families residing in the village. The population density was . There were 1,680 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 91.81% 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 ...
, 4.49% Black
Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...
or 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 ...
, 0.54% Native American, 0.99% Asian, 1.02% from other races, and 1.16% from two or more races. Hispanic
The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...
or Latino of any race were 1.92% of the population.
There were 1,531 households, out of which 26.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 38.9% were married couples living together, 10.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 47.9% were non-families. 38.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.13 and the average family size was 2.86.
In the village, the population was spread out, with 12.3% under the age of 18, 45.8% from 18 to 24, 16.7% from 25 to 44, 13.6% from 45 to 64, and 11.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 22 years. For every 100 females, there were 101.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 101.2 males.
The median income for a household in the village was $38,627, and the median income for a family was $59,211. Males had a median income of $38,818 versus $28,750 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 $14,745. About 8.5% of families and 15.6% 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 19.6% of those under age 18 and 7.1% of those age 65 or over.
Radio
* WVLF-FM Mix 96.1
* WRCD-FM 101.5 The Fox
* WSLU, flagship station of North Country Public Radio
References
External links
Canton town/village Official Website
Canton town/village links and information
Canton Chamber of Commerce information
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Villages in New York (state)
County seats in New York (state)
Villages in St. Lawrence County, New York