Champlain is a

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 ...

in Clinton County, New York, United States. The population was 5,754 at the 2010 census. The town is located on the western shore of

Lake Champlain Lake Champlain ( ; , ) is a natural freshwater lake in North America. It mostly lies between the U.S. states of New York (state), New York and Vermont, but also extends north into the Canadian province of Quebec. The cities of Burlington, Ve ...

, near the northern end of Lake Champlain and is on the U.S./Canadian border. The town occupies the northeastern corner of Clinton County and the state of New York. Within the town are two villages: Champlain and Rouses Point.

History

Nearby Lake Champlain was an important military and trade route during the colonial period. The lake and the town were named in honor of

Samuel de Champlain Samuel de Champlain (; 13 August 1574#Fichier]For a detailed analysis of his baptismal record, see #Ritch, RitchThe baptism act does not contain information about the age of Samuel, neither his birth date nor his place of birth. – 25 December ...

, who first surveyed the area in 1609. It was part of Canada (New France), Canada until 1763 and became part of the United States in 1783. The town was formed in 1788, the same year the county was established. In 1799, the town was reduced by the formation of the town of Chateaugay (now in Franklin County). The founding of the towns of Chazy and Mooers, in 1804, further reduced Champlain. Champlain is on the border with Canada and contains three border crossings: Champlain, Overton Corners, and Rouses Point. The Champlain Port of Entry on Interstate 87 is one of the four most important commercial gateways on the northern border, connecting

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

to the south with

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

to the north, via Quebec Autoroute 15.

Geography

Champlain is approximately south of Montreal. According to the 2010 United States census, the town has a total area of , of which is land and , or 12.90%, is water. Lake Champlain and the

Richelieu River The Richelieu River () is a river of Quebec, Canada, and a major right-bank tributary of the St. Lawrence River. It rises at Lake Champlain, from which it flows northward through Quebec and empties into the St. Lawrence. It was formerly kno ...

are on the eastern edge of the town, which shares a border with Grand Isle County, Vermont. The town line to the north is the international border with Saint-Bernard-de-Lacolle, Quebec, Canada. The Adirondack Northway ( I-87) is a major north-south highway that begins at the

Canadian border The borders of Canada include: * To the south and west: An international boundary with the United States, forming the Canada–United States border, longest shared border in the world, ; (Informally referred as the 49th parallel north which make ...

at Champlain and travels south to Albany, connecting to the New York State Thruway. US 9 parallels I-87, and U.S. Route 11 runs north-south across the town. US 2 intersects US-11 by Rouses Point. New York State Route 9B intersects US-11 in the northeast and US-9 in the southern part of Champlain, providing a highway closer to Lake Champlain. New York State Route 276 partly runs along the international border.

Demographics

As of the 2000

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 ...

, there were 5,791 people, 2,386 households, and 1,562 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 2,718 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 97.74%

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 ...

, 0.52%

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 ...

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 ...

, 0.29% Native American, 0.36% Asian, 0.02%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 0.26% from other races, and 0.81% 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 1.00% of the population. There were 2,386 households, out of which 31.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.0% 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, 10.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.5% were non-families. 28.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 2.95. In the town, the population was spread out, with 25.0% under the age of 18, 7.1% from 18 to 24, 28.7% from 25 to 44, 24.6% from 45 to 64, and 14.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.8 males. The median income for a household in the town was $37,775, and the median income for a family was $46,113. Males had a median income of $35,198 versus $26,345 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 town was $18,987. About 6.7% of families and 9.2% 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 ...

, including 9.5% of those under age 18 and 6.9% of those age 65 or over.

Communities and locations in the town

*Catfish PointA location on the shore of

by Kings Bay. * ChamplainA village in the central part of the town near the US-9 and US-11 intersection. * CoopersvilleA

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

by the Great Chazy River on NY-9B. It was also known as "Corbeau" and settled ''circa'' 1789. *Corbeau CreekAn important tributary of the Great Chazy River. * Great Chazy RiverA river flowing through the town to King Bay in Lake Champlain. *Kings BayA bay of Lake Champlain, south of Rouses Point. *Kings Bay Wildlife Management AreaA state conservation area on the shore of Lake Champlain. *Perry MillsA hamlet in the northwestern part of the town on the Great Chazy River. Roxham Road here is the place where more people cross from the U.S. into Canada irregularly to seek asylum, than any other point on the

Canada–United States border The international border between Canada and the United States is the longest in the world by total length. The boundary (including boundaries in the Great Lakes, Atlantic, and Pacific coasts) is long. The land border has two sections: Canada' ...

. *Point au FerA peninsula in Lake Champlain south of Rouses Point, and site of Revolutionary War-era Point Au Fer Fort. * Rouses PointA village in the northeastern part of the town near Lake Champlain. *Scales PointA location on Lake Champlain by Kings Bay. *Twin BridgesA location on the western town line at the Great Chazy River.

Notable people

Jehudi Ashmun Jehudi Ashmun (April 21, 1794 – August 25, 1828) was an American religious leader and social reformer from New England who helped lead efforts by the American Colonization Society to "repatriate" African Americans to a colony in West Africa. I ...

, born in Champlain, was a religious leader who promoted the settlement of blacks in

Liberia Liberia, officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country on the West African coast. It is bordered by Sierra Leone to Liberia–Sierra Leone border, its northwest, Guinea to Guinea–Liberia border, its north, Ivory Coast to Ivory Coast–Lib ...

References

External links

* * {{authority control Towns in Clinton County, New York Towns in New York (state)