Colton 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 St. Lawrence County,

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

, United States. The population was 1,451 at the 2010 census. The town, originally named "Matildaville", is named after early settler Jesse Colton Higley. Colton is in the southeastern part of the county, south of

Potsdam Potsdam () is the capital and largest city of the Germany, German States of Germany, state of Brandenburg. It is part of the Berlin/Brandenburg Metropolitan Region. Potsdam sits on the Havel, River Havel, a tributary of the Elbe, downstream of B ...

History

The first land patents were issued in 1776. The first settlement took place in March 1824 near Colton village, in the northern part of the town, by Abel Brown and his son, James Brown. Saw mills were established on the Raquette River, in addition to a starch factory built in 1844. Colton was organized in 1843 from part of the town of Parishville. Additional land from Parishville was added to Colton in 1851, and Colton was increased in 1876 from territory taken from the town of Hopkinton.Hough, Franklin B. (1853
''"A history of St. Lawrence and Franklin counties, New York: from the earliest period to the present time"''
/ref> The Zion Episcopal Church and Rectory was 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 2003. The Hepburn Library of Colton was added in 2012.

Education

Colton has one school district, Colton-Pierrepont Central School. The school had 390 students in 2022.

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 town has a total area of , of which is land and (5.04%) is water. Colton is the largest town in St. Lawrence County, which in turn is the largest county in New York state. The southern town line is the border of

Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: * Alexander Hamilton (1755/1757–1804), first U.S. Secretary of the Treasury and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States * ''Hamilton'' (musical), a 2015 Broadway musical by Lin-Manuel Miranda ** ''Hamilton'' (al ...

and Herkimer counties. The

Raquette River The Raquette River, sometimes spelled Racquette, originates at Raquette Lake in the Adirondack Mountains in the U.S. state of New York. long, it is the third longest river entirely in the state of New York. The river is a popular destinatio ...

flows through the western part of the town. The town is in the foothills of the

Adirondack Mountains The Adirondack Mountains ( ) are a massif of mountains in Northeastern New York which form a circular dome approximately wide and covering about . The region contains more than 100 peaks, including Mount Marcy, which is the highest point in Ne ...

. Most of the town, the southern part, is inside the

Adirondack Park The Adirondack Park is a park in northeastern New York (state), New York protecting the Adirondack Mountains. The park was established in 1892 for "the free use of all the people for their health and pleasure", and for watershed protection. At , ...

. New York State Route 56 intersects New York State Route 68 at Colton village.

New York State Route 3 New York State Route 3 (NY 3) is a major east–west state highway in New York, in the United States, that connects central New York to the North Country region near the Canada–US border via Adirondack Park. The route extends for ...

intersects NY-56 in the east-central part of the town at Sevey Corners.

Climate

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 1,453 people, 604 households, and 405 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 1,163 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 99.17%

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 ...

, 0.34% Native American, 0.07% Asian, and 0.41% 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 0.89% of the population. There were 604 households, out of which 25.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.6% 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, 6.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.8% were non-families. 26.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.40 and the average family size was 2.90. In the town, the population was spread out, with 22.6% under the age of 18, 6.3% from 18 to 24, 24.8% from 25 to 44, 30.0% from 45 to 64, and 16.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females, there were 102.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 101.8 males. The median income for a household in the town was $38,875, and the median income for a family was $44,637. Males had a median income of $35,000 versus $22,443 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 $20,528. About 10.5% of families and 14.7% 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 22.5% of those under age 18 and 6.5% of those age 65 or over.

Notable people

* Bertrand H. Snell, former US Congressman * A. Barton Hepburn (1846–1922), banker, politician, and philanthropist

Communities and locations in Colton

*Barber Point – A location on the eastern shore of Cranberry Lake. *Brandy Brook – A location in the southwestern part of the town on

. *Burntbridge Pond – A pond located southwest of Massawepie Lake. * Carry Falls Reservoir – A

reservoir A reservoir (; ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam, usually built to water storage, store fresh water, often doubling for hydroelectric power generation. Reservoirs are created by controlling a watercourse that drains an existing body of wa ...

in the northeastern part of Colton. * Church Pond – A lake located south of Stark. It is the source of the North Branch Grass River. * Colton – The hamlet of Colton is located at the junction of NY-56 and NY-68 by the

. The community, in the northwestern part of the town, is the location of the first settlement. * Colton Flow – A part of the

located south of Colton. * Cranberry Lake – A large lake near the southwestern town line, but only a small part of the lake is in Colton. *Granshue Club – A location south of Stark near the western town line. * Higley Flow State Park – A

state park State parks are parks or other protected areas managed at the sub-national level within those nations which use "Federated state, state" as a political subdivision. State parks are typically established by a state to preserve a location on accou ...

west of South Colton. * Hitchens Pond – A lake located on the eastern town line. *Irish Settlement – A hamlet near the town center on NY-56. * Leonard Pond – A pond north of Sevey. * Little Trout Pond – A pond located in the southwestern corner of the town, which is partially in the town of Piercefield. * Lows Lake – A

lake A lake is often a naturally occurring, relatively large and fixed body of water on or near the Earth's surface. It is localized in a basin or interconnected basins surrounded by dry land. Lakes lie completely on land and are separate from ...

partly in the southwestern corner of Colton. *Sevey – A hamlet in the central part of the town on NY-56 *Sevey Corners – A location in the east-central part of the town on NY-3, south of Sevey. *Shurteff – A hamlet southwest of Sevey on NY-3. * South Colton – A hamlet in the northern part of the Town, south of the hamlet of Colton on NY-56. Sunday Rock was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2010. * South Colton Reservoir – A reservoir located northeast of South Colton. *Stark – A hamlet by the town line in the eastern part of Colton. * Stark Falls Reservoir – A reservoir south of Stark and north of Carry Falls Reservoir. *Stone Valley Recreational Area - A hiking and fishing area along the Raquette River, north of the hamlet of Colton.

References

External links

Town of Colton, NY

Additional information about Colton
{{authority control Towns in St. Lawrence County, New York Towns in New York (state)