Constable 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 Franklin 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. (There is also a hamlet in the county with the same name.) The population was 1,566 at the 2010 census. The town is named after William Constable, a member of the syndicate of original land owners. The town is in the northern part of the county, along 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' ...

north of Malone.

History

The town of Constable was founded in 1807 from part of the town of Malone. Its territory was reduced later to form other towns:

Fort Covington Fort Covington is a town in Franklin County, New York, United States. The population was 1,531 at the 2020 census. The name is derived from a War of 1812 fortification. The original name of the town was ''French Mills''. The town is on the cou ...

(1817) and Westville (1829). An early business opportunity involved "line stores", constructed so part of the shop was in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

and the other end in the United States, allowing subtle shifting of merchandise across the border without the inconvenience of

customs Customs is an authority or Government agency, agency in a country responsible for collecting tariffs and for controlling International trade, the flow of goods, including animals, transports, personal effects, and hazardous items, into and out ...

duties. In June 2015, the town received national attention as David Sweat and Richard Matt, escaped convicts from the

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 Danne ...

in Dannemora, New York, were the subject of a three-week manhunt in the area. Matt was shot and killed in the nearby town of Malone, while Sweat remained on the run until June 28 when he was captured in Constable, two miles away from the Canada–U.S. border.

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 , or 0.04%, is water. The northern town line is the international border between the United States and

and is the border of

Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...

. New York State Route 122 is an east-west highway in the town.

New York State Route 30 New York State Route 30 (NY 30) is a state highway in the central part of New York in the United States. It extends for from an interchange with NY 17 (Future Interstate 86) in the Southern Tier to the US–Canada border in ...

intersects NY-122 at Constable village and leads south to the village of Malone.

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 1,428 people, 533 households, and 390 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 607 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 97.55%

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 ...

, 0.07%

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 ...

, 1.47% Native American, 0.07% Asian, and 0.84% 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 0.14% of the population. There were 533 households, out of which 38.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.2% 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, 9.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.8% were non-families. 21.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.67 and the average family size was 3.03. In the town, the population was spread out, with 28.4% under the age of 18, 6.0% from 18 to 24, 32.7% from 25 to 44, 21.0% from 45 to 64, and 11.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 104.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 103.4 males. The median income for a household in the town was $31,029, and the median income for a family was $36,488. Males had a median income of $27,955 versus $21,354 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 $14,149. About 12.3% of families and 16.4% 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 8.9% of those age 65 or over.

Communities and locations in Constable

*Constable – A

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 ...

near the center of the town on Route 30 at the junction with NY-122. *Trout River – A stream flowing northward across the border into Canada, flowing past both Constable village and the community of Trout River. *Trout River – A hamlet on the border of Canada at the junction of NY-30 and County Road 20. The community is a port of entry and has a similarly named community across the border in Quebec.

References

External links

Early Constable history

Oral History of Constable

Town of Constable
{{authority control Towns in Franklin County, New York Towns in New York (state)