Dannemora 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 4,037 at the 2020 census, down from 4,898 in 2010. The town is named after

Dannemora, Sweden Dannemora is an old mining town and a locality situated in Östhammar Municipality, Uppsala County, Sweden. It had 213 inhabitants in 2010. Dannemora mine Dannemora is the location of an important iron ore mine, the Dannemora mine, which forme ...

, an important iron-mining region. The town of Dannemora contains 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 ...

also called Dannemora, the southern portion of which is located in the town of Saranac. Both village and town are on the western border of Clinton County, west of Plattsburgh.

History

The area was first colonized ''circa'' 1838. Clinton Correctional Facility was opened in the area in 1845, so as to utilize the prisoners in local mining operations. The town of Dannemora was formed in 1854 from the town of Beekmantown.

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 of Dannemora has a total area of , of which is land and , or 10.27%, is water. The western town line is the border of Franklin County. Most of the town is within 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 , ...

, on the western side of the county. However, the statute defining the Adirondack Park specifically excludes Dannemora and nearby Altona, due to the prison facilities located in both towns. New York State Route 374 is an east-west highway in Dannemora. Chazy Lake is a large water body that occupies the center of the town. The Great Chazy River begins at the northern end of Chazy Lake and is an eastward-flowing tributary 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 ...

. Upper Chateaugay Lake, near the western border of the town, empties through the Chateaugay Narrows into Lower Chateaugay Lake in Franklin County, which marks the beginning of the Chateaugay River, a northward-flowing tributary of the

St. Lawrence River The St. Lawrence River (, ) is a large international river in the middle latitudes of North America connecting the Great Lakes to the North Atlantic Ocean. Its waters flow in a northeasterly direction from Lake Ontario to the Gulf of St. Lawren ...

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 5,149 people, 850 households, and 584 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 1,253 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 56.30%

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 ...

, 32.34% Black or African American, 0.54% Native American, 0.85% Asian, 0.04%

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 ...

, 8.95% from other races, and 0.97% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 15.87% of the population. There were 850 households, out of which 30.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.2% 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, 11.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.2% were non-families. Of all households 26.6% were made up of individuals, and 14.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 2.91. The age distribution was 10.3% under the age of 18, 11.7% from 18 to 24, 53.6% from 25 to 44, 18.0% from 45 to 64, and 6.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 367.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 446.6 males. The median income for a household in the town was $37,805, and the median income for a family was $43,850. Males had a median income of $27,045 versus $25,132 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 $18,614. About 13.6% of families and 14.2% 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 24.3% of those under age 18 and 5.8% of those age 65 or over. Note: The census counts prisoners based on where they are incarcerated. With the all-male state prison in Dannemora, the data listed above, except for household and family data, is likely to be skewed in comparison with the remainder of the town population and the population of neighboring non-prison towns, particularly with regard to ethnicity and the female:male ratio, because a disproportionate percentage of the prison population is male and black or Hispanic.

Education

Saranac Central School District is the local school district.

Communities and locations in the town

Chazy Lake - View from the Top of Lyon Mountain

* Chazy Lake: A lake centrally located in the town. * Chazy Lake: 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 ...

on the western side of Chazy Lake. * Clinton Correctional Facility (also known as "Dannemora"): One of New York State's maximum security prisons is located in the village of Dannemora. (

Lucky Luciano Charles "Lucky" Luciano ( ; ; born Salvatore Lucania ; November 24, 1897 – January 26, 1962) was an Italian gangster who operated mainly in the United States. He started his criminal career in the Five Points Gang and was instrumental in the ...

once served time there.) The site also formerly housed the state's mental hospital for the criminally insane. * Dannemora: The village of Dannemora is on the southern town line, located on NY-374. * Dannemora Mountain: A small mountain north of the village. * Ledger Corners: A location near the northern town line on NY-374. * Lyon Mountain: The hamlet of Lyon Mountain is in the western part of the town. * Lyon Mountain Correctional Facility: Formerly a minimum security prison located in the western part of the town. * Seine Bay: A small bay in Chazy Lake north of the community of Chazy Lake. * Upper Chateaugay Lake: A lake in the northwestern corner of the town.

References

External links

Town of Dannemora official website

Town of Dannemora archived website
*
Historical views of Dannemora
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dannemora (Town), New York 1838 establishments in New York (state) Populated places established in 1838 Towns in Clinton County, New York Towns in New York (state)