DeKalb 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 2,375 at the
2020 census, down from 2,434 at the 2010 census. The town is named after American general
Baron de Kalb, a
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany, the country of the Germans and German things
**Germania (Roman era)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...
officer serving under
George Washington
George Washington (, 1799) was a Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the first president of the United States, serving from 1789 to 1797. As commander of the Continental Army, Washington led Patriot (American Revoluti ...
.
[Hough, Franklin B. (1853]
''"A history of St. Lawrence and Franklin counties, New York: from the earliest period to the present time"''
/ref>
The Town of DeKalb is in the southwest part of the county and is southwest of the Village of Canton.
History
Settlement began in June 1803, when the first settlement party arrived, led by Judge William Cooper of Cooperstown, New York
Cooperstown is a village in and the county seat of Otsego County, New York, United States. Most of the village lies within the town of Otsego, but some of the eastern part is in the town of Middlefield. Located at the foot of Otsego Lake in ...
.
The town was organized in 1806 from the town of Oswegatchie. DeKalb was one of the original ten towns of the county. In 1825, the part of DeKalb north west of Beaver Creek was taken to be part of the Town of DePeyster. In 1830, the Southeastern corner of DeKalb was made part of the Town of Hermon.
St. Regis and St. François Native Americans used to frequently visit the settlement on hunting expeditions.
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 (0.82%) is water.
The Oswegatchie River
The Oswegatchie River is a river in northern New York (state), New York that flows from the Adirondack Mountains north to the Saint Lawrence River. The Oswegatchie River begins at Partlow Lake in Hamilton County, New York. The river continues t ...
flows through the western part of the town. Beaver Creek defines the northwestern town line.
U.S. Route 11
U.S. Route 11 or U.S. Highway 11 (US 11) is a major north–south United States Numbered Highway extending across the eastern U.S. The southern terminus of the route is at US 90 in Bayou Sauvage National Wildlife Refu ...
is a northeast–southwest highway in the south part of the town. New York State Route 812 intersects US-11 south of DeKalb village.
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 ...
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 ...
, 0.27% 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 ...
, 0.27% Native American, 0.09% Asian, 0.32% from other races, and 0.86% 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 0.27% of the population.
There were 792 households, out of which 37.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.4% 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, 9.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.4% were non-families. 21.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.79 and the average family size was 3.23.
In the town, the population was spread out, with 30.2% under the age of 18, 8.5% from 18 to 24, 27.5% from 25 to 44, 23.4% from 45 to 64, and 10.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 101.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 102.1 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $33,173, and the median income for a family was $37,463. Males had a median income of $29,000 versus $23,050 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 $13,742. About 11.4% of families and 15.7% 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 23.2% of those under age 18 and 9.8% of those age 65 or over.
Notable people
* Clara Cleghorn Hoffman (1831–1908), temperance activist
* Clarence Page Townsley, U.S. Army major general who served as Superintendent of the United States Military Academy
The superintendent of the United States Military Academy is the academy's commanding officer. This position is roughly equivalent to the chancellor (education), chancellor or University president, president of an American civilian university. T ...
.
* Ozora Pierson Stearns (1831-1896), United States senator from Minnesota, born in DeKalb.
Communities and locations in DeKalb
*Bigelow – 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 ...
east of Richville on County Road 20.
*Cooper Falls – A hamlet north of DeKalb village on NY-812.
*DeKalb – The hamlet of DeKalb in the north part of the town on NY-812. The original name was Coopers Village or Williamstown, after Judge William Cooper, the father of James Fenimore Cooper
James Fenimore Cooper (September 15, 1789 – September 14, 1851) was an American writer of the first half of the 19th century, whose historical romances depicting colonial and indigenous characters from the 17th to the 19th centuries brought h ...
, who organized the settlement of the town. The community was founded in 1803.
*DeKalb Junction – A former railroad center in the town, located northeast of East De Kalb on US-11 at the intersection of County Road 17. Community growth began in 1862 with the establishment of a spur rail line to Ogdensburg.
*East DeKalb – A hamlet southeast of DeKalb village, located on US-11. Was the economic center of this portion of the town before the establishment of DeKalb Junction.
*Huckleberry Mountain – An elevation by the western town line.
*Kendrew Corners – A location north of Cooper Falls on NY-812 on the western side of the Oswegatchie River; named for Thomas Kendrew.
*Osbornville – A hamlet in the northwestern corner of the township on County Route 11.
* Richville – The Village of Richville is in the southwestern part of the town, located on US-11.
*Snowshoe Island – A location in the Oswegatchie River north of Richville.
*Spooner Flat – A location in the southwestern part of DeKalb, northwest of Richville.
*Stellaville – A hamlet at the eastern corner of DeKalb on County Road 17.
References
External links
De Kalb history
DeKalb Historian's Website
{{authority control
Towns in St. Lawrence County, New York
Towns in New York (state)
1803 establishments in New York (state)
Populated places established in 1803