Edwards 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 1,015 at the 2020 census.The village is named after Edward McCormack, brother of the founder. Until January 1, 2013, the Town of Edwards contained 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 Edwards. The former village dissolved on December 31, 2012. The town is in the southwestern part of the county, south of Canton.

History

During the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 was fought by the United States and its allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom and its allies in North America. It began when the United States United States declaration of war on the Uni ...

, settlers began arriving in the town. The town was formed in 1827 from a section of the Town of Fowler. In 1852, Edwards was increased by part of the Town of Hermon. The local economy is based on farming and mining, but the local mining activities have been minimal since 1984. The Edwards Town Hall 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 2004.

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 51.3 square miles (133.0 km²), of which 50.7 square miles (131.4 km²) is land and 0.6 square mile (1.6 km²) (1.17%) 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 northwestward through the town. New York State Route 58 is an east–west highway in the town.

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 1,148 people, 429 households, and 320 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 566 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 98.00%

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 ...

, 0.44%

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 ...

, 0.35% Native American, 0.17% from other races, and 1.05% 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 0.87% of the population. There were 429 households, out of which 37.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.6% 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, 9.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.2% were non-families. 20.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.68 and the average family size was 3.07. In the town, the population was spread out, with 29.4% under the age of 18, 6.4% from 18 to 24, 29.2% from 25 to 44, 21.7% from 45 to 64, and 13.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.4 males. The median income for a household in the town was $31,705, and the median income for a family was $35,000. Males had a median income of $31,522 versus $18,864 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 $13,167. About 16.0% of families and 19.3% 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 8.7% of those age 65 or over.

Communities and locations in the Town of Edwards

*Creek Settlement – A former community southeast of Edwards village. * Edwards – The Village of Edwards is in the northeastern part of the town on County Road 24. *Pond Settlement – 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 ...

in the southeastern part of the town on County Road 23. *South Edwards – A hamlet in the southeastern part of the town on County Road 23 and the Oswegatchie River. It was first settled around 1824 and was called "Shawville." *Scotch Settlement – A former community in the northeastern part of the town. *Talcville – A hamlet in the northeastern part of the town, west of Edwards village, is named after the

talc Talc, or talcum, is a clay mineral composed of hydrated magnesium silicate, with the chemical formula . Talc in powdered form, often combined with corn starch, is used as baby powder. This mineral is used as a thickening agent and lubricant ...

deposits found nearby. The community was originally called Freemansville.

References

External links

Edwards, NY town site

{{authority control 1827 establishments in New York (state) Populated places established in 1827 Towns in St. Lawrence County, New York Towns in New York (state)