Harrietstown 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. The total population was 5,254 at the 2020 census, In 2010 3,879 of the town's residents lived in the village of Saranac Lake on the eastern side of the town. Harrietstown is in the southeastern corner of Franklin County and is south of the town of

Brighton Brighton ( ) is a seaside resort in the city status in the United Kingdom, city of Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, England, south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze Age Britain, Bronze Age, R ...

History

The area around Saranac Lake was first settled ''circa'' 1819. Harrietstown was formed from the town of Duane in 1841. At the end of the 19th century, it became the location for sanatoria for the treatment of lung diseases, taking advantage of the clear mountain air. By 1900, the area became a tourist area, assisted by the winter carnivals begun in 1898. Ames Cottage, Baird Cottage, Camp Intermission, Church Street Historic District, Colbath Cottage, Cottage Row Historic District, Distin Cottage, Drury Cottage, Ellenberger Cottage, Feisthamel-Edelberg Cottage, Feustmann Cottage, E. L. Gray House, Hillside Lodge, Hooey Cottage, Hopkins Cottage, Jennings Cottage, Johnson Cottage, Leis Block, Leis Cottage,

Magill Cottage Magill Cottage is a historic cure cottage located at Saranac Lake in the town of Harrietstown, Franklin County, New York. It was built about 1911 and is a -story, wood-frame structure on a concrete foundation. It is topped by a hipped roof ...

, McBean Cottage, Morgan Cottage, Noyes Cottage,

Radwell Cottage Radwell Cottage is a historic cure cottage located at Saranac Lake in the town of Harrietstown, Franklin County, New York, United States. It was built about 1896 and is a -story, wood-frame dwelling with clapboard siding and a gable roof on ...

, Ryan Cottage, Sarbanes Cottage, Schrader-Griswold Cottage, Seeley Cottage, Sloan Cottage, Smith Cottage, Stonaker Cottage, and Walker Cottage are 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 ...

Geography

Harrietstown 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 , ...

and is the largest town by area in Franklin County. 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 ...

, it has a total area of , of which is land and , or 7.87%, is water. The southern town line is the border of Hamilton County and Essex County. The eastern town boundary is also on the border of Essex County. The village of Saranac Lake is on the eastern border of the town, primarily in Harrietstown but extending east into the towns of St. Armand and North Elba in Essex County.

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 ...

runs east–west through the town, while New York State Route 30 and New York State Route 86 traverse the town, running north–south. NY-3 and NY-30 join in the western part of the town. New York State Route 186 connects NY-3 to NY-86 in the northern part of the town. All of

Lower Saranac Lake Lower Saranac Lake is one of three connected lakes, part of the Saranac River, near the village of Saranac Lake, New York, Saranac Lake in the Adirondacks in northern New York (state), New York. With Middle Saranac Lake and Upper Saranac Lake, a ...

, most of

Middle Saranac Lake Middle Saranac Lake, also called Round Lake, is the smallest of three connected lakes, part of the Saranac River, near the village of Saranac Lake, New York, Saranac Lake in the Adirondacks in northern New York (state), New York. Two-thirds of i ...

, and the southern end of

Upper Saranac Lake Upper Saranac Lake is one of three connected lakes, part of the Saranac River, in the towns of Santa Clara and Harrietstown, near the village of Saranac Lake in the Adirondacks in northern New York. Upper Saranac Lake is the sixth largest la ...

occupy a band across the central part of the town. They are drained by the

Saranac River The Saranac River is an river in the U.S. state of New York. Geography In its upper reaches is a region of mostly flat water and lakes. The river has more than three dozen source lakes and ponds north of Upper Saranac Lake; the highest is Mount ...

, which flows east through Oseetah Lake, then north through the village of Saranac Lake before exiting the town to the northeast and draining to

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 ...

. 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 ...

, which flows northwest to 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 ...

near Massena, crosses the southwestern part of Harrietstown.

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 5,575 people, 2,544 households, and 1,340 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 3,417 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 97.22%

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 ...

, 0.52%

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 ...

, 0.34% Native American, 0.65% Asian, 0.22% from other races, and 1.06% 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 1.06% of the population. There were 2,544 households, out of which 27.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 38.8% 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 47.3% were non-families. 39.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.16 and the average family size was 2.91. In the town, the population was spread out, with 22.8% under the age of 18, 9.8% from 18 to 24, 28.1% from 25 to 44, 24.1% from 45 to 64, and 15.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.8 males. The median income for a household in the town was $31,838, and the median income for a family was $45,505. Males had a median income of $32,833 versus $25,407 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 $18,529. About 7.4% of families and 12.6% 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 9.3% of those under age 18 and 20.1% of those age 65 or over.

Communities and locations in Harrietstown

* Adirondack Regional Airport (SLK) – An

airport An airport is an aerodrome with extended facilities, mostly for commercial Aviation, air transport. They usually consist of a landing area, which comprises an aerially accessible open space including at least one operationally active surf ...

in the northeastern part of the town that services the Saranac Lake region * Axton Landing – 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 southern section of the town by the

and south of NY-30 * Coreys – A location in the southern part of the town, north of Axton Landing * Eagle Island – A prominent island in

* Fish Creek Ponds – A location on the western side of

* Follensby Pond – A lake by the western town line * Harrietstown – A hamlet near the eastern town boundary on NY-86 and east of the airport * Lake Clear – A lake near the western town line * Lake Clear – A hamlet near the western town line on NY-30, south of the likewise-named lake * Lake Clear Junction – A hamlet east of Lake Clear on NY-30 *

Lake Colby Lake Colby is a lake, located on NY-86 just outside the village of Saranac Lake, in Franklin County, New York in the Adirondacks; its outlet feeds into Lower Saranac Lake. Lake Colby is also the name of a hamlet located just north of the lake ...

– A hamlet north of Saranac Lake village on NY-86 * McMasters Crossing – A hamlet south of Lake Clear on County Road 50 *

– 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 ...

southwest of Saranac Lake village *

– A lake in the southern part of the town, mostly within the town * Oseetah Lake – A lake on the eastern town line, south of Saranac Lake village * Saranac Lake – Part of the Village of Saranac Lake is at the eastern town line at the junction of NY-3 and NY-86 * Upper St. Regis – A location on NY-30 by the northern town line *

– The southern end of the lake is in the western part of the town * Wawbeek – A hamlet on NY-30 by the junction of County Road 45 at the western side of Upper Saranac Lake

References

External links

Town of Harrietstown official website
{{authority control Towns in Franklin County, New York Towns in New York (state)