Lawrence 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 1,715 at the 2020 census. The town is named after William Lawrence, an early land owner. The Town of Lawrence is on the eastern border of the county and is east of

Potsdam Potsdam () is the capital and largest city of the Germany, German States of Germany, state of Brandenburg. It is part of the Berlin/Brandenburg Metropolitan Region. Potsdam sits on the Havel, River Havel, a tributary of the Elbe, downstream of B ...

History

Settlers began arriving in the region shortly after 1800, but many left permanently to

Vermont Vermont () is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, New York (state), New York to the west, and the Provinces and territories of Ca ...

and

New Hampshire New Hampshire ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec t ...

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 ...

, leaving only five families in the town, who often survived off of

venison Venison refers primarily to the meat of deer (or antelope in South Africa). Venison can be used to refer to any part of the animal, so long as it is edible, including the internal organs. Venison, much like beef or pork, is categorized into spe ...

due to difficulty reclaiming farmland at the time. A state road constructed through the region in 1827 helped renew settlement of Lawrence. The town was formed in 1828 from parts of the Towns of Brasher and Hopkinton.Hough, Franklin B. (1853
''"A history of St. Lawrence and Franklin counties, New York: from the earliest period to the present time"''
/ref>

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 (0.06%) is water. The eastern town line is the border of Franklin County. Deer River flows from the south-east to the north-western part of the town, and the east branch of the St. Regis River flows across the southern part of the town.

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 ...

and New York State Route 11C are east–west highways.

New York State Route 11B New York State Route 11B (NY 11B) is a state highway in northern New York in the United States. It provides a parallel, more southerly east–west route to U.S. Route 11 between US 11 in Potsdam and US 11, NY 30, ...

cuts across the southeastern corner of the town.

Noteworthy people

* G. Ledyard Stebbins (1906–2000), botanist, geneticist and evolutionary biologist, was born in Lawrence.

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 2010, there were 1,826 people, 649 households, and 390 families residing in the town. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

was . There were 737 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 97.48%

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% Native American, 0.05% Asian, 0.06% from other races, and 0.82% 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 0.93% of the population. In 2000, there were 584 households, out of which 33.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.2% 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 25.7% were non-families. 20.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.65 and the average family size was 3.04. In the town, the population was spread out, with 27.6% under the age of 18, 6.4% from 18 to 24, 27.8% from 25 to 44, 26.5% from 45 to 64, and 11.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 100.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.9 males. The median income for a household in the town was $31,715, and the median income for a family was $35,365. Males had a median income of $34,911 versus $22,375 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 $13,402. About 12.9% 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 20.6% of those under age 18 and 8.5% of those age 65 or over.

Communities and locations in Lawrence

*Coteys Corner – 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 ...

located at the junction of Routes US-ll and NY-llC, west of Lawrenceville on US-11. *Deer River – A stream in the northeastern part of the town. *Fort Jackson – A hamlet, which is at County Roads 49 and 51 by the

St. Regis River The St. Regis River (or rivière Saint-Régis in Quebec) is an river in northern New York (state), New York in the United States. It flows into the Saint Lawrence River at the hamlet of Saint Regis, New York, Saint Regis in the St. Regis Moha ...

, is primarily in the Town of Hopkinton. *Laverys Corners – A location west of Lawrenceville on County Road 54 at the junction of County Road 55. *Lawrenceville – A hamlet by the junction of Routes US-11 and County Roads 54 and 55 is located in the eastern part of the town by the Deer River. *McEwens Corners – A hamlet west of Lawrenceville on Route 54. *Nicholville – A hamlet by the St. Regis River at the junction of NY-11B and County Road 55 in the southern part of the town so that a small part of the community is in the Town of Hopkinton. The settlement was originally called "Sodom." *North Lawrence – A hamlet on NY-11C and County Road 55 near the northern town line. It was first settled around 1827. *Taylors Corners – A hamlet east of Lawrenceville by the eastern town line. *Wagstaff Corners – A hamlet at the junction of County Roads 51 and 54 west of Lawrenceville.

References

External links

Early Lawrence history
{{Coord, 44, 44, 48, N, 74, 41, 37, W, display=title 1828 establishments in New York (state) Populated places established in 1828 Towns in St. Lawrence County, New York Towns in New York (state)