Plattsburgh 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 11,886 at the 2020 census. The town is named after Zephaniah Platt, an early land owner, and it surrounds the separate and more populous city of the same name. The town is in the eastern part of the county, in the North Country region of the

state of New York New York, also called New York State, is a state in the northeastern United States. Bordered by New England to the east, Canada to the north, and Pennsylvania and New Jersey to the south, its territory extends into both the Atlantic Ocean and ...

. The region's airport, Plattsburgh International Airport, is located in the southern part of the town.

History

The town was established in 1785, but parts were later removed to form other county towns:

Peru Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...

(1792), Beekmantown (1820), Saranac (1824), and Schuyler Falls (1848). The village of Plattsburgh was incorporated within the town in 1815, then made a city in 1902. The Battle of Plattsburgh was fought in 1814 on Lake Champlain 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 ...

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 , or 32.68%, is water. The town borders

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 ...

, separating it from the U.S. state of Vermont across the lake. 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 ...

flows eastward through the town to Lake Champlain. The Adirondack Northway ( Interstate 87), U.S. Route 9, and

New York State Route 22 New York State Route 22 (NY 22) is a north–south state highway that parallels the eastern border of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, from the outskirts of New York City to the hamlet of Mooers (CDP), New York, Mooers i ...

are north-south highways through the town. New York State Route 3, New York State Route 22B, and New York State Route 374 are east-west highways. New York State Route 190 intersects NY-22B and NY-374 in Plattsburgh.

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 11,190 people, 4,367 households, and 3,091 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 4,875 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 96.68%

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 ...

, 1.07%

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 ...

, .38% Native American, .55% Asian, .01%

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 ...

, .44% from other races, and .88% 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 1.04% of the population. There were 4,367 households, out of which 33.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.0% 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, 10.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.2% were non-families. 21.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.53 and the average family size was 2.94. In the town, the population was spread out, with 25.6% under the age of 18, 7.6% from 18 to 24, 29.7% from 25 to 44, 25% from 45 to 64, and 12.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.1 males. The median income for a household in the town was $41,713, and the median income for a family was $50,277. Males had a median income of $36,542 versus $25,565 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 $19,385. About 8.8% of families and 11.9% 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 14.2% of those under age 18 and 14.4% of those age 65 or over.

Communities and locations in the town

*Cadyville – 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 southwestern part of the town, on NY-3 and the Saranac River. *Champlain Park – A hamlet on Cumberland Head in the northeastern part of the town. *Cliff Haven – A neighborhood on the shore of Lake Champlain south of the city of Plattsburgh. *Clinton County Airport (PLB) – A closed airport west of the city by NY-22B. *Colligan Point – A location on the eastern shore of Cumberland Head. * Crab Island – A small island and undeveloped state park in Lake Champlain, east of Cliff Haven. *Cumberland Bay – A bay of Lake Champlain formed by Cumberland Head on its east side. The city of Plattsburgh is sited on the west shore of the bay. * Cumberland Bay State Park – A

state park State parks are parks or other protected areas managed at the sub-national level within those nations which use "Federated state, state" as a political subdivision. State parks are typically established by a state to preserve a location on accou ...

in the northeastern part of the town, on Cumberland Head. * Cumberland Head – A

peninsula A peninsula is a landform that extends from a mainland and is only connected to land on one side. Peninsulas exist on each continent. The largest peninsula in the world is the Arabian Peninsula. Etymology The word ''peninsula'' derives , . T ...

on the Lake Champlain shoreline, known for its unique style of Monte Cristo sandwich. *Elsinor – A hamlet at the west town line on NY-3 and the Saranac River. *Everest Rabideau Park – A park on Cumberland Head. *Halseys Corners – A hamlet near the city of Plattsburgh by the Northway. *Lawless Corners – A hamlet on the northern town line, north of West Plattsburgh. *Martin Point – A location on the eastern shore of Cumberland Head. * Morrisonville – A hamlet at the south town line on NY-22B and the Saranac River. * Plattsburgh – The city of Plattsburgh is situated in what was once the east-central part of the town. * Plattsburgh International Airport – The current airport of the area, located on the site of the former

Plattsburgh Air Force Base Plattsburgh Air Force Base is a former United States Air Force (USAF) Strategic Air Command (SAC) base covering 3,447 acres (13.7 km) in the extreme northeast corner of New York, located on the western shore of Lake Champlain opposite Burl ...

, south of the city of Plattsburgh. *Pleasant Ridge Corners – A hamlet southwest of the city and north of South Plattsburgh. *Rocky Point – A hamlet on Cumberland Head. *South Junction – A hamlet near Lake Champlain in the southeastern section of the town. *South Plattsburgh – A hamlet by the town line in the southeastern part of the town on NY-22. * Valcour Island – The northern end of the island is in the town. *West Plattsburgh – A hamlet in the north central part of the town on NY-374. *Woodruff Pond – A small lake north of Cumberland Head.

Census-designated places in the town

* Cumberland Head * Morrisonville (partially in the town) * Parc * Plattsburgh West

References

External links

Town website

{{authority control * Populated places established in 1785 Towns in Clinton County, New York Towns in New York (state)