Santa Clara 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 population was 332 at the 2020 census, down from 345 at the 2010 census. The name was derived from the wife of an early town businessman, John Hurd. The town is in the southwestern part of the county, southwest of the village of

Malone Malone () is an Irish surname. From the Irish "''Mael Eóin''", the name means a servant or a disciple of Saint John. People * Gilla Críst Ua Máel Eóin (died 1127), historian and Abbot of Clonmacnoise, Ó Maoil Eoin * Adrian Malone (1937 ...

and west of the village of Saranac Lake. The town is within 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 , ...

. It includes the 58 ponds of the

Saint Regis Canoe Area The Saint Regis Canoe Area in Adirondack Park is the largest wilderness canoe area in the Northeastern United States and the only designated canoe area in New York state. It is closed to motorized vehicles. Among the 50 ponds (small lakes) and l ...

, presently the only Canoe

Wilderness Area Wilderness or wildlands (usually in the plural) are Earth's natural environments that have not been significantly modified by human activity, or any nonurbanized land not under extensive agricultural cultivation. The term has traditionally ...

in the park, as well as most 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 ...

History

The town of Santa Clara was formed from part of the town of Brandon in 1888. An addition from Brandon was added to Santa Clara in 1896.

William Rockefeller William Avery Rockefeller Jr. (May 31, 1841 – June 24, 1922) was an American businessman and financier. Rockefeller was a co-founder of Standard Oil along with his elder brother John Davison Rockefeller. He was also a part owner of Anaconda Co ...

began buying property in the town around 1896 in order to establish an estate, used by members of his family during the summer. The St. Regis Mountain Fire Observation Station 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 2005.

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 9.02%, is water. Santa Clara is the second largest town in the county. The southern part of the town is dominated by numerous lakes.

New York State Route 458 New York State Route 458 (NY 458) is a state highway in the North Country, New York, North Country of New York (state), New York in the United States. It extends for from an intersection with New York State Route 11B, NY 11B in t ...

is a north–south highway in Santa Clara.

New York State Route 30 New York State Route 30 (NY 30) is a state highway in the central part of New York in the United States. It extends for from an interchange with NY 17 (Future Interstate 86) in the Southern Tier to the US–Canada border in ...

crosses the southern section of the town. 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 ...

, a northward-flowing tributary of 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 ...

, flows out the western town line.

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 395 people, 155 households, and 119 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 953 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 96.20%

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 ...

, 0.25%

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 ...

, 1.77% Native American, 0.25% Asian, 0.76% from other races, and 0.76% from two or more races. There were 155 households, out of which 31.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.2% 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, 9.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.6% were non-families. 20.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.55 and the average family size was 2.90. In the town, the population was spread out, with 25.1% under the age of 18, 4.3% from 18 to 24, 23.5% from 25 to 44, 31.1% from 45 to 64, and 15.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females, there were 110.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 105.6 males. The median income for a household in the town was $42,083, and the median income for a family was $45,750. Males had a median income of $30,000 versus $24,688 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 $19,683. About 8.3% of families and 7.4% 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 10.5% of those under age 18 and 6.6% of those age 65 or over.

Communities and locations in Santa Clara

*Bay Pond – A hamlet in the south-central part of the town. It was a former Rockefeller summer home. *Brandon – A former community, located north of Bay Pond. It became part of the Rockefeller estate and its buildings were removed. *Derrick – A hamlet west of Saranac Inn. *Everton – A former community, abandoned after the forests had been stripped. *Floodwood – A hamlet west of Saranac Inn near the western town line. *Kildare – A hamlet west of Saranac Inn near the western town boundary. *Madawaska – 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 ...

near the eastern town line. *Madawaska Pond – A lake near the center of the town. *

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 ...

– Part of the lake is in the southeastern corner of the town. *Meno – A location northeast of Madawaska. *The

– A wilderness area with 58 ponds (no motorized vehicles are allowed). *Santa Clara – the hamlet of Santa Clara is near the western town line in the northern part of the town on NY-458. *

Saranac Inn The Saranac Inn was a large, luxurious hotel located on a peninsula at the northern end of the Upper Saranac Lake in the town of Santa Clara in the Adirondacks in New York State, United States. It was frequented by US Presidents Grover Cleveland ...

(also "Upper Saranac") – A hamlet in the southern part of the town. *Saranac Inn Station – A location east of Saranac Inn. *Spring Cove – A hamlet near the western town boundary, south of Santa Clara village. *

– Most of the lake is in the southern part of the town. * Weller Pond – A large pond in the southern part of the town.

References

External links

Town of Santa Clara, NY

{{authority control Towns in Franklin County, New York Towns in New York (state)