Saranac 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 town is on the western border of the county, west of Plattsburgh, and is within the Adirondack Park. The population was 3,852 at the 2020 census, down from 4,007 at the 2010 census. The town is named for 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 ...

that flows through the town.

History

The first settlement took place ''circa'' 1802. The town of Saranac was established from the western part of the town of Plattsburgh in 1824.

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 0.57%, is water. The western town line is the border of Franklin County. The

is the principal waterway in the town, flowing through the southern and eastern sections of the town toward

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 ...

. New York State Route 3 is the principal east–west highway through Saranac.

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 4,165 people, 1,519 households, and 1,134 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 1,642 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 98.63%

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 ...

, 0.14%

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, 0.19% Asian, 0.05%

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 ...

, 0.24% from other races, and 0.41% 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 1.03% of the population. There were 1,519 households, out of which 39.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.1% 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 25.3% were non-families. 19.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.74 and the average family size was 3.14. In the town, the population was spread out, with 28.6% under the age of 18, 6.7% from 18 to 24, 30.8% from 25 to 44, 22.9% from 45 to 64, and 11.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.8 males. The median income for a household in the town was $45,761, and the median income for a family was $51,542. Males had a median income of $40,315 versus $28,750 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 $18,242. About 6.4% of families and 9.8% 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 11.1% of those under age 18 and 16.7% of those age 65 or over.

Communities and locations in Saranac

*Clayburg – 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 ...

on NY-3 and the north side of the Saranac River, southwest of Saranac hamlet. The Saranac River flows into the town at Clayburg. * Dannemora – The village of Dannemora is partly in the town, at the northern town line. *Elsinore – A location by NY-3 and the Saranac River at the eastern town line. *High Bank – A hamlet in the southwestern part of the town on Standish Road. *Moffitsville – A hamlet southwest of Saranac hamlet on NY-3 by the Saranac River. *Picketts Corners – A hamlet northeast of Saranac hamlet on NY-3. * Redford – A hamlet in the southwestern section of the town on NY-3, southwest of Saranac hamlet and northeast of Clayburg. *Russia – A hamlet northwest of Saranac hamlet. *Saranac – The hamlet of Saranac, located on NY-3 on the north side of the Saranac River. *Saranac Hollow – An historic location near the river. *Standish – A hamlet in the northwestern corner of the town.

References

External links

Town of Saranac official website
{{authority control Towns in New York (state) Populated places established in 1802 Towns in Clinton County, New York 1802 establishments in New York (state)