Colton, New York

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Colton, New York
Colton, NY, USA - panoramio (10).jpg
Landscape in Colton
Colton NY Locator Map.png
Map highlighting Colton's location within St. Lawrence County.
New York Adirondack.svg
Red pog.svg
Colton, New York
Location within the state of New York
Coordinates: 44°28′38″N74°51′17″W / 44.47722°N 74.85472°W / 44.47722; -74.85472
CountryUnited States
State New York
County St. Lawrence
Area
[1]
  Total
254.95 sq mi (660.33 km2)
  Land241.70 sq mi (626.00 km2)
  Water13.25 sq mi (34.32 km2)
Elevation
1,496 ft (456 m)
Population
 (2020)
  Total
1,530
  Density5.93/sq mi (2.29/km2)
Time zone UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
  Summer (DST) UTC-4 (EDT)
FIPS code 36-17409
GNIS feature ID0978854
The Raquette River in the Stone Valley Recreational Area Raquette (1).jpg
The Raquette River in the Stone Valley Recreational Area

Colton is a town in St. Lawrence County, New York, United States. The population was 1,451 at the 2010 census. The town, originally named "Matildaville", is named after early settler Jesse Colton Higley. [2]

Contents

Colton is in the southeastern part of the county, south of Potsdam.

History

The first land patents were issued in 1776. The first settlement took place in March 1824 near Colton village, in the northern part of the town, by Abel Brown and his son, James Brown. Saw mills were established on the Raquette River, in addition to a starch factory built in 1844.

Colton was organized in 1843 from part of the town of Parishville. Additional land from Parishville was added to Colton in 1851, and Colton was increased in 1876 from territory taken from the town of Hopkinton. [3]

The Zion Episcopal Church and Rectory was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2003. [4] The Hepburn Library of Colton was added in 2012. [5]

Education

Colton has one school district, Colton-Pierrepont Central School. The school had 390 students in 2022.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 254.9 square miles (660 km2), of which 242.1 square miles (627 km2) is land and 12.8 square miles (33 km2) (5.04%) is water.

Colton is the largest town in St. Lawrence County, which in turn is the largest county in New York state. The southern town line is the border of Hamilton and Herkimer counties.

The Raquette River flows through the western part of the town. The town is in the foothills of the Adirondack Mountains. Most of the town, the southern part, is inside the Adirondack Park.

New York State Route 56 intersects New York State Route 68 at Colton village. New York State Route 3 intersects NY-56 in the east-central part of the town at Sevey Corners.

Climate

Climate data for Colton 2 N, New York, 1991–2020 normals, 1936-2020 extremes: 580ft (177m)
MonthJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecYear
Record high °F (°C)62
(17)
65
(18)
81
(27)
88
(31)
93
(34)
101
(38)
101
(38)
102
(39)
90
(32)
81
(27)
72
(22)
67
(19)
102
(39)
Mean daily maximum °F (°C)25.9
(−3.4)
28.5
(−1.9)
37.5
(3.1)
52.6
(11.4)
66.8
(19.3)
75.4
(24.1)
79.7
(26.5)
78.3
(25.7)
70.7
(21.5)
57.0
(13.9)
43.9
(6.6)
32.0
(0.0)
54.0
(12.2)
Daily mean °F (°C)16.0
(−8.9)
18.6
(−7.4)
27.8
(−2.3)
42.1
(5.6)
55.4
(13.0)
64.7
(18.2)
69.0
(20.6)
67.5
(19.7)
59.5
(15.3)
47.6
(8.7)
35.6
(2.0)
23.8
(−4.6)
44.0
(6.7)
Mean daily minimum °F (°C)6.1
(−14.4)
8.6
(−13.0)
18.0
(−7.8)
31.5
(−0.3)
43.9
(6.6)
53.9
(12.2)
58.2
(14.6)
56.6
(13.7)
48.2
(9.0)
38.1
(3.4)
27.3
(−2.6)
15.6
(−9.1)
33.8
(1.0)
Record low °F (°C)−27
(−33)
−36
(−38)
−15
(−26)
7
(−14)
25
(−4)
36
(2)
44
(7)
42
(6)
29
(−2)
19
(−7)
−5
(−21)
−24
(−31)
−36
(−38)
Average precipitation inches (mm)2.69
(68)
2.35
(60)
2.78
(71)
3.56
(90)
3.57
(91)
4.02
(102)
4.32
(110)
3.66
(93)
4.07
(103)
4.57
(116)
3.37
(86)
3.07
(78)
42.03
(1,068)
Average snowfall inches (cm)27.2
(69)
28.9
(73)
16.1
(41)
3.4
(8.6)
0.2
(0.51)
0.0
(0.0)
0.0
(0.0)
0.0
(0.0)
0.0
(0.0)
0.1
(0.25)
9.8
(25)
22.0
(56)
107.7
(273.36)
Source 1: NOAA (Hannawa Falls 0.1 SW Snowfall) [6] [7]
Source 2: XMACIS2 (2009-2020 snowfall, records & monthly max/mins) [8]

Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.Note
1850 506
1860 1,400176.7%
1870 1,71922.8%
1880 1,97414.8%
1890 1,843−6.6%
1900 1,678−9.0%
1910 1,499−10.7%
1920 1,299−13.3%
1930 986−24.1%
1940 1,09611.2%
1950 960−12.4%
1960 1,19524.5%
1970 1,2494.5%
1980 1,2923.4%
1990 1,274−1.4%
2000 1,45314.1%
2010 1,451−0.1%
2020 1,5305.4%

As of the census [9] of 2000, there were 1,453 people, 604 households, and 405 families residing in the town. The population density was 6.0 inhabitants per square mile (2.3/km2). There were 1,163 housing units at an average density of 4.8 per square mile (1.9/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 99.17% White, 0.34% Native American, 0.07% Asian, and 0.41% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.89% of the population.

There were 604 households, out of which 25.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.6% were married couples living together, 6.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.8% were non-families. 26.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.40 and the average family size was 2.90.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 22.6% under the age of 18, 6.3% from 18 to 24, 24.8% from 25 to 44, 30.0% from 45 to 64, and 16.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females, there were 102.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 101.8 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $38,875, and the median income for a family was $44,637. Males had a median income of $35,000 versus $22,443 for females. The per capita income for the town was $20,528. About 10.5% of families and 14.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 22.5% of those under age 18 and 6.5% of those age 65 or over.

Notable people

Communities and locations in Colton

References

  1. "2016 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 5, 2017.
  2. Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. Govt. Print. Off. pp.  88.
  3. Hough, Franklin B. (1853) "A history of St. Lawrence and Franklin counties, New York: from the earliest period to the present time"
  4. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
  5. "National Register of Historic Places". Weekly List of Actions Taken on Properties: 5/14/12 through 5/18/12. National Park Service. May 25, 2012.
  6. "Colton 2 N, New York 1991-2020 Monthly Normals" . Retrieved December 13, 2023.
  7. "MHannawa Falls 0.1 SW, New York 1991-2020 Monthly Normals" . Retrieved December 13, 2023.
  8. "xmACIS". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved December 13, 2023.
  9. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  10. "National Register of Historic Places". WEEKLY LIST OF ACTIONS TAKEN ON PROPERTIES: 3/28/11 THROUGH 4/01/11. National Park Service. April 8, 2011.

44°33′11″N74°56′23″W / 44.55306°N 74.93972°W / 44.55306; -74.93972