Clayton (village), New York

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Clayton is a village located in the Town of Clayton in Jefferson County, New York, USA. The population was 1,821 at the 2000 census. The name is derived from the name of the town.

The Village of Clayton is on the northern edge of the town and is north of Watertown,

Clayton is the home of the Antique Boat Museum and Clayton Opera House. The village is a year-round community, but is a summer resort, offering galleries, boutiques and quality services to summer visitors.

1 History
2 Geography
3 Demographics
4 External links

[edit] History

Originally, the area was held by Algonquin tribes, but they were driven out by the Iroquois.

The community was formerly called "French Creek" and "Cornelia." By 1853, the population of the village was 426.

Clayton incorporated as a village, by vote of its citizens, in 1872.

The arrival of the railroad in 1873 marked a major turning point in the local tourist industry.

[edit] Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 6.6 km² (2.6 mi²). 4.2 km² (1.6 mi²) of it is land and 2.4 km² (0.9 mi²) of it (36.72%) is water.

Clayton is located on the south bank of the St. Lawrence River. To the west is French Creek Bay where French Creek enters the St. Lawerence. Opposite the village in the St. Lawrence is Grindstone Island, one of the large islands of the Thousand Islands.

New York State Route 12 intersects New York State Route 12E in the village.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^GR2 of 2000, there were 1,821 people, 828 households, and 492 families residing in the village. The population density was 434.0/km² (1,123.8/mi²). There were 1,049 housing units at an average density of 250.0/km² (647.4/mi²). The racial makeup of the village was 95.83% White, 1.26% Black or African American, 0.55% Native American, 0.49% Asian, 0.16% Pacific Islander, 0.77% from other races, and 0.93% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.14% of the population.

There were 828 households out of which 26.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.6% were married couples living together, 8.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.5% were non-families. 35.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 20.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.19 and the average family size was 2.85.

In the village the population was spread out with 22.6% under the age of 18, 7.0% from 18 to 24, 26.2% from 25 to 44, 23.4% from 45 to 64, and 20.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years.

The median income for a household in the village was $31,354, and the median income for a family was $42,208. Males had a median income of $31,094 versus $28,375 for females. The per capita income for the village was $18,247. About 6.3% of families and 11.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.9% of those under age 18 and 12.9% of those age 65 or over.