Clayton (town), New York
Encyclopedia
Clayton is a town
in Jefferson County
, New York
, USA
. The population was 5,153 at the 2010 census. The town is named after John M. Clayton
, a federal political leader from Delaware
.
The Town of Clayton contains a village named Clayton
. Both town and village are northwest of Watertown
.
The Village of Clayton, nearby Cape Vincent, NY
, and Alexandria Bay, NY
are popular tourist destinations on the New York mainland side of the Thousand Islands
region.
The town was formed from parts of the Town of Orleans
and Lyme
in 1833. The town was named after statesman John M. Clayton
. The Village of Clayton became the main railroad terminus for the Thousand Islands
resort region, during its heyday at the turn of the twentieth century. The Town of Clayton offered several hotels to visitors, some grand, now mostly vanished.
In 1872, the community of Clayton voted to set itself apart from the town by incorporating as a village.
, the town has a total area of 104.0 square miles (269.4 km²), of which, 82.6 square miles (213.8 km²) of it is land and 21.5 square miles (55.6 km²) of it (20.64%) is water.
The town is situated on the St. Lawrence River near Lake Ontario
. Across the river lies Ontario
, Canada
.
The northern border of the town is the United States-Canada border running through the Thousand Islands
of the St. Lawrence River. The town includes one of the larger Thousand Islands, Grindstone Island
, along with smaller islands, such as Bluff Island, Grenell Island, Maple Island, Picton Island, and Round Island.
A ferry
once connected Clayton with Gananoque
in Ontario
, but was discontinued due to the construction of the Thousand Islands Bridge
ten miles down-river. This bridge now carries Interstate 81
to Canada.
New York State Route 12E
, which follows the south bank of the St. Lawrence River, intersects north-south New York State Route 12
at Clayton village. New York State Route 180
crosses the southeast corner of Clayton.
of 2000, there were 4,817 people, 1,914 households, and 1,335 families residing in the town. The population density
was 58.3 people per square mile (22.5/km²). There were 3,337 housing units at an average density of 40.4 per square mile (15.6/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.24% White, 0.93% Black or African American
, 0.35% Native American, 0.23% Asian, 0.10% Pacific Islander, 0.48% from other races
, and 0.66% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.58% of the population.
There were 1,914 households out of which 34.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.0% were married couples
living together, 8.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.2% were non-families. 25.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.51 and the average family size was 3.00.
In the town the population was spread out with 26.7% under the age of 18, 6.5% from 18 to 24, 29.0% from 25 to 44, 22.6% from 45 to 64, and 15.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there are 94.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 91.7 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $35,805, and the median income for a family was $39,727. Males had a median income of $31,402 versus $21,091 for females. The per capita income
for the town was $16,947. About 4.8% of families and 8.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.0% of those under age 18 and 7.0% of those age 65 or over.
Town
A town is a human settlement larger than a village but smaller than a city. The size a settlement must be in order to be called a "town" varies considerably in different parts of the world, so that, for example, many American "small towns" seem to British people to be no more than villages, while...
in Jefferson County
Jefferson County, New York
Jefferson County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2010 census, the population was 116,229. It is named after Thomas Jefferson, third President of the United States of America, and president at the time the county was created in 1805...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, USA
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The population was 5,153 at the 2010 census. The town is named after John M. Clayton
John M. Clayton
John Middleton Clayton was an American lawyer and politician from Delaware. He was a member of the Whig Party who served in the Delaware General Assembly, and as U.S. Senator from Delaware and U.S. Secretary of State....
, a federal political leader from Delaware
Delaware
Delaware is a U.S. state located on the Atlantic Coast in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It is bordered to the south and west by Maryland, and to the north by Pennsylvania...
.
The Town of Clayton contains a village named Clayton
Clayton (village), New York
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....
. Both town and village are northwest of Watertown
Watertown (city), New York
Watertown is a city in the state of New York and the county seat of Jefferson County. It is situated approximately south of the Thousand Islands. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 27,023, an increase of 1.2% since 2000. The U.S...
.
The Village of Clayton, nearby Cape Vincent, NY
Cape Vincent (village), New York
Cape Vincent is a village in Jefferson County, New York, United States. The population was 760 at the 2000 census.The Village of Cape Vincent is in the northern part of the Town of Cape Vincent and is northwest of Watertown.- History :...
, and Alexandria Bay, NY
Alexandria Bay, New York
Alexandria Bay is a village in Jefferson County, New York, United States. The population was 1,080 at the 2010 census.The Village of Alexandria Bay is in the Town of Alexandria.Keewaydin State Park is southeast of the village...
are popular tourist destinations on the New York mainland side of the Thousand Islands
Thousand Islands
The Thousand Islands is the name of an archipelago of islands that straddle the Canada-U.S. border in the Saint Lawrence River as it emerges from the northeast corner of Lake Ontario. They stretch for about downstream from Kingston, Ontario. The Canadian islands are in the province of Ontario, the...
region.
History
The area was first settled around 1801.The town was formed from parts of the Town of Orleans
Orleans, New York
Orleans is a town in Jefferson County, New York, USA. The population was 2,789 at the 2010 census. The town is located in the northern part of the county and is north of Watertown. Orleans is named after the commune of Orléans in France.- History :...
and Lyme
Lyme, New York
Lyme is a town in Jefferson County, New York, United States. The population was 2,185 at the 2010 census.The Town of Lyme is in the northwest part of the county and is west of Watertown.- History :...
in 1833. The town was named after statesman John M. Clayton
John M. Clayton
John Middleton Clayton was an American lawyer and politician from Delaware. He was a member of the Whig Party who served in the Delaware General Assembly, and as U.S. Senator from Delaware and U.S. Secretary of State....
. The Village of Clayton became the main railroad terminus for the Thousand Islands
Thousand Islands
The Thousand Islands is the name of an archipelago of islands that straddle the Canada-U.S. border in the Saint Lawrence River as it emerges from the northeast corner of Lake Ontario. They stretch for about downstream from Kingston, Ontario. The Canadian islands are in the province of Ontario, the...
resort region, during its heyday at the turn of the twentieth century. The Town of Clayton offered several hotels to visitors, some grand, now mostly vanished.
In 1872, the community of Clayton voted to set itself apart from the town by incorporating as a village.
Geography
According to the United States Census BureauUnited States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the town has a total area of 104.0 square miles (269.4 km²), of which, 82.6 square miles (213.8 km²) of it is land and 21.5 square miles (55.6 km²) of it (20.64%) is water.
The town is situated on the St. Lawrence River near Lake Ontario
Lake Ontario
Lake Ontario is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded on the north and southwest by the Canadian province of Ontario, and on the south by the American state of New York. Ontario, Canada's most populous province, was named for the lake. In the Wyandot language, ontarío means...
. Across the river lies Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
.
The northern border of the town is the United States-Canada border running through the Thousand Islands
Thousand Islands
The Thousand Islands is the name of an archipelago of islands that straddle the Canada-U.S. border in the Saint Lawrence River as it emerges from the northeast corner of Lake Ontario. They stretch for about downstream from Kingston, Ontario. The Canadian islands are in the province of Ontario, the...
of the St. Lawrence River. The town includes one of the larger Thousand Islands, Grindstone Island
Grindstone Island
Grindstone Island is the fourth largest of the Thousand Islands in the St. Lawrence River and the second largest American island. The island lies near Lake Ontario and is part of the United States of America. In particular, the island is in the Town of Clayton in Jefferson County, New York...
, along with smaller islands, such as Bluff Island, Grenell Island, Maple Island, Picton Island, and Round Island.
A ferry
Ferry
A ferry is a form of transportation, usually a boat, but sometimes a ship, used to carry primarily passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo as well, across a body of water. Most ferries operate on regular, frequent, return services...
once connected Clayton with Gananoque
Gananoque, Ontario
Gananoque is a town in Leeds and Grenville County, Ontario, Canada. The town had a population of 5,287 year-round residents in the Canada 2006 Census, as well as summer residents sometimes referred to as "Islanders" because of the Thousand Islands in the St. Lawrence River, Gananoque's most...
in Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, but was discontinued due to the construction of the Thousand Islands Bridge
Thousand Islands Bridge
The Thousand Islands Bridge is an international bridge system over the Saint Lawrence River connecting northern New York in the United States with southeastern Ontario in Canada. Constructed in 1937, with additions in 1959, the bridges span the United States-Canada border in the middle of the...
ten miles down-river. This bridge now carries Interstate 81
Interstate 81
Interstate 81 is an Interstate Highway in the eastern part of the United States. Its southern terminus is at Interstate 40 in Dandridge, Tennessee; its northern terminus is on Wellesley Island at the Canadian border, where the Thousand Islands Bridge connects it to Highway 401, the main freeway...
to Canada.
New York State Route 12E
New York State Route 12E
New York State Route 12E is a state highway located entirely within the northwestern part of Jefferson County in northern New York, USA. Officially, the southern terminus of NY 12E is at NY 12 in the city of Watertown; however, its signed terminus is at NY 12F in the village of...
, which follows the south bank of the St. Lawrence River, intersects north-south New York State Route 12
New York State Route 12
New York State Route 12 is a state highway extending for through central and northern New York in the United States. The southern terminus of the route is at U.S. Route 11 in the town of Chenango in the Southern Tier. The northern terminus is at NY 37 near the village of...
at Clayton village. New York State Route 180
New York State Route 180
New York State Route 180 is a north–south state highway in the northwestern part of Jefferson County in the U.S. state of New York. The southern terminus of the route is at NY 3 in the Hounsfield hamlet of Baggs Corner, located west of downtown Watertown. The northern terminus is...
crosses the southeast corner of Clayton.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 4,817 people, 1,914 households, and 1,335 families residing in the town. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 58.3 people per square mile (22.5/km²). There were 3,337 housing units at an average density of 40.4 per square mile (15.6/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.24% White, 0.93% Black or African American
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 0.35% Native American, 0.23% Asian, 0.10% Pacific Islander, 0.48% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 0.66% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.58% of the population.
There were 1,914 households out of which 34.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.0% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 8.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.2% were non-families. 25.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.51 and the average family size was 3.00.
In the town the population was spread out with 26.7% under the age of 18, 6.5% from 18 to 24, 29.0% from 25 to 44, 22.6% from 45 to 64, and 15.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there are 94.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 91.7 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $35,805, and the median income for a family was $39,727. Males had a median income of $31,402 versus $21,091 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the town was $16,947. About 4.8% of families and 8.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.0% of those under age 18 and 7.0% of those age 65 or over.
Communities in the Town of Clayton
- Aunt Janes Bay – A bay on the south shore of Grindstone Island.
- ClaytonClayton (village), New YorkClayton 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 shore of the St. Lawrence River in the northern part of the town. - Bartlett's Point – A hamlet west of Clayton village, located on a geographical feature, also called Bartletts Point.
- Blind Bay – A small bayBayA bay is an area of water mostly surrounded by land. Bays generally have calmer waters than the surrounding sea, due to the surrounding land blocking some waves and often reducing winds. Bays also exist as an inlet in a lake or pond. A large bay may be called a gulf, a sea, a sound, or a bight...
of the St. Lawrence River by the east town line. - Chaumont River – A stream flowing through the south part of Clayton.
- Clayton Center – A hamletHamlet (place)A hamlet is usually a rural settlement which is too small to be considered a village, though sometimes the word is used for a different sort of community. Historically, when a hamlet became large enough to justify building a church, it was then classified as a village...
located on County Road 10 in the east part of the town. - DepauvilleDepauville, New YorkDepauville is a hamlet in Jefferson County, New York, United States. The population was 512 at the 2000 census.Depauville is a community in the south part of the Town of Clayton.- History :...
– A hamlet on NY-12, south of Clayton village, located by the Chaumont River. - Deferno – A former location in the town.
- Delaney Bay – A bay in the eastern part of Grindstone Island.
- Flynn Bay – A bay at the southwest part of Grindstone Island.
- French Creek – A tributary of the St. Lawerence River which empties into French Creek Bay.
- French Creek Bay – A bay on the west side of Clayton village.
- French Creek Wildlife Management AreaNew York State Wildlife Management AreasNew York State owns and maintains more than 85 Wildlife Management Areas , with a total area of more than .The Wildlife Management Areas Program is administered by the Division of Fish, Wildlife and Marine Resources of the Department of Environmental Conservation...
– A conservation area in the north part of Clayton. - Frontenac – A hamlet on northeast end of Round Island.
- Frontenac Springs – A location in the northwest corner of Clayton, known for its natural Crystal Spring Water. Frontenac Crystal Spring Water is trucked all over, can be purchased in 1 or 5 gallon jugs or filled yourself in their self-serve area.
- Grenell Island – An islandIslandAn island or isle is any piece of sub-continental land that is surrounded by water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, cays or keys. An island in a river or lake may be called an eyot , or holm...
in the St. Lawrence River by the east town line. - Grenell – A hamlet in the northwest part of Grenell Island.
- Grindstone – A hamlet on north shore of Grindstone Island.
- Grindstone IslandGrindstone IslandGrindstone Island is the fourth largest of the Thousand Islands in the St. Lawrence River and the second largest American island. The island lies near Lake Ontario and is part of the United States of America. In particular, the island is in the Town of Clayton in Jefferson County, New York...
– One of the largest islands of the Thousand Islands. It lies in the St. Lawerence River opposite Clayton village. - Gunns Corners – A hamlet in the southeast corner of the town on NY-180 at NY-12.
- Murray IsleMurray IsleMurray Isle is an island in the Thousand Islands region of the St. Lawrence River in the U.S. state of New York. The island is near the east town line of the Town of Clayton in the northern part of Jefferson County....
– An islandIslandAn island or isle is any piece of sub-continental land that is surrounded by water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, cays or keys. An island in a river or lake may be called an eyot , or holm...
in the St. Lawrence River by the east town line. - Reynolds Corners – A location at the south town line on County Road 125.
- Round Island – An island in the St. Lawrence River north east of Clayton with many summer homes. Little Round Island is adjacent to it.
- Schnauber Hill – An elevation by the east town line.
- Smith Corners – A location on NY-12 north of Depauville.
- South Corners – A hamlet between Clayton village and Depauville on NY-12.
- Washington Island – A small island connected to Clayton village.
Parks in the Town of Clayton
- Canoe-Picnic Point State ParkCanoe-Picnic Point State ParkCanoe Point and Picnic Point State Park is on Grindstone Island in the St. Lawrence River. This park in within the bounds of the Town of Clayton in Jefferson County, New York...
– A state parkState parkState parks are parks or other protected areas managed at the federated state level within those nations which use "state" as a political subdivision. State parks are typically established by a state to preserve a location on account of its natural beauty, historic interest, or recreational...
on Grindstone Island accessible only by boat. - Cedar Point State ParkCedar Point State ParkCedar Point State Park is located on Cedar Point in the Town of Cape Vincent in Jefferson County, New York. The park is located on Route 12E on the St...
– A state park by the west town line.