Plattsburgh (town), New York


Plattsburgh is a town in Clinton County, New York, United States. The population was 11,870 at the 2010 census. The town is named after Zephaniah Platt, an early land owner. The Town of Plattsburgh surrounds the separate and more populous City of Plattsburgh. The town is in the eastern part of the county, in the North Country region of the U.S. state of New York. The region's airport, Plattsburgh International Airport, is located in the southern part of the town.

History

The town was established in 1785, but parts were removed later to form other towns of the county: Peru, Beekmantown, Saranac, and Schuyler Falls.
The Battle of Plattsburgh was fought in 1814 on Lake Champlain during the War of 1812.
The Village of Plattsburgh set itself off from the town by incorporation in 1815. The Village became the City of Plattsburgh in 1902.
The town saw massive population growth in the 1950s.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of, of which is land and, or 32.68%, is water.
The town borders Lake Champlain, which separates it from the U.S. state of Vermont across the lake. The Saranac River flows eastward through the town to Lake Champlain.
The Adirondack Northway, U.S. Route 9, and New York State Route 22 are north-south highways through the town. New York State Route 3, New York State Route 22B, and New York State Route 374 are east-west highways. New York State Route 190 intersects NY-22B and NY-374 in Plattsburgh.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 11,190 people, 4,367 households, and 3,091 families residing in the town. The population density was 244.9 people per square mile. There were 4,875 housing units at an average density of 106.7 per square mile. The racial makeup of the town was 96.68% White, 1.07% Black or African American, 0.38% Native American, 0.55% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.44% from other races, and 0.88% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.04% of the population.
There were 4,367 households out of which 33.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.0% were married couples living together, 10.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.2% were non-families. 21.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.53 and the average family size was 2.94.
In the town, the population was spread out with 25.6% under the age of 18, 7.6% from 18 to 24, 29.7% from 25 to 44, 25.0% from 45 to 64, and 12.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.1 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $41,713, and the median income for a family was $50,277. Males had a median income of $36,542 versus $25,565 for females. The per capita income for the town was $19,385. About 8.8% of families and 11.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.2% of those under age 18 and 14.4% of those age 65 or over.

Law and government

As of 2017, the town board consisted of:
Regular meetings of the board are the first and third Thursday of each month at 6:00 p.m. Informal open meetings of the board are on the second and fourth Thursday of each month at 6:00 p.m.
Other elected town officials include: