Chesterfield, New York
Encyclopedia
Chesterfield is a town
in Essex County
, New York
, United States
. The population was 2,409 at the 2000 census. The name possibly is from a location in New England
.
The Town of Chesterfield is in the northeastern part of the county and is 13 miles (20 km) west of Burlington, VT, 16 miles (25 km) south of Plattburgh
, 73 miles (117 km) south of Montreal, Quebec, and 126 miles (203 km) north of Albany, NY.
Much of the town is inside the Adirondack Park.
groups before the incursion of settlers.
The town was formed in 1802 from part of the Town of Willsboro
. The early settlers were from the New England area.
An ice storm
in 1998 damaged the town and the surrounding area.
, the town has a total area of 105.2 square miles (272.5 km²), of which, 78.8 square miles (204.1 km²) of it is land and 26.4 square miles (68.4 km²) of it (25.09%) is water.
The north town line is the border of Clinton County
, and the eastern town line is marked by Lake Champlain
and Vermont
.
The Ausable River forms the north town line.
Interstate 87
, the Northway, is a major divided highway running north-south through Chesterfield. US Route 9 and New York State Route 22
are north-south highways adjacent to the Interstate.
Ferry service is seasonally available between Port Kent and Burlington
, Vermont
.
of 2000, there were 2,409 people, 948 households, and 678 families residing in the town. The population density
was 30.6 people per square mile (11.8/km²). There were 1,374 housing units at an average density of 17.4 per square mile (6.7/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.76% White, 0.25% African American, 0.21% Native American, 0.21% Asian, 0.58% from other races
, and 1.00% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.87% of the population.
There were 948 households out of which 32.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.3% were married couples
living together, 10.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.4% were non-families. 21.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.52 and the average family size was 2.93.
In the town the population was spread out with 24.4% under the age of 18, 7.3% from 18 to 24, 28.8% from 25 to 44, 26.9% from 45 to 64, and 12.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 95.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.8 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $39,875, and the median income for a family was $43,015. Males had a median income of $36,417 versus $25,156 for females. The per capita income
for the town was $18,421. About 9.1% of families and 12.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.5% of those under age 18 and 6.0% 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 Essex County
Essex County, New York
Essex County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2010 census, the population was 39,370. Its name is from the English county of Essex. Its county seat is Elizabethtown...
, 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...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The population was 2,409 at the 2000 census. The name possibly is from a location in New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
.
The Town of Chesterfield is in the northeastern part of the county and is 13 miles (20 km) west of Burlington, VT, 16 miles (25 km) south of Plattburgh
Plattsburgh (city), New York
Plattsburgh is a city in and county seat of Clinton County, New York, United States. The population was 19,989 at the 2010 census. The population of the unincorporated areas within the Town of Plattsburgh was 11,870 as of the 2010 census; making the population for the immediate, urban Plattsburgh,...
, 73 miles (117 km) south of Montreal, Quebec, and 126 miles (203 km) north of Albany, NY.
Much of the town is inside the Adirondack Park.
History
The town was inhabited by various AlgonquianAlgonquian peoples
The Algonquian are one of the most populous and widespread North American native language groups, with tribes originally numbering in the hundreds. Today hundreds of thousands of individuals identify with various Algonquian peoples...
groups before the incursion of settlers.
The town was formed in 1802 from part of the Town of Willsboro
Willsboro, New York
Willsboro is a town in Essex County, New York, in the United States, and lies thirty miles south of the city of Plattsburgh. As of the 2000 census, the town population was 1,903...
. The early settlers were from the New England area.
An ice storm
Winter storm
A winter storm is an event in which the dominant varieties of precipitation are formed that only occur at low temperatures, such as snow or sleet, or a rainstorm where ground temperatures are low enough to allow ice to form...
in 1998 damaged the town and the surrounding area.
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 105.2 square miles (272.5 km²), of which, 78.8 square miles (204.1 km²) of it is land and 26.4 square miles (68.4 km²) of it (25.09%) is water.
The north town line is the border of Clinton County
Clinton County, New York
Clinton County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2010 census, the population was 82,128. Its name is in honor of the first Governor of New York as a state, George Clinton. Its county seat is Plattsburgh.-History:...
, and the eastern town line is marked by Lake Champlain
Lake Champlain
Lake Champlain is a natural, freshwater lake in North America, located mainly within the borders of the United States but partially situated across the Canada—United States border in the Canadian province of Quebec.The New York portion of the Champlain Valley includes the eastern portions of...
and Vermont
Vermont
Vermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd in land area, , and 45th in total area. Its population according to the 2010 census, 630,337, is the second smallest in the country, larger only than Wyoming. It is the only New England...
.
The Ausable River forms the north town line.
Interstate 87
Interstate 87
Interstate 87 is a Interstate Highway located entirely within New York State in the United States of America. I-87 is the longest intrastate Interstate highway in the Interstate Highway System. Its southern end is at the Bronx approaches of the Robert F. Kennedy Bridge in New York City...
, the Northway, is a major divided highway running north-south through Chesterfield. US Route 9 and New York State Route 22
New York State Route 22
New York State Route 22 is a north–south state highway in eastern New York in the United States. It runs parallel to the state's eastern edge from the outskirts of New York City to a short distance south of the Canadian border. At , it is the state's longest north–south route and...
are north-south highways adjacent to the Interstate.
Ferry service is seasonally available between Port Kent and Burlington
Burlington, Vermont
Burlington is the largest city in the U.S. state of Vermont and the shire town of Chittenden County. Burlington lies south of the U.S.-Canadian border and some south of Montreal....
, Vermont
Vermont
Vermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd in land area, , and 45th in total area. Its population according to the 2010 census, 630,337, is the second smallest in the country, larger only than Wyoming. It is the only New England...
.
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 2,409 people, 948 households, and 678 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 30.6 people per square mile (11.8/km²). There were 1,374 housing units at an average density of 17.4 per square mile (6.7/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.76% White, 0.25% African American, 0.21% Native American, 0.21% Asian, 0.58% 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 1.00% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.87% of the population.
There were 948 households out of which 32.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.3% 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, 10.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.4% were non-families. 21.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.52 and the average family size was 2.93.
In the town the population was spread out with 24.4% under the age of 18, 7.3% from 18 to 24, 28.8% from 25 to 44, 26.9% from 45 to 64, and 12.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 95.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.8 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $39,875, and the median income for a family was $43,015. Males had a median income of $36,417 versus $25,156 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 $18,421. About 9.1% of families and 12.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.5% of those under age 18 and 6.0% of those age 65 or over.
Communities and inhabited locations
- Port Douglas – 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...
in the eastern part of the town, located on the shore of Lake Champlain at Corlear Bay and on County Road 16. - Port Kent – A hamlet in the northeast corner of the town on Lake Champlain.
- KeesevilleKeeseville, New YorkKeeseville is a village in both Clinton County, New York and in Essex County, New York in the United States. The population was 1,815 at the 2010 census. The village is named after the Keese family....
– Part of the Village of Keeseville is in the town on its northern border at US-9 and NY-22.
Geographical and similar locations
- Alice Falls – A waterfall in the Ausable River northeast of Keeseville.
- Augur Lake – A lake by the north town line, southwest of Keeseville.
- Ausable ChasmAusable ChasmAusable Chasm is a sandstone gorge tourist attraction located near Keeseville, New York. The Ausable River runs through it, which then empties into Lake Champlain....
– A location on the Ausable River northeast of Keeseville. - Butternut Pond – A lake near the south town line.
- Corlear Bay – A bay of Lake Champlain in the northeast part of Chesterfield.
- Mud Brook – A tributary of the Ausable River entering the river by Ausable Chasm.
- Schuyler Island – An island in Lake Champlain off of Trebleau Point.
- Trembleau Point – A short peninsula in Lake Champlain in the northeast of Chesterfield.
- Wickham Marsh 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 north of Port Kent. - Willsboro Bay – The northern part of the bay is in the southeast of Chersterfield.