Lake Pleasant, New York
Encyclopedia
Lake Pleasant is a town
in Hamilton County
, New York
, United States
. The population was 876 at the 2000 census. It contains the county seat
of Hamilton County
, which is also called Lake Pleasant.
The Town of Lake Pleasant is within the Adirondack Park and is centrally located in the county. The town is northwest of Schenectady
.
Lake Pleasant is considered a tourist hub in Hamilton County. Estimates put the number of summer homes at around three-quarters of the homes in the area. Between Memorial Day and Labor Day, the unofficial Summer season, the small town is a busy community, with many activities including a parade, fireworks, Summer musical and art show.
The early town was once described as "A wild waste...so poor that nobody inclines to settle in it."
Lake Pleasant was formed in 1812 from part of the Town of Johnstown
before the formation of Hamilton County. Lake Pleasant was a "mother town" of the county and other towns were made, in whole or part, by removing parts of its territory: Morehouse
(1835), Arietta
(1836), part of Long Lake
(1837), part of Hope
(1847), part of Wells
, (1858), and part of Indian Lake
(1861).
In the past, the community of Lake Pleasant was also known as "Sageville" after Hezekiah Sage built a hotel and attempted to rename the community after himself.
In 1925, the community of Speculator set itself off from the town by incorporation as a village.
, the town has a total area of 198 square miles (512.8 km²), of which, 188.1 square miles (487.2 km²) of it is land and 9.9 square miles (25.6 km²) of it (5.00%) is water.
New York State Route 8
, an east-west highway, and New York State Route 30
, a north-south highway, intersect at the "Four Corners" in the Village of Speculator.
The Sacandaga River
flows out through the west town line of the town.
of 2000, there were 876 people, 388 households, and 256 families residing in the town. The population density
was 4.7 people per square mile (1.8/km²). There were 1,429 housing units at an average density of 7.6 per square mile (2.9/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.49% White, 1.03% African American, 0.11% Native American, 0.34% Asian, 0.80% from other races
, and 0.23% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.03% of the population.
There were 388 households out of which 23.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.7% were married couples
living together, 4.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.0% were non-families. 31.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.4% 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 2.70.
In the town the population was spread out with 18.6% under the age of 18, 5.6% from 18 to 24, 25.2% from 25 to 44, 27.7% from 45 to 64, and 22.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45 years. For every 100 females there were 108.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 104.3 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $31,467, and the median income for a family was $39,766. Males had a median income of $28,523 versus $23,194 for females. The per capita income
for the town was $19,259. Below the poverty line were 7.1% of people, 5.2% of families, 10.8% of those under 18 and 3.6% of those over 64.
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 Hamilton County
Hamilton County, New York
Hamilton County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. It is named after Alexander Hamilton, the only member of the New York State delegation who signed the United States Constitution in 1787 and later the first United States Secretary of the Treasury. Its county seat is Lake Pleasant...
, 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 876 at the 2000 census. It contains the county seat
County seat
A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....
of Hamilton County
Hamilton County, New York
Hamilton County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. It is named after Alexander Hamilton, the only member of the New York State delegation who signed the United States Constitution in 1787 and later the first United States Secretary of the Treasury. Its county seat is Lake Pleasant...
, which is also called Lake Pleasant.
The Town of Lake Pleasant is within the Adirondack Park and is centrally located in the county. The town is northwest of Schenectady
Schenectady, New York
Schenectady is a city in Schenectady County, New York, United States, of which it is the county seat. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 66,135...
.
Lake Pleasant is considered a tourist hub in Hamilton County. Estimates put the number of summer homes at around three-quarters of the homes in the area. Between Memorial Day and Labor Day, the unofficial Summer season, the small town is a busy community, with many activities including a parade, fireworks, Summer musical and art show.
History
The first settlers arrived around 1795.The early town was once described as "A wild waste...so poor that nobody inclines to settle in it."
Lake Pleasant was formed in 1812 from part of the Town of Johnstown
Johnstown (town), New York
Johnstown is a town located in Fulton County, New York, United States. As of the 2000 U.S. Census, the town had a population of 7,166. The name of the town is from landowner William Johnson....
before the formation of Hamilton County. Lake Pleasant was a "mother town" of the county and other towns were made, in whole or part, by removing parts of its territory: Morehouse
Morehouse, New York
Morehouse is a town in Hamilton County, New York, United States. The population was 151 at the 2000 census. The name is that of an early settler, Andrew Morehouse....
(1835), Arietta
Arietta, New York
Arietta is a town in Hamilton County, New York, United States. The population was 293 at the 2000 census. The town was named after the mother of one of the first settlers, Rensselaer Van Rennslaer...
(1836), part of Long Lake
Long Lake, New York
Long Lake is a town in Hamilton County, New York in the United States. The population was 852 at the 2000 census. The town is named for long Long Lake beside which it sits. The town is entirely within the Adirondack Park and is the most northerly town in the county. It is a summer tourism...
(1837), part of Hope
Hope, New York
Hope is a town in Hamilton County, New York, United States. The population was 392 at the 2000 census.The Town of Hope is in the southeast corner of the county and is northwest of Schenectady.- History :...
(1847), part of Wells
Wells, New York
Wells is a town in Hamilton County, New York, United States. The population was 737 at the 2000 census. The town is named after Joshua Wells, a land agent, who built the first mills in the area....
, (1858), and part of Indian Lake
Indian Lake, New York
Indian Lake is a town in Hamilton County, New York, United States. The population was 1,471 at the 2000 census. The name is from a large lake partly inside the town.The Town of Indian Lake is on the east border of the county and is northeast of Utica....
(1861).
In the past, the community of Lake Pleasant was also known as "Sageville" after Hezekiah Sage built a hotel and attempted to rename the community after himself.
In 1925, the community of Speculator set itself off from the town by incorporation 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 198 square miles (512.8 km²), of which, 188.1 square miles (487.2 km²) of it is land and 9.9 square miles (25.6 km²) of it (5.00%) is water.
New York State Route 8
New York State Route 8
New York State Route 8 is a state highway in the central part of New York in the United States. It runs in a southwest-to-northeast direction from the Southern Tier to the northern part of Lake George. The southern terminus of the route is at an interchange with NY 17 in the town of...
, an east-west highway, and New York State Route 30
New York State Route 30
New York State Route 30 is a state highway in the central part of New York in the United States. It extends for from an interchange with NY 17 in the Southern Tier to the Canadian border in the state's North Country, where it continues into Quebec as Route 138. On a regional level,...
, a north-south highway, intersect at the "Four Corners" in the Village of Speculator.
The Sacandaga River
Sacandaga River
The Sacandaga River is a river in the northern part of New York in the United States. Its name comes from the Native American Sa-chen-da'-ga, meaning "overflowed lands"....
flows out through the west town line of the town.
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 876 people, 388 households, and 256 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 4.7 people per square mile (1.8/km²). There were 1,429 housing units at an average density of 7.6 per square mile (2.9/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.49% White, 1.03% African American, 0.11% Native American, 0.34% Asian, 0.80% 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 0.23% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.03% of the population.
There were 388 households out of which 23.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.7% 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, 4.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.0% were non-families. 31.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.4% 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 2.70.
In the town the population was spread out with 18.6% under the age of 18, 5.6% from 18 to 24, 25.2% from 25 to 44, 27.7% from 45 to 64, and 22.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45 years. For every 100 females there were 108.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 104.3 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $31,467, and the median income for a family was $39,766. Males had a median income of $28,523 versus $23,194 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 $19,259. Below the poverty line were 7.1% of people, 5.2% of families, 10.8% of those under 18 and 3.6% of those over 64.
Inhabited places
- Lake PleasantLake Pleasant (hamlet), New YorkLake Pleasant, New York is a hamlet located in the Town of Lake Pleasant. This community is the location of the county seat of Hamilton County, New York and includes the Hamilton County Courthouse Complex...
– This 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...
, the county seatCounty seatA county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....
, was also called "Sageville" in the past. - Moffitt Beach State Campground – A NY camping facility at the east end of Sacandaga Lake
- Oak Mountain – A location north of Speculator.
- Perkins Clearing – An old lumbercamp location on Jessup River Road, west of NY-30.
- Sacandaga Camp – A community on NY-8 between Lake Pleasant hamlet and the Village of Speculator.
- Sled Harbor – A location west of Perkins Clearing where travelers once changed from motorized transport to horse drawn.
- SpeculatorSpeculator, New YorkSpeculator is a village in Hamilton County, New York, United States. The population was 348 at the 2000 census. The village is named after a nearby Speculator Mountain....
- The Village of Speculator is the only incorporated village in Hamilton County, and was formerly called "Newtons Corners."
Geographical features
- Blue Ridge Mountain – An elevation in the northern part of the town.
- Buckhorn Lake – A small lake at the town line in the southwest.
- Cedar River Flow – An artificial lake lake in the northern part of Lake Pleasant.
- Fawn Lake – A lake west of Sacandaga Lake.
- Gilman Lake – A small lake adjacent to NY-30 by the east town line.
- Hamilton Lake – A small lake south of Lake Pleasant lake.
- Indian LakeIndian Lake (New York)Indian Lake is a long, lake with a southwest to northeast orientation in the towns of Indian Lake and Lake Pleasant in Hamilton County, in the Adirondack Park of New York State, in the United States. The hamlet of Indian Lake is located north of the north end of Indian Lake. New York State...
– The southern end of this large lake is in the northern part of Lake Pleasant. - Lake Pleasant – The name of a lakeLakeA lake is a body of relatively still fresh or salt water of considerable size, localized in a basin, that is surrounded by land. Lakes are inland and not part of the ocean and therefore are distinct from lagoons, and are larger and deeper than ponds. Lakes can be contrasted with rivers or streams,...
that gives its name to both the town and the county seat, located south of NY-8 and the Village of Speculator. - Lewey Lake – A lake in the northern part of the town.
- Lewey Mountain – An elevation in the northern part of the town west of Lewey Lake
- Owl Pond – A lake on the eastern town line
- Mud Lake – A small lake north of Sacandaga Lake
- Oxbow Lake – A lake at the west town line next to NY-8.
- Sacandada Lake – One of the large lakes in the town north of Lake Pleasant and NY-8.
- Sacandaga Outlet—A short river, flowing between Sacandaga Lake and Lake Pleasant under New York Highway 8
- Sacandaga RiverSacandaga RiverThe Sacandaga River is a river in the northern part of New York in the United States. Its name comes from the Native American Sa-chen-da'-ga, meaning "overflowed lands"....
, A river that rises in the town and flows out the east town line - Speculator Mountain – A mountain south of the Village of Speculator. Its height is 2977 feet (907 meters). It gave its name to the Village of Speculator.
- Vly Lake – a small lake at the west town line, west of Fawn Lake
- Wakely Dam – A location in the northern part of the town at the north end of Cedar River Flow, east entrance to the Moose River Plains Wilderness Area.
- Whitaker Lake – A lake east of NY Highway 30.