Tupper Lake (town), New York

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Tupper Lake
Town
Town of Tupper Lake
Tupper Lake is located in New York
Tupper Lake
Tupper Lake
Location within the state of New York
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Country United States
State New York
County Franklin
Government
 • Type Town Council
 • Town Supervisor Patricia Littlefield (R)
 • Town Administrator Laurie Fuller (R)
 • Town Council
Members' List
Area
 • Total 130.1 sq mi (337.0 km2)
 • Land 117.6 sq mi (304.6 km2)
 • Water 12.5 sq mi (32.3 km2)
Elevation 1,696 ft (516 m)
Population (2010)[1]
 • Total 5,971
 • Density 50.7/sq mi (19.6/km2)
Time zone Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
 • Summer (DST) EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code 12986
Area code(s) 518

Tupper Lake is a town in the southwest corner of Franklin County, New York. The population was 5,971 at the 2010 census.[1] The town contains a village called Tupper Lake. Until July 2004, the town was known as Altamont, not be confused with the village of Altamont in Albany County.

History

In 1850 the Pomeroy Lumber Company began a logging operation in the area. A clearing left by clear-cutting the forest by Raquette Pond became the site of the Village of Tupper Lake. In the 1890s, a large number of buildings were erected, but in 1899 a fire burned 169 of them to the ground. As the lumber business swelled, the Village of Faust became a railroad hub, and so the Village of Tupper Lake prospered.

In the 1940s the Village of Faust and the Village of Tupper Lake combined to become the Village of Tupper Lake. The former Village of Faust began where Main Street meets Demars Boulevard and continued west beyond the cemetery. The former Village of Faust is now known as "The Junction", still called to this day by the people of Tupper Lake. It was so named due to the junction of railroad lines located in Faust. The only reference left to the Town of Faust is the Faust Motel, located on Main Street. Of note the Faust Roundhouse (one of the largest buildings in the area at the time), was located behind Web Row and near the railroad station. It burned to the ground in the 1940s.

The Oval Wood Dish Corporation mill was located in the area between the Villages of Faust and Tupper Lake and was originally owned by the Sisson family of Potsdam, New York. The area encompassing the mill, and the houses and apartments built across from the mill for the workers was called "Sissonville". Through neglect the buildings eventually went to ruin and were demolished. The large smokestack bearing the letters "OWD" in the center of town still stands to this day as an icon of Tupper Lake's lumbered past.

The Town of Altamont was organized in 1890 from the Town of Waverly and was the last town organized in the county. In 1913, a part of St. Lawrence County was added to the Town of Altamont.

In an effort to avoid confusion with other "Altamonts" around the state and to strengthen ties with the Village of Tupper Lake, town councilors turned the "Town of Altamont" into the "Town of Tupper Lake." The name change took place on July 16, 2004.

As of 2013 logging remained a business/industry in Tupper Lake but the winter season when the roads are frozen and can support heavy logging equipment was growing shorter due to global warming.[2]

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 130.1 square miles (337.0 km²), of which, 117.6 square miles (304.6 km²) of it is land and 12.5 square miles (32.3 km²) of it (9.60%) is water.

The town is inside the Adirondack Park. The south town line is the border of Hamilton County and the west town line is the border of St. Lawrence County.

Tupper Lake is a name of a lake in the southwest part of the town, which crosses the county line into St. Lawrence County.

New York State Route 3 joins New York State Route 30 at Tupper Lake village and are conjoined the eastern part of the town.

The Raquette River flows past Tupper Lake village.

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop.
1900 3,045
1910 4,691 54.1%
1920 4,927 5.0%
1930 6,097 23.7%
1940 6,537 7.2%
1950 6,849 4.8%
1960 6,546 −4.4%
1970 6,698 2.3%
1980 6,318 −5.7%
1990 6,199 −1.9%
2000 6,137 −1.0%
2010 5,971 −2.7%
Est. 2014 5,917 [3] −0.9%
U.S. Decennial Census[4]

As of the census[1] of 2000, there were 6,137 people, 2,429 households, and 1,530 families residing in the town. The population density was 52.2 people per square mile (20.1/km²). There were 3,118 housing units at an average density of 26.5 per square mile (10.2/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.56% White, 1.27% African American, 0.29% Native American, 0.08% Asian , 0.08% from other races, and 0.72% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.57% of the population.

There were 2,429 households out of which 32.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.2% were married couples living together, 12.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.0% were non-families. 30.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.38 and the average family size was 2.97.

In the town the population was spread out with 24.6% under the age of 18, 7.4% from 18 to 24, 29.3% from 25 to 44, 22.0% from 45 to 64, and 16.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 101.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.9 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $35,636, and the median income for a family was $45,000. Males had a median income of $30,951 versus $25,938 for females. The per capita income for the town was $15,696. About 6.9% of families and 33.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.8% of those under age 18 and 14.1% of those age 65 or over.

Communities and locations in the town of Tupper Lake

  • Derrick – A hamlet in the northern part of the town.
  • Duck Lake – A lake by the south town line.
  • Kildare – A hamlet near the western town line, northwest of Tupper Lake village.
  • Lake Madeleine – A lake near the south town line, north of Duck Lake.
  • Litchfield Park – A location in the southwest corner of Tupper Lake.
  • Moody – A hamlet south of Tupper Lake village on NY-30. It was the first settled community in the town.
  • Piercefield Flow – A widening of the Raquette River at the west town line.
  • Raquette Pond – An arm of Tupper Lake adjacent to Tupper Lake village. It is a widening of the Raquette River created by a dam.
  • Simon Pond – An arm of Tupper Lake south of Tupper Lake village. Oddly, the road along its south shore is named Lake Simond Road.
  • Tupper Lake – The Village of Tupper Lake is located in the south-central part of the town.
  • Wolf Pond – A lake north of Tupper Lake village. There are actually two ponds: Little Wolf Pond and the more northerly Big Wolf Pond, joined at a narrow channel.
  • Faerheim Forest – An area of wooded hills and swamps on the furthest edge of town, northwest of Tupper Lake village.

Notable residents

  • Roger Allen LaPorte Vietnam War protester, set himself on fire in front of the United Nations Building


Houses of worship

  • Beth Joseph Synagogue, listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1988.[5]
  • Tupper Lake Baptist Church, 55 Lake St, Tupper Lake
  • St. Alphonsus Catholic Church, 48 Wawbeek Avenue, Tupper Lake
  • Holy Name of Jesus Catholic Church, Main Street, Tupper Lake
  • United Community Church, 25 High St., Tupper Lake
  • St. Thomas Episcopal Church, 8 Brentwood Ave., Tupper Lake

References

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External links