Constable, New York

Constable is a town in Franklin County, New York, United States. The population was 1,566 at the 2010 census.[3] The town is named after William Constable,[4] a member of the syndicate of original land owners.

Constable, New York
Town
Constable Location within the state of New York
Coordinates: 44°56′27″N 74°17′26″W
Country	United States
State	New York
County	Franklin
Government
• Type	Town Council
• Town Supervisor	Richard Onufer (D)
• Town Council	Members' List • Clyde Wilson (D) • Ronald E. Clark (D) • Melanie A. Guerin (D) • Victoria Barber (D)
Area [1]
• Total	32.82 sq mi (85.00 km^2)
• Land	32.80 sq mi (84.97 km^2)
• Water	0.01 sq mi (0.03 km^2)
Elevation	305 ft (93 m)
Population  (2010)
• Total	1,566
• Estimate  (2016)[2]	1,587
• Density	48.38/sq mi (18.68/km^2)
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code	12926
Area code(s)	518
FIPS code	36-033-17871
GNIS feature ID	0978863

The town is in the northern part of the county, along the Canada–United States border north of Malone.

History

The town of Constable was founded in 1807 from part of the town of Malone. Its territory was reduced later to form other towns: Fort Covington (1817) and Westville (1829).

An early business opportunity involved "line stores", constructed so part of the shop was in Canada and the other end in the United States, allowing subtle shifting of merchandise across the border without the inconvenience of customs duties.

During the Civil War, draftable men slipped easily across the border to Canada to avoid military service.

In June 2015, the town received national attention as David Sweat and Richard Matt, escaped convicts from the Clinton Correctional Facility in Dannemora, New York, were the subject of a three-week manhunt in the area. Matt was shot and killed in the nearby town of Malone, while Sweat remained on the run until June 28 when he was captured in Constable, two miles away from the Canada–US border.[5][6]

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 32.8 square miles (85.0 km²), of which 0.01 square miles (0.03 km²), or 0.04%, is water.[3]

The north town line is the international border between the United States and Canada and is the border of Quebec.

New York State Route 122 is an east-west highway in the town. New York State Route 30 intersects NY-122 at Constable village and leads south to the village of Malone.

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
1820	637		—
1830	693		8.8%
1840	1,122		61.9%
1850	1,447		29.0%
1860	1,680		16.1%
1870	1,546		−8.0%
1880	1,532		−0.9%
1890	1,439		−6.1%
1900	1,266		−12.0%
1910	1,323		4.5%
1920	1,100		−16.9%
1930	1,016		−7.6%
1940	919		−9.5%
1950	983		7.0%
1960	1,153		17.3%
1970	1,149		−0.3%
1980	1,218		6.0%
1990	1,203		−1.2%
2000	1,428		18.7%
2010	1,566		9.7%
Est. 2016	1,587	[2]	1.3%
U.S. Decennial Census[7]

As of the census[8] of 2000, there were 1,428 people, 533 households, and 390 families residing in the town. The population density was 43.5 people per square mile (16.8/km²). There were 607 housing units at an average density of 18.5 per square mile (7.1/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.55% White, 0.07% African American, 1.47% Native American, 0.07% Asian, and 0.84% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.14% of the population.

There were 533 households, out of which 38.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.2% were married couples living together, 9.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.8% were non-families. 21.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.67 and the average family size was 3.03.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 28.4% under the age of 18, 6.0% from 18 to 24, 32.7% from 25 to 44, 21.0% from 45 to 64, and 11.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 104.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 103.4 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $31,029, and the median income for a family was $36,488. Males had a median income of $27,955 versus $21,354 for females. The per capita income for the town was $14,149. About 12.3% of families and 16.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 22.5% of those under age 18 and 8.9% of those age 65 or over.

Communities and locations in Constable

• Constable – A hamlet near the center of the town on Route 30 at the junction with NY-122.
• Trout River – A stream flowing northward across the border into Canada, flowing past both Constable village and the community of Trout River.
• Trout River – A hamlet on the border of Canada at the junction of NY-30 and County Road 20. The community is a port of entry and has a similarly named community across the border in Quebec.

References

1. "2016 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved Jul 5, 2017.
2. "Population and Housing Unit Estimates". Retrieved June 9, 2017.
3. "Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Census Summary File 1 (G001), Constable town, Franklin County, New York". American FactFinder. U.S. Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved June 13, 2016.
4. Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. Govt. Print. Off. pp. 90.
5. Rojas, Rick; Goodman, J. David; Rashbaum, William K. (28 June 2015). "David Sweat, Escaped New York Convict, Is Shot and Captured as Hunt Ends". The New York Times. New York. Retrieved 2 July 2015.
6. "Escapee David Sweat shot, in custody". CNN.
7. "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
8. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.

External links

• Early Constable history
• Oral History of Constable