Lowville (village), New York

Lowville, New York
Village
Fountain in Lowville Fountain in Lowville
Lowville, New York Location within the state of New York
Coordinates:
Country	United States
State	New York
County	Lewis
Town	Lowville
Settled	1797
Incorporated	1847
Rechartered	1858
Area
• Total	1.9 sq mi (4.9 km2)
• Land	1.9 sq mi (4.9 km2)
• Water	0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2)
Elevation	883 ft (269 m)
Population (2010)
• Total	3,470
Time zone	Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
• Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code	13367
Area code(s)	315
FIPS code	36-43720
GNIS feature ID	956123

Lowville /ˈlaʊvɪl/ is a small village in Lewis County, New York, United States. The village is nestled in the Black River Valley, between the foothills of the Adirondack Mountains and the Tug Hill Plateau, in an area often referred to as the North Country. It is located in the center of Lewis County, in the southeastern part of the similarly named Town of Lowville.

Lowville is the county seat of Lewis County. The name of both the village and town is derived from Nicholas Low, an early landowner of Dutch descent, who had emigrated with his wife and three small children from a rural village outside of Amsterdam in 1778.

The Postal ZIP code for Lowville is 13367. The village's population was 3,470 at the 2010 census.

History

Silas Stow, an early settler, established himself in Lowville in 1797. The Village of Lowville was incorporated in 1847 and charter was adopted in 1854. It was rechartered in 1858. It was designated the county seat in 1864, succeeding the community of Martinsburg.

Within the village, the Franklin B. Hough House is a National Historic Landmark, and it, along with the Bateman Hotel, Lewis County Fairgrounds, Lewis County Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument, and Lowville Presbyterian Church, are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Economy

Lowville is the principal economic hub of Lewis County, supporting a mainly agricultural economy with a long history of farming and forestry. Its main industries are cheese making, milk shipping, and paper and wood product processing and manufacturing. Lowville has a number of businesses, including Kraft Foods—the largest cream cheese manufacturing plant in the world—Climax Manufacturing, QubicaAMF, FiberMark, Lowville Mason Supply, and Lowville Farmers Co-op, and several small restaurants like Gary's and JEB's. Lowville also offers franchises like Arby's, McDonald's, Walmart, Advanced Auto Parts, Family Dollar and Tractor Supply. Governmental offices and services for the village, the town and the county are all located in Lowville, as is the Lewis County Courthouse, which houses the state Supreme Court, as well as the County Court, Family Court and Surrogate's Court.

Education

Lowville Academy and Central School is also located in the village, where it provides a K-12 education to approximately 1,440 students. The school was founded on March 21, 1808 by charter of the New York State Board of Regents and is one of the longest continually operating schools in New York.

Recreation and attractions

Attractions in Lowville include parks, such as the Veteran's Memorial Park which includes the Hospice Garden, and the Village Bandstand, where the community gathers for various types of entertainment. Whetstone Gulf Park, located just outside the village, offers camping, swimming, fishing, and cross country skiing as well as canoeing.

Lewis County Fairgrounds is host to such activities as a farmers' market, horse shows, auctions, Relay for Life, and various sports activities, such as lacrosse, soccer, baseball, and football. They also have a Pavilion where people can skate during the wintertime. Every summer, Lowville is host to the annual Lewis County Fair at the Lewis County Fairgrounds, as well as the Lowville Cream Cheese Festival. On September 21, 2013, the Cream Cheese Festival entered the Guinness World Records for producing the world's largest cheesecake, with a seven-foot-wide, 6900 pound cheesecake.

Notable people

• Franklin B. Hough, the "father of American forestry."
• Silas Stow, land agent for Nicholas Low and U.S. Congressman.
• Ela Collins, U.S. Congressman.
• Charles Dayan, U.S. Congressman.
• William Collins, U.S. Congressman.
• Andrew W. Doig, U.S. Congressman.
• Charles L. Knapp, U.S. Congressman.
• Charles Melville Dewey, noted American painter.
• Peter Ostrum, veterinarian, former child actor as the main character Charlie Bucket in Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory.

Geography

Lowville is located at (43.786662, -75.487645).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 1.9 square miles (4.9 km²), all land.

The village is at the junction of New York State Route 12, New York State Route 26, and New York State Route 812. It is just west of the Black River and Mill Creek flows eastward through the village to the river.

Whetstone Gulf, a three-mile-long canyon cut into the eastern side of the Tug Hill Plateau, is located near the town. The canyon is part of Whetstone Gulf State Park.

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
1890	2,511		—
1900	2,352		−6.3%
1910	2,940		25.0%
1920	3,127		6.4%
1930	3,423		9.5%
1940	3,578		4.5%
1950	3,671		2.6%
1960	3,616		−1.5%
1970	3,671		1.5%
1980	3,364		−8.4%
1990	3,632		8.0%
2000	3,476		−4.3%
2010	3,470		−0.2%
Est. 2014	3,451		−0.5%
U.S. Decennial Census

As of the census of 2000, there were 3,476 people, 1,403 households, and 882 families residing in the village. The population density was 1,830.8 people per square mile (706.4/km²). There were 1,588 housing units at an average density of 836.4 per square mile (322.7/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 96.66% White, 0.75% Black or African American, 0.40% Native American, 0.83% Asian, 0.75% from other races, and 0.60% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.01% of the population.

There were 1,403 households out of which 32.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.5% were married couples living together, 11.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.1% were non-families. 33.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 18.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.34 and the average family size was 2.99.

In the village the population was spread out with 25.8% under the age of 18, 6.8% from 18 to 24, 25.4% from 25 to 44, 20.5% from 45 to 64, and 21.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 83.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 79.2 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $32,841, and the median income for a family was $42,399. Males had a median income of $31,831 versus $21,422 for females. The per capita income for the village was $17,172. About 13.9% of families and 14.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.5% of those under age 18 and 17.8% of those age 65 or over.

External links

• Village of Lowville page