Cape Vincent is a

town A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...

in Jefferson County,

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

, United States. The population was 2,765 at the 2020 census. The town is in the northwestern part of the county. In the town is a

village A village is a human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand. Although villages are often located in rural areas, the term urban v ...

also called Cape Vincent. Both town and village are northwest of Watertown.

History

The town was first explored in the 17th century by French explorers and missionaries. At that time, it was home to the

Onondaga people The Onondaga people (Onontaerrhonon, Onondaga language, Onondaga: , "People of the Hills") are one of the five original nations of the Iroquois, Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy in the Northeastern Woodlands. Their historical homelands are in ...

. Modern settlement began in 1801 at Millens Bay. During the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 was fought by the United States and its allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom and its allies in North America. It began when the United States United States declaration of war on the Uni ...

, Cape Vincent served as an armed camp to oppose the British forces in adjacent

Kingston, Ontario Kingston is a city in Ontario, Canada, on the northeastern end of Lake Ontario. It is at the beginning of the St. Lawrence River and at the mouth of the Cataraqui River, the south end of the Rideau Canal. Kingston is near the Thousand Islands, ...

. The town was formed in 1849 from the north part of the town of Lyme. In 1895, the hamlet of Cape Vincent incorporated as a village. By that time, the region was becoming a famous tourist area due to the

Thousand Islands The Thousand Islands (, ) constitute a North American archipelago of 1,864 islands that straddles the Canada–US border in the Saint Lawrence River as it emerges from the northeast corner of Lake Ontario. They stretch for about downstream fr ...

. In 1935, the East Charity Shoals Light was erected at the entrance to the Seaway. The Xavier Chevalier House, Nicholas Cocaigne House, Remy Dezengremel House, Joseph Docteur House, James Buckley House, E. K. Burnham House, Reuter Dyer House, East Charity Shoal Light, Johnson House, Captain Louis Peugnet House, George Reynolds House, Rogers Brothers Farmstead, Tibbetts Point Light, Union Meeting House, Claude Vautrin House, and Warren Wilson House are listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the town has a total area of , of which are land and , or 37.28%, are water. The northwestern border of the town is the

St. Lawrence River The St. Lawrence River (, ) is a large international river in the middle latitudes of North America connecting the Great Lakes to the North Atlantic Ocean. Its waters flow in a northeasterly direction from Lake Ontario to the Gulf of St. Lawren ...

, and the western border is

Lake Ontario Lake Ontario is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded on the north, west, and southwest by the Canadian province of Ontario, and on the south and east by the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. The Canada–United Sta ...

. Much of the town is on a

peninsula A peninsula is a landform that extends from a mainland and is only connected to land on one side. Peninsulas exist on each continent. The largest peninsula in the world is the Arabian Peninsula. Etymology The word ''peninsula'' derives , . T ...

projecting into Lake Ontario, where the lake enters the river. The southern section of the peninsula is in the neighboring town of Lyme. Facing the town across the St. Lawrence River is Wolfe Island, the largest of the

. The island is in

Frontenac County Frontenac County is a county and census division of the Canadian province of Ontario. It is located in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario. The city of Kingston is in the Frontenac census division, but is separated from the County of Front ...

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

, Canada. New York State Route 12E runs along the St. Lawrence River before it turns southeast at Cape Vincent village.

Demographics

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2000, there were 3,345 people, 867 households, and 601 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 2,783 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 70.64%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 21.88%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.39% Native American, 0.36% Asian, 6.28% from other races, and 0.45% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 13.27% of the population. There were 867 households, out of which 25.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.6% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 8.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.6% were non-families. 27.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.36 and the average family size was 2.83. In the town, the population was spread out, with 13.2% under the age of 18, 8.7% from 18 to 24, 43.3% from 25 to 44, 22.4% from 45 to 64, and 12.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 216.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 251.8 males. The median income for a household in the town was $37,330, and the median income for a family was $43,558. Males had a median income of $42,361 versus $22,308 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the town was $16,375. About 8.5% of families and 12.3% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 20.0% of those under age 18 and 11.1% of those age 65 or over.

Communities and locations in the town

Burnham Point State Park Burnham Point State Park is a state park located on the St. Lawrence River in the Town of Cape Vincent in Jefferson County, New York, United States. The park is approximately north of Watertown. The park was established in 1898 as part of ...

– A park on the St. Lawrence River across the channel from the eastern shores of Carlton Island. *

Carleton Island Carleton Island is located in the St Lawrence River in upstate New York. One of the Thousand Islands, it is part of the Town of Cape Vincent, in Jefferson County. History Originally held by the Iroquois, one of the first Europeans to take noti ...

– An island in the St. Lawrence River opposite Burnham Point State Park. It was the site of the earliest settlement in Jefferson County, known as "King's Garden", where a fort was built in the late 17th century. * Cedar Point State Park – A state park on the St. Lawrence River near the eastern town line. * Cape Vincent – A village in the northwestern part of the town on NY-12E. It had a railroad station from 1852 until the mid 20th century. *Dablon Point – A headland on Lake Ontario between Mud Bay and Wilson Bay. * Fox Island – A island in Lake Ontario, southeast of Grenadier Island; once owned by former New York Governor

Horace White Horace White (October 7, 1865 – November 27, 1943) was an American lawyer and politician from New York (state), New York. He was the 37th governor of New York from October 6, 1910, to December 31, 1910. Life He attended Syracuse Central High ...

; island auctioned off August 24, 2007, for $3.78 million to Vance Wilson, who claims he will keep the estate as it currently is. *Fuller Bay – A bay of Lake Ontario at the western end of Cape Vincent peninsula. * Grenadier Island – A large island in Lake Ontario, southwest of Cape Vincent. It was an important military installation in the

. *Kents Creek – A stream flowing southwest to enter Lake Ontario at Mud Bay. *Millens Bay – A location northeast of Sunnybank on NY-12E. *Mud Bay – A bay of Lake Ontario at the western end of Cape Vincent peninsula. *Ponds Corners – A location at the junction of County Roads 8 and 56 in the southwestern part of the town. *Rosiere – A hamlet near the southeastern town line on County Road 4. One of the former stations on the old Rome, Watertown and Ogdensburg Railroad. *St. Lawrence – A hamlet near the eastern town line on County Road 4. It was originally called "St. Oars' Corners", "Gotham's Corners", and "Crane's Corners". *Sunnybank – A hamlet located on the south bank of the St. Lawrence River, northeast of Cape Vincent village on NY-12E. *Tibbets Point – A headland on Lake Ontario, north of Wilson Point. The lighthouse marking the entrance to the St. Lawrence Seaway is now a

youth hostel A hostel is a form of low-cost, short-term shared sociable lodging where guests can rent a bed, usually a bunk bed in a dormitory sleeping 4–20 people, with shared use of a lounge and usually a kitchen. Rooms can be private or shared - mixe ...

operated by

Hostelling International Hostelling International (HI) is a non-governmental, not-for-profit organisation working with UNESCO and the World Tourism Organisation UNWTO. Formerly known as the International Youth Hostel Federation, Hostelling International has 60 member ...

USA.HI-Tibbetts Point Lighthouse 60050
. HIUSA (July 1, 2013). Retrieved on 2013-07-12. *Warren Settlement – A hamlet on County Road 4 near the town center. It was settled ''circa'' 1825 by members of the Warren family. *Wilson Bay – A bay of Lake Ontario at the western end of Cape Vincent peninsula. *Wilson Point – A headland on Lake Ontario at the northern headland of Wilson Bay.

References

External links

Town of Cape Vincent official website

Cape Vincent Chamber of Commerce

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cape Vincent (Town), New York Towns in Jefferson County, New York Towns in New York (state) New York (state) populated places on the Saint Lawrence River 1801 establishments in New York (state)