| Orleans, New York | |
| Settlement Type: | Town |
| Pushpin Map: | New York#USA |
| Pushpin Label: | Orleans |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | United States |
| Subdivision Type1: | State |
| Subdivision Name1: | New York |
| Subdivision Type2: | County |
| Subdivision Name2: | Jefferson |
| Government Type: | Town Council |
| Leader Title: | Town Supervisor |
| Leader Name: | Donna Chatterton (D) |
| Leader Title1: | Town Council |
| Unit Pref: | Imperial |
| Area Footnotes: | [1] |
| Area Total Km2: | 201.31 |
| Area Land Km2: | 184.53 |
| Area Water Km2: | 16.77 |
| Area Total Sq Mi: | 77.72 |
| Area Land Sq Mi: | 71.25 |
| Area Water Sq Mi: | 6.48 |
| Population As Of: | 2010 |
| Population Total: | 2789 |
| Population Density Km2: | 14.99 |
| Population Density Sq Mi: | 38.84 |
| Timezone: | Eastern (EST) |
| Utc Offset: | -5 |
| Timezone Dst: | EDT |
| Utc Offset Dst: | -4 |
| Elevation M: | 116 |
| Elevation Ft: | 381 |
| Coordinates: | 44.2442°N -75.9769°W |
| Blank Name: | FIPS code |
| Blank Info: | 36-045-55398 |
| Blank1 Name: | GNIS feature ID |
| Blank1 Info: | 0979319 |
| Pop Est As Of: | 2016 |
| Population Est: | 2767 |
Orleans is a town in Jefferson County, New York, United States. The population was 2,789 at the 2010 census,[2] up from 2,463 in 2000. The town is located in the northern part of the county and is north of Watertown. Orleans is named after the commune of Orléans in France.
The Oneida tribe granted land, a 100sqmi tract, in the town to Peter Penet in 1788. The town was first settled around 1806.
The community of La Fargeville was founded around 1816 by the construction of a mill on the Chaumont River.
The town of Orleans was formed from part of the town of Brownville in 1821 at the same time as some other new towns.
Fordham University was founded as St. John's College in La Fargeville in 1838 by a purchase of the lands and home of John La Farge. The college moved to New York City after a few years.
The Irwin Brothers Store and Stone Mills Union Church are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 202.1km2, of which 185km2 are land and 17.1km2, or 8.48%, are water.[2] Part of the town is located on the St. Lawrence River and includes part of Wellesley Island, containing Dewolf Point State Park. The northern town line is the international border with Canada (Ontario).
Interstate 81, a major divided highway, passes through the town to the Canada–US border. New York State Route 12 follows the south bank of the St. Lawrence River and intersects New York State Route 180, a north–south highway, at Fishers Landing. New York State Route 411 is an east–west highway in the southern part of Orleans.
As of the census[3] of 2000, there were 2,465 people, 928 households, and 703 families residing in the town. The population density was 34.7sp=usNaNsp=us. There were 2,084 housing units at an average density of 29.3sp=usNaNsp=us. The racial makeup of the town was 97.20% White, 0.77% African American, 0.77% Native American, 0.20% Asian, 0.24% Pacific Islander, 0.16% from other races, and 0.65% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.57% of the population.
There were 928 households, out of which 35.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.1% were married couples living together, 9.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.2% were non-families. 19.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.65 and the average family size was 2.99.
In the town, the population was spread out, with 27.2% under the age of 18, 6.7% from 18 to 24, 29.6% from 25 to 44, 24.3% from 45 to 64, and 12.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 102.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.8 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $36,458, and the median income for a family was $41,471. Males had a median income of $28,828 versus $22,132 for females. The per capita income for the town was $17,315. About 8.8% of families and 12.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.9% of those under age 18 and 7.5% of those age 65 or over.