| Official Name: | Peru, New York |
| Settlement Type: | Town |
| Mapsize: | 250px |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | United States |
| Subdivision Type1: | State |
| Subdivision Name1: | New York |
| Subdivision Type2: | County |
| Subdivision Name2: | Clinton |
| Government Type: | Town Council |
| Leader Title: | Town Supervisor |
| Leader Name: | Peter G. Glushko (R) |
| Leader Title1: | Town Council |
| Unit Pref: | Imperial |
| Area Footnotes: | [1] |
| Area Total Km2: | 239.26 |
| Area Land Km2: | 204.32 |
| Area Water Km2: | 34.94 |
| Area Total Sq Mi: | 92.38 |
| Area Land Sq Mi: | 78.89 |
| Area Water Sq Mi: | 13.49 |
| Population As Of: | 2020 |
| Population Total: | 6772 |
| Population Density Km2: | 34.19 |
| Population Density Sq Mi: | 88.54 |
| Timezone: | Eastern (EST) |
| Utc Offset: | -5 |
| Timezone Dst: | EDT |
| Utc Offset Dst: | -4 |
| Elevation M: | 133 |
| Elevation Ft: | 436 |
| Coordinates: | 44.5858°N -73.5203°W |
| Postal Code Type: | ZIP code |
| Postal Code: | 12972 |
| Area Code: | 518 |
| Blank Name: | FIPS code |
| Blank Info: | 36-019-57375 |
| Blank1 Name: | GNIS feature ID |
| Blank1 Info: | 0979358 |
Peru is a town in Clinton County in the U.S. state of New York. The population was 6,772 at the 2020 census. The town was so named for its views of the Adirondack Mountains to the west and the farmlands throughout the town, resembling scenery found in the country of Peru in South America. Peru, New York, is in the southeastern part of Clinton County, south of Plattsburgh.
The area was first settled by Connor VanNess in 1772. The Battle of Valcour Island was fought in Lake Champlain in the eastern part of Peru in 1776.
Peru was formed from parts of the towns of Plattsburgh and Willsboro (the latter now in Essex County) in 1792. Part of Peru was returned to Willsboro in 1799. In 1838, part of the town was used to form the towns of Au Sable and Black Brook.
On April 20, 2002, around 6:50 am, a magnitude 5.2 earthquake was centered in the western part of Peru, southwest of Plattsburgh with only marginal damages.[2]
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town of Peru has a total area of 239.3sqkm, of which 204.3sqkm is land and 34.9sqkm, or 14.60%, is water.
The eastern part of the town fronts on Lake Champlain, and the eastern town line, in the center of the lake, is the state border with Vermont. The Ausable River forms part of the southern town line, and the Little Ausable River flows eastward through the southern section of Peru.
The Adirondack Northway (Interstate 87) and U.S. Route 9 are north–south highways through the town. New York State Route 22, New York State Route 22B, and New York State Route 442 (an east–west highway), also known as the Bear Swamp Road, intersect at Peru village.
As of the census[3] of 2000, there were 6,370 people, 2,309 households, and 1,777 families residing in the town. The population density was 80.3sp=usNaNsp=us. There were 2,510 housing units at an average density of 31.6sp=usNaNsp=us. The racial makeup of the town was 97.22% White, 0.91% Black or African American, 0.08% Native American, 0.61% Asian, 0.16% from other races, and 1.02% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.85% of the population.
There were 2,309 households, out of which 39.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.4% were married couples living together, 9.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.0% were non-families. 18.1% 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 2.73 and the average family size was 3.07.
In the town, the population was spread out, with 28.3% under the age of 18, 6.5% from 18 to 24, 30.4% from 25 to 44, 23.2% from 45 to 64, and 11.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.8 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $39,051, and the median income for a family was $47,853. Males had a median income of $32,196 versus $23,984 for females. The per capita income for the town was $19,676. About 7.6% of families and 11.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.3% of those under age 18 and 9.6% of those age 65 or over.