Potsdam (village), New York Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Potsdam
Village
Market Street in Potsdam
Motto(s): Si vis pacem para bellum
Potsdam, New York from OpenStreetMap
Potsdam Location in New York
Country	United States
State	New York
County	St. Lawrence
Named for	sandstone found resembling the sandstone in Potsdam, Germany
Area
• Total	5.41 sq mi (14.02 km²)
• Land	4.92 sq mi (12.74 km²)
• Water	0.49 sq mi (1.28 km²)
Elevation	423 ft (129 m)
Population (2020)
• Total	8,312
• Density	1,690.12/sq mi (652.61/km²)
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code	13676
Area code(s)	315
FIPS code	36-59564
GNIS feature ID	2391082

Potsdam is a village in St. Lawrence County, New York, United States. It is located in the eastern part of the Town of Potsdam. In 2020, about 8,312 people lived there.

Potsdam is home to two important universities: the State University of New York at Potsdam (SUNY Potsdam) and Clarkson University. The village is also northeast of Canton, which is the county seat.

History of Potsdam
- Famous People from Potsdam
Geography of Potsdam
Population of Potsdam
Education in Potsdam
Radio Stations in Potsdam
Images for kids
See also

History of Potsdam

Western View of Potsdam, New York (around 1856–1860) by John Warner Barber

The area where Potsdam is now located was once home to the St. Regis Indians. The first European settlers arrived in this spot around 1803.

Potsdam officially became a village in 1831. Its borders were made larger in 1841.

The village was named after Potsdam, Germany. This happened because surveyors found reddish sandstone in the area. This sandstone looked very similar to the sandstone found in Potsdam, Germany.

Several buildings and areas in Potsdam are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. These include the Market Street Historic District and the Trinity Episcopal Church. The Potsdam Post Office is also on this list.

Famous People from Potsdam

Many notable people have connections to Potsdam:

Job Bicknell Ellis: He was a mycologist, which means he studied fungi. He was born in Potsdam and taught there for a short time.
Frank B. Kellogg: He was born in Potsdam. He helped write the Kellogg–Briand Pact, an agreement to prevent war.
Marguerite LeHand: She was born in Potsdam. She worked as a secretary for President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
Clarence F. Stephens: He was a mathematician who taught in Potsdam. He created new and effective ways to teach college mathematics.

Geography of Potsdam

Potsdam is located on the banks of the Raquette River. This river flows through the village.

The village covers a total area of about 4.8 square miles (12.6 square kilometers). Most of this area is land, with a small part being water.

Several main roads pass through Potsdam. U.S. Route 11 goes from east to west. New York State Route 56 runs from north to south. Other state routes, New York State Route 11B and New York State Route 345, also connect to the village.

Population of Potsdam

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1850	1,471	—
1860	1,699	15.5%
1870	2,891	70.2%
1880	2,762	−4.5%
1890	3,961	43.4%
1900	3,843	−3.0%
1910	4,036	5.0%
1920	4,039	0.1%
1930	4,136	2.4%
1940	4,821	16.6%
1950	7,491	55.4%
1960	7,765	3.7%
1970	10,303	32.7%
1980	10,635	3.2%
1990	10,251	−3.6%
2000	9,425	−8.1%
2010	9,428	0.0%
2020	8,312	−11.8%
U.S. Decennial Census

In 2010, there were 9,428 people living in Potsdam. There were 2,265 households in the village.

About 11.3% of the population was under 18 years old. A large part of the population, 56.2%, was between 18 and 24 years old. This is likely due to the universities in the village.