Massena, New York

Massena was established in 1792 by Anable Faucher. The settlement was initially called Nikentsiake by the Mohawk Indians, translating to "where the fish live." Massena was one of the first towns settled in St. Lawrence county, but was not incorporated until 1802 when it was formed from the town of Lisbon. The town and its village are named after André Masséna, a general and Marshal to Napoleon during the Napoleonic Wars. The town boasted the Massena Springs, a pair of sulfur springs, one hot and the other cold, reputed to possess healing powers known to the Native Americans before European settlement. In 1820, an Army veteran, Captain John Polley, hoping to capitalize on the properties, opened a hotel and began to advertise them. By 1858, three hotels, numerous rental cottages, a bathing house, and a plant that bottled and sold the spring water, had been built. By about 1900, the Springs' status as a popular resort had faded. Up until the 1880s, the town was predominantly agricultural, mainly home to butter and cheese production. The Massena Canal project was revived at the end of the century and completed in 1898, finally connecting the Grasse River and St. Lawrence River. A powerhouse built in 1900 provided hydroelectric power to the town. The new canal attracted the Pittsburgh Reduction Company (later Alcoa). This influx of industry workers transformed former health retreat hotels into housing for the burgeoning workforce. In the 1950s, the New York Power Authority was established, leading to the creation of the St. Lawrence-Franklin D. Roosevelt Power Project. Spanning the St. Lawrence River, the hydropower plant was capable of generating over 900,000 kilowatts of electricity. Simultaneously, the 1950s witnessed the development of the St. Lawrence Seaway, a monumental American-Canadian navigational project. This system of locks and gates facilitated the movement of boats through the river, connecting the Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean. With the completion of the Seaway and Power Project, Massena experienced a significant expansion at the Alcoa plant, solidifying its status as the oldest continuously operating aluminum production facility in the Western Hemisphere. The 1980s saw the establishment of the St. Lawrence Centre Mall and St. Lawrence strip mall complex, fostering a regional retail hub, attracting Canadian shoppers. The town suffered natural disasters in the 1944 Cornwall-Massena earthquake and in the January 1998 North American ice storm. ==Geography==

Massena is located just south of the St. Lawrence River, and the Grasse and Racquette rivers pass through town. Communities and locations in Massena • Barnhardt Island – An island in the St. Lawrence River northeast of Massena village. The island is at the international border and is the northernmost point of land in New York. • Long Sault Island ("Isle au Long Saut") – An island in the St. Lawrence River north of Massena village. • Massena – A village at the western town line on both banks of the Grasse River. • Massena Center – A hamlet northeast of Massena village. • Massena Power Canal – A waterway connecting the Grasse River to the St. Lawrence River. • Massena Springs – A hamlet south of Massena village by the Raquette River. The community was the site of health resorts and hotels based on sulphurous spring water. • Raquette River – A hamlet east of Massena village by the Raquette River. It was first settled circa 1804. • Robert Moses State Park – A state park in the northern part of the town. • Rooseveltown – A hamlet near the eastern town line by the Raquette River. • Wiley Dondero Canal – A waterway constructed as part of the St. Lawrence power project. Climate Massena has a humid continental climate (Köppen: Dfb). {{Weather box | width = auto | collapsed = yes | single line = yes | location = Massena, New York (Massena International Airport) (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1948–present) | Jan record high F = 67 | Feb record high F = 63 | Mar record high F = 84 | Apr record high F = 89 | May record high F = 96 | Jun record high F = 97 | Jul record high F = 99 | Aug record high F = 100 | Sep record high F = 95 | Oct record high F = 87 | Nov record high F = 78 | Dec record high F = 68 | year record high F = | Jan avg record high F = 50.9 | Feb avg record high F = 48.6 | Mar avg record high F = 61.7 | Apr avg record high F = 77.1 | May avg record high F = 86.6 | Jun avg record high F = 89.3 | Jul avg record high F = 90.2 | Aug avg record high F = 89.6 | Sep avg record high F = 86.2 | Oct avg record high F = 77.0 | Nov avg record high F = 66.2 | Dec avg record high F = 54.2 | year avg record high F = 92.4 | Jan high F = 25.4 | Feb high F = 28.2 | Mar high F = 38.2 | Apr high F = 53.7 | May high F = 67.9 | Jun high F = 76.2 | Jul high F = 80.8 | Aug high F = 78.9 | Sep high F = 71.2 | Oct high F = 57.5 | Nov high F = 44.6 | Dec high F = 32.1 | year high F = 54.6 | Jan mean F = 15.6 | Feb mean F = 17.8 | Mar mean F = 28.5 | Apr mean F = 42.9 | May mean F = 55.9 | Jun mean F = 64.8 | Jul mean F = 69.5 | Aug mean F = 67.5 | Sep mean F = 59.5 | Oct mean F = 47.5 | Nov mean F = 35.8 | Dec mean F = 23.8 | year mean F = 44.1 | Jan low F = 5.9 | Feb low F = 7.3 | Mar low F = 18.7 | Apr low F = 32.2 | May low F = 43.9 | Jun low F = 53.4 | Jul low F = 58.2 | Aug low F = 56.2 | Sep low F = 47.8 | Oct low F = 37.4 | Nov low F = 26.9 | Dec low F = 15.5 | year low F = 33.6 | Jan avg record low F = -20.0 | Feb avg record low F = -16.2 | Mar avg record low F = -4.8 | Apr avg record low F = 18.8 | May avg record low F = 29.8 | Jun avg record low F = 40.3 | Jul avg record low F = 47.7 | Aug avg record low F = 43.6 | Sep avg record low F = 32.7 | Oct avg record low F = 22.7 | Nov avg record low F = 9.6 | Dec avg record low F = -9.6 | year avg record low F = -22.7 | Jan record low F = -44 | Feb record low F = -38 | Mar record low F = -26 | Apr record low F = 6 | May record low F = 20 | Jun record low F = 31 | Jul record low F = 38 | Aug record low F = 35 | Sep record low F = 24 | Oct record low F = 15 | Nov record low F = -9 | Dec record low F = -33 | year record low F = | precipitation colour = green | Jan precipitation inch = 2.11 | Feb precipitation inch = 1.58 | Mar precipitation inch = 2.04 | Apr precipitation inch = 2.91 | May precipitation inch = 3.14 | Jun precipitation inch = 3.71 | Jul precipitation inch = 3.46 | Aug precipitation inch = 3.36 | Sep precipitation inch = 3.50 | Oct precipitation inch = 3.43 | Nov precipitation inch = 2.59 | Dec precipitation inch = 2.09 | year precipitation inch = 33.92 | unit precipitation days = 0.01 in | Jan precipitation days = 13.4 | Feb precipitation days = 10.3 | Mar precipitation days = 11.9 | Apr precipitation days = 12.5 | May precipitation days = 12.4 | Jun precipitation days = 12.7 | Jul precipitation days = 11.6 | Aug precipitation days = 10.9 | Sep precipitation days = 11.3 | Oct precipitation days = 12.4 | Nov precipitation days = 12.6 | Dec precipitation days = 13.6 | year precipitation days = 145.6 | source = NOAA ==Demographics==

By 2012 industrial employment had declined and there were 10,357 people in the town, down from 16,021 in 1970. As of the census of 2000, there were 13,121 people, 2,510 households, and 3,454 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 5,880 housing units at an average density of . The town's racial makeup was 96.80% White, 0.30% Black or African American, 1.25% Native American, 0.41% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.18% from other races, and .02% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.83% of the population. There were 5,510 households, of which 39.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 36.1% were married couples living together, 12.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.3% were non-families. 31.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.98 and the average family size was 3.67. In the town, the population was spread out, with 23.7% under the age of 18, 7.1% from 18 to 24, 27.3% from 25 to 44, 23.2% from 45 to 64, and 18.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 88.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.7 males. The town's median household income was $58,391, and the median family income was $62,696. Males had a median income of $48,484 versus $46,819 for females. The per capita income was $25,111. About 6.9% of families and 8.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.4% of those under age 18 and 1.8% of those age 65 or over. == Economy ==

The modern town's economy is centered on power production, the commerce of the St. Lawrence Seaway, and an Alcoa Aluminum plant, the world's longest continually operating aluminum facility. Alcoa employs over 600 people at its facilities in Massena. The New York Power Authority now operates a hydroelectric power generating dam, the St. Lawrence-FDR Power Project, on the St. Lawrence River adjacent to Massena. Curran Renewable Energy manufactures wood pellet fuel and mulch in the town. Massena is also home to the Eisenhower and Snell Locks, part of the St. Lawrence Seaway which allows ships and vessels to pass through the St. Lawrence River and on to the Great Lakes. While on November 2, 2015, Alcoa announced the idling of the smelter at its "Alcoa West" plant, the facility remained open through negotiations with New York State, and 400 jobs were saved until 2019. The Forgings and Extrusions facilities at Alcoa West were unaffected. The changes resulted in the loss of 487 jobs. It was estimated in 2013 that nearly 30% of Massena residents live below the poverty line. St. Lawrence County's poverty rate is higher than both the state and federal rates and ranks the 5th highest in New York State. ==Education==

Both the entire village, and almost all of the town of Massena are served by the Massena Central School District, which also serves most of the Town of Louisville, and portions of Norfolk and Brasher towns. Additionally, it contains a portion of the Akwesasne census-designated place, and the St. Regis Mohawk Reservation. • Jefferson Elementary School (K-6) • Madison Elementary School (K-6) • Nightengale Elementary School (K-6) • J. William Leary Junior High School (7–8) • Massena Central High School (9–12) • Trinity Catholic School (K-6) • Holy Name of Jesus Academy (K-12) ==Media==

Radio • 1340 WMSA • WVLF-FM Mix 96.1 • WRCD-FM 101.5 The Fox • WYBG – AM 1050 (defunct as of June 30, 2015) Filming location For Ellen, released in 2012, was filmed in Massena and the surrounding area. ==Infrastructure==

Transportation New York State Route 37, a northeast–southwest highway, passes along the outskirts of the town. The town is served by Massena International Airport, east of Massena village, south of NY-37. Trailways of New York provides bus service from Massena to Syracuse. The town had until 1961 been the terminus for New York Central Railroad (NYC) sleeping car passenger service on its St. Lawrence Division; the last sleepers came in from the NYC's Iroquois and the outgoing sleeper fed into the New York Special. The final run of regular local trains into the town was in 1964. == Notable people==

• Avery D. Andrews, brigadier general in the United States Army • William G. Bissell, Wisconsin State Senator, merchant, salesman and farmer, was born in Massena. • Stephanie Bissonnette, dancer and choreographer known for her role in the original Broadway production of the musical Mean Girls • Aaron Bogosian, former American Hockey League player • Zach Bogosian, National Hockey League player on the Minnesota Wild • Gary Danko, chef • Jim Deshaies, former Major League Baseball player, television color analyst • Follett Johnson, Medal of Honor recipient • Mike Hurlbut, retired professional hockey player, collegiate ice hockey coach • Bid McPhee, former Major League Baseball player and member of the Baseball Hall of Fame • Horace N. Polley, Wisconsin State Assemblyman and farmer, was born in Massena • Myron Reed, Wisconsin State Senator and lawyer, was born in Massena. • Hal Smith, actor ==See also==