Saranac Lake, New York
27 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1902 and the latest in 1999. It stands in Harrietstown town. It lies in ZIP code area 12983. The Survey maps it on the Saranac Lake quadrangle. 4,887 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 1,545 feet above sea level.
Then and now
1902 to 1999The same ground, surveyed 97 years apart. Drag the handle to wipe between them. Both sheets are United States Geological Survey originals; neither has been altered.


Compare 1902 against another survey:
On record in Saranac Lake
Buildings and businesses the archive holds for this place. Each opens its own page, with the source record it came from.
On the National Register 12 of 50 shown
Dr. A. H. Allen Cottagelisted 1992
Ames Cottagelisted 1992
Baird Cottagelisted 1992
Berkeley Square Historic Districtlisted 1988
Camp Intermissionlisted 1992
Church Street Historic Districtlisted 1992
Colbath Cottagelisted 1992
Cottage Row Historic Districtlisted 1992
Distin Cottagelisted 1992
Drury Cottagelisted 1992
Ellenberger Cottagelisted 1992
Feisthamel-Edelberg Cottagelisted 1992
Population over time
2 figuresSaranac Lake fell from 5,406 to 4,887 between 2010 and 2020. These are the recorded population figures Wikidata holds for this place, reached through the Geographic Names Information System number this page is keyed on rather than by name, so they belong to this place and not to another of the same name. Most are census counts, but not all are: an early figure may be a founding or settlement estimate, and an estimate published within five years of a census is left out. The change column is computed, and is left blank where more than 20 years separate a figure from the one before it, because a gap that long is not a change between two counts.
| Year | People | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 5,406 | |
| 2020 | 4,887 | -519 (-10%) |
Topographic sheets covering this place
11 surveys from 27 printed sheetsMatched by testing this settlement's coordinate against the published boundary of every sheet in the United States Geological Survey's historical collection. Each opens the scanned sheet at the Survey.
- 1902 USGS Saranac quadrangle1:62500
- 1904 USGS Saranac quadrangle1:62500, 10 printings
- 1948 USGS Ogdensburg quadrangle1:250000, 2 printings
- 1951 USGS Ogdensburg quadrangle1:250000
- 1953 USGS Ogdensburg quadrangle1:250000
- 1955 USGS Saranac Lake quadrangle1:62500, 5 printings
- 1961 USGS Ogdensburg quadrangle1:250000
- 1978 USGS Saranac Lake quadrangle1:25000
- 1979 USGS Saranac Lake quadrangle1:25000, 2 printings
- 1985 USGS Tupper Lake quadrangle1:100000, 2 printings
- 1999 USGS Saranac Lake quadrangle1:25000
Fires near this place
65 since 2002Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 65 fires within 5 miles of Saranac Lake between 2002 and 2020, burning about 49 acres in total. 4 started naturally. 4 were recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Reported cause | Fires |
|---|---|
| Recreation and ceremony | 20 |
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 17 |
| Smoking | 7 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 7 |
| Debris and open burning | 4 |
| Arson/incendiarism | 4 |
| Natural | 4 |
| Power generation/transmission/distribution | 1 |
| Misuse of fire by a minor | 1 |
The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.
| Date | Cause | Size | Reported by | Name on the report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 September 2010 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Fire Department of New York | not named |
| 6 September 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Fire Department of New York | not named |
| 26 September 2013 | Recreation and ceremony | under an acre | New York Forest Rangers | MOOSE POND FIRE |
| 26 September 2011 | Debris and open burning | 2.8 acres | Fire Department of New York | not named |
| 25 September 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Fire Department of New York | not named |
| 21 September 2014 | Debris and open burning | under an acre | New York Forest Rangers | BIRCH ISLAND |
| 21 September 2013 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2.5 acres | Fire Department of New York | N/A |
| 19 September 2015 | Recreation and ceremony | under an acre | Fire Department of New York | SI 59 FIRE |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Mines and quarries near this place
9 within 5 milesRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 9 workings within 5 miles of Saranac Lake: 5 past producers, 3 producers, 1 occurrence. 3 still produce. What was taken out: Sand and Gravel, Construction, Granite, Limestone, General, Stone, Crushed/Broken. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Where | Site | Commodity | Status | Recorded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| C. C. Harris Property Deposit | Iron | Occurrence | ||
| Mayersohn Quarry | Limestone, General | Past Producer | Sedimentary | |
| Torrington Construction Company | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Producer | ||
| Saranac Juction Quarry | Granite | Past Producer | ||
| Unnamed Quarry | Granite | Past Producer | ||
| Cassavaugh Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| D and C Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Trudeau Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | Sedimentary | |
| Trudeau Sand and Gravel | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer |
Storms near this place
21 since 1993Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Saranac Lake in 21 storm reports between 1993 and 2016: 15 thunderstorm wind, 3 flash flood, 1 lightning, 1 hail. The reports record 2 injuries. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| July 1994 | Thunderstorm Wind | Saranac Lake | 1 hurt, $500,000 | no account filed |
| September 2003 | Lightning | Saranac Lake | 1 hurt, $5,000 | no account filed |
| April 2011 | Flood | Saranac Lake | $6,000,000 | Runoff from heavy rain and snowmelt caused flooding in Saranac Lake Village. Flooding was compounded by upstream releases from locks on Oseetah Lake, which flooded downstream Lake Flower at Saranac Lake Village. Businesses and homes were evacuated, and bridges and the village wastewater treatment plant were damaged. |
| June 2016 | Flash Flood | Saranac Lake | $50,000 | Runoff from heavy rainfall flooded and washed out roads in and near Saranac Lake Village in Franklin County. Route 86 was closed by flood waters between Saranac Lake Village and Lake Colby. Several village roads were damaged. Water flooded the intersection of St. Bernard and Academy Streets two feet deep. |
| July 2014 | Flash Flood | Saranac Lake | $50,000 | Roads in Saranac Lake Village were flooded and closed. |
| June 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | Saranac Lake | $50,000 | Numerous trees down across Saranac Lake vicinity along Route 3 between|Saranac Village and Tupper Lake. |
| August 1993 | Thunderstorm Wind | Saranac Lake | $50,000 | no account filed |
| July 2013 | Thunderstorm Wind | Saranac Lake | $30,000 | Multiple trees down across the village with at least one car crushed by tree. |
| July 2012 | Thunderstorm Wind | Saranac Lake | $25,000 | Multiple trees and power lines down across the Saranac Lake community. |
| July 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | Saranac Lake | $25,000 | Numerous trees down in Saranac Lake and immediate vicinity. |
| November 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | Saranac Lake | $20,000 | no account filed |
| July 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | Saranac Lake | $10,000 | Several trees and large branches downed by thunderstorm winds. |
| June 2015 | Thunderstorm Wind | Saranac Lake | $5,000 | Trees downed by thunderstorm winds in Saranac Lake. |
| June 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Saranac Lake | $5,000 | Trees reported down by thunderstorm winds along Route 3 in Saranac Lake. |
| August 2006 | Thunderstorm Wind | Saranac Lake | $5,000 | no account filed |
| May 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | Saranac Lake | $5,000 | no account filed |
| June 1998 | Flash Flood | Saranac Lake | $5,000 | no account filed |
| August 1997 | Thunderstorm Wind | Saranac Lake | $5,000 | no account filed |
| June 2006 | Thunderstorm Wind | Saranac Lake | $3,000 | no account filed |
| June 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | Saranac Lake | - | Trees and power lines downed by thunderstorms winds in Saranac Village. |
| June 2007 | Hail | Saranac Lake | - | Quarter to half dollar size hail reported. |
Nearest settlements
The eight closest, with where each one stands in the county. Distances are straight-line, computed from the Geographic Names Information System coordinates.
| Map | Place | Distance | Sheets |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lake Colby | 1.7 miles | 27 | |
| McMasters Crossing | 4.8 miles | 27 | |
| Harrietstown | 4.9 miles | 25 | |
| Lake Clear | 6.0 miles | 27 | |
| Gabriels | 7.5 miles | 25 | |
| Upper Saint Regis | 8.7 miles | 24 | |
| Vermontville | 9.1 miles | 25 | |
| Paul Smiths Easy Street | 9.2 miles | 25 |
Elsewhere
Matched on this settlement's Geographic Names Information System number rather than its name, so it cannot be a different place of the same name in another state.
| Wikipedia article on Saranac Lake | An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied. |
| Wikidata item Q2663981 | The structured record the population and elevation above come from. Public domain (CC0). |
Provenance
This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 964482. The sheet list is computed by point-in-boundary test against the United States Geological Survey's historical topographic inventory. Both are works of the United States government and carry no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.
Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.










