Lyon Mountain Railroad Station
Lyon Mountain’s story
148 years in pictures
Census counts: 482 in 2000, 421 in 2020. The archive holds 1 old photo or paper and 3 maps from 1911 on.
- 1878Lyon Mountain is settled
Lyon MountainNY
The town was settled in 1878 and has 312 residents today.
Population
312
Census survey, 2020–24
Typical home
$70K
+6.5% in a year
Household income
$47K
median
Median age
31.6
years
Jobs based here
919
A job hub
Is Lyon Mountain a good place to live?
Lyon Mountain’s July high is 74°F, below both New York’s towns (81°F) and U.S. towns (85°F). Of the 266 New York towns we compare, none has a lower typical home value than Lyon Mountain. 24% of the land in Lyon Mountain is conserved, above both the New York town median (5.2%) and the median of U.S. towns (4.3%). The biggest place to walk is Chazy Highlands State Forest, 1,149 acres with 3 miles of trail. Lyon Mountain has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
What makes Lyon Mountain stand out
Where Lyon Mountain beats most towns.
Small town
312 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Nearby towns
Getting set up
Moving to Lyon Mountain: who provides what
Lyon Mountain is unincorporated, so Clinton County and regional agencies provide most services.
PowerNational Grid19.9¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterYandos Apartments water systemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet1 providers92% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & county servicesClinton CountyClinton County provides services here
Register to voteOnlineIn New York you can register online until 10 days before Election Day, in person until 10 days before Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 15 days before and received 10 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereClinton County Board of ElectionsClinton County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jul 2019
ZIP codes12952, 1295512952 93% · 12955 7%Census 2020
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Aug 3, 2026.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Lyon Mountain.
Housing
The median rent in Lyon Mountain is lower than in the typical New York or U.S. town
The typical Lyon Mountain home is worth about $70,000, up 6.5% in a year, 87% below the New York typical home. For households here, the share who live in a home they own is 68%.
$70KZillow home value
| Lyon Mountain | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $682 a month | $1,101 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 68% | 75% | 73% |
Typical home value
Lyon Mountain$70K
New York$525K
+6.5%
value change, 1 year
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Work & commute
Lyon Mountain has 7.3 jobs for every working resident, and 908 people commute in
Most working residents leave Lyon Mountain for work: only 9% work in town. Between 2013 and 2023, jobs here rose by 881, to 919. In Lyon Mountain, 14% of residents live below the poverty line. The top destinations are Plattsburgh (15%), Plattsburgh (11%) and Dannemora (10%).
9%work in town
| Lyon Mountain | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 32 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 14% | 9.5% | 9.6% |
Where working residents work
In Lyon Mountain9%
Plattsburgh15%
Plattsburgh11%
Dannemora10%
Ellenburg8%
22 mi
median commute distance
919
jobs based in Lyon Mountain
A job hub
jobs vs. working residents
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Outdoors
Protected land: 24.4% of Lyon Mountain
Trails run 11 miles in 1 park or preserve. Lyon Mountain’s trail network density stands at 1.1 miles per square mile.
24.4%conserved
24.4%
conserved · 1,629 of 6,687 acres
11 mi
of trails · 1.1 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Chazy Highlands State Forest | 3 mi | 1,149 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Climate
Lyon Mountain stands out in New York and nationally: a typical January night there is colder
Winters in Lyon Mountain are cold, snowy and summers cool.
107″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter8–26°
Spring28–48°
Summer52–72°
Fall35–52°
Oct 2
typical first frost
May 10
typical last frost
+1.5°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Health
How healthy Lyon Mountain is
No town among the 756 in New York we compare has a higher share of adults who have diabetes than Lyon Mountain. CDC measures, 32 in all: Lyon Mountain beats New York on 2 and trails on 18. Only 3 of the 756 New York towns we compare have a higher share of adults who have high blood pressure than Lyon Mountain. Also worth knowing: among adults locally, 19% report frequent physical distress.
| Lyon Mountain | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 14% | 14% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 36% | 25% | 25% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 17% | 19% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 13% | 14% |
32 measures vs. New York
2 better12 too close to call18 worse
| What stands out | Lyon Mountain | NY |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer binge drinkers | 13.3% | 16.3% |
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 81.4% | 77.2% |
| More adults with COPD | 12.9% | 6% |
The University of Vermont Health Network - Champl
19.7 mi away · emergency room
2 of 3
care shortages: primary care, mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Natural hazards
Moderate risk in Lyon Mountain, with inland flooding at the top
Of the losses FEMA expects here, 75% come from inland flooding and 9% from earthquakes. Lyon Mountain’s FEMA risk score is 45 of 100. Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 55% of U.S. communities.
45risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingEarthquakes
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Lyon Mountain
17pages on Lyon Mountain
The big questions
Out and about
The story
After high school
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Lyon Mountain; the nearest are
State University of New York at PlattsburghUniversity or college · Public · Plattsburgh19.7 mi$9,035 in-state tuitionClinton Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · Plattsburgh21.5 mi$6,831 in-state tuition
About 0 of every 100 Lyon Mountain residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across New York.
A job hub
Every workday, about 908 people come to Lyon Mountain for work
Where Lyon Mountain’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
919jobs based in Lyon Mountain
9%of working residents work in town
22 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
About Lyon Mountain
Census-designated place & hamlet in New York, United States
Lyon Mountain is a hamlet and census-designated place located in the town of Dannemora in Clinton County, New York, United States. As of the 2020 census, Lyon Mountain had a population of 421. The northern slopes of Lyon Mountain are in the southern part of the community, with the 3,840-foot (1,170 m) summit to the south in the town of Saranac. The Lyon Mountain Correctional Facility, a minimum security prison, was located in the community. The facility closed in 2011, and has been purchased by a Canadian who has mined sand for hydrofracking from the site.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 10 sq mi
- Elevation
- 1,798 ft
- ZIP code
- 12952, 12955
Questions about Lyon Mountain
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Lyon Mountain, NY a good place to live?
Lyon Mountain has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.