Adirondacks & North Country
Potsdam, New York
Potsdam is a town in St. Lawrence County, in New York's Adirondacks & North Country region, home to about 15,000 people as of the 2020 census.
Whether you're moving in or you've been here for years, the checks that matter most are the school district, the assessment and STAR, and — outside the cities — the well, the septic, and the flood map.
- Type
- Town
- County
- St. Lawrence
- Region
- Adirondacks & North Country
- Population (2020)
- 14,901
Local Almanac
Notes in and around Potsdam
Short, sourced notes tied to this place, its county, or nearby communities.
This place · History & Culture
Potsdam Is River, Falls, and Red Sandstone
Potsdam's identity joins the Raquette River, Fall Island, local red sandstone, and a college-town center.
Read this note ->This place · History & Culture
Potsdam's College Village Has a Sandstone Backbone
Potsdam's identity combines North Country colleges with a building material that still marks the village landscape.
Read this note ->Nearby · History & Culture
Ogdensburg Explains Why St. Lawrence County Had to Move Inland
St. Lawrence County history is partly a story of moving government from a border city to a more central county seat.
Read this note ->Nearby · Cars & Driving
St. Lawrence DMV Errands Are Split Across County Offices
St. Lawrence County drivers should check which DMV office fits the trip before heading to Canton by default.
Read this note ->Nearby · The Outdoors
Stockholm has a Buckton State Forest outdoor thread
Buckton State Forest gives Stockholm a direct outdoor anchor and a public-land thread.
Read this note ->Nearby · History & Culture
Stockholm's Name and Map Come From an 1806 Split
Stockholm’s official page explains its 1806 formation from Massena and its interior St. Lawrence County position.
Read this note ->Nearby · History & Culture
Madrid keeps North Country power and farm equipment on display
The St. Lawrence Power and Equipment Museum gives Madrid a hands-on agricultural and mechanical history anchor.
Read this note ->Nearby · History & Culture
Pierrepont's old work gathered around turnpike and falls
Pierrepont's North Country story mixes grazing hills, old turnpike settlement, cheese and butter work, and Hannawa Falls mill history.
Read this note ->Nearby · Home & Property
Potsdam village permits start with code enforcement and forms
Potsdam village owners should use the code-enforcement and forms pages before filing building or local permit paperwork.
Read this note ->Property tax snapshot
Roughly $23–$29 per $1,000
Combined full-value rate — county + town/city + school district, per $1,000 of market value (FY2025). On a $300,000 home that's about $6,974–$8,648 a year before the STAR break.
A planning estimate, not a bill. Your exact rate depends on your school district and any village. Confirm with the assessor.
Statewide links
Statewide starting points.
Good to know
- • Your assessed value usually isn't your market value — ask for the equalization rate.
- • Register for STAR; new applicants generally receive a credit instead of an automatic exemption on the bill.
- • Outside the cities, check the well, the septic, and the FEMA flood map before you buy.
Nearby
Nearby places
Tax rates: NYS Dept of Taxation & Finance (ORPTS), Real Property Tax Rates and Levy Data by Municipality, data.ny.gov dataset iq85-sdzs. (FY2025). Population: U.S. Census 2020. Reviewed June 2026. Source data ->
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