Plattsburgh, city, seat (1788) of Clinton county, northeastern New York, U.S. It lies on the west shore of Lake Champlain at the mouth of the Saranac River, 60 miles (97 km) south of Montreal, Canada. It was founded by Zephaniah Platt in 1784. During the War of 1812, it was the scene of an important U.S. victory on Lake Champlain that saved New York from possible British invasion via the Hudson River valley. A British army of some 14,000 troops under Sir George Prevost reached Plattsburgh in a joint land and sea operation. U.S. defenders included 1,500 regulars and about 2,500 militia commanded by Gen. Alexander Macomb, supported by a 14-ship U.S. naval squadron under Commodore Thomas Macdonough. The outcome of the battle was determined on water when the British fleet was decisively defeated on Sept. 11, 1814. Deprived of naval support, the invading army was forced to retreat. The victory at Plattsburgh influenced the terms of peace drawn at the Treaty of Ghent the following December. The Macdonough Memorial commemorating the battle is in front of the city hall. The Kent-Delord House (1797) served successively as British and American headquarters and is maintained as a museum.
Abundant waterpower influenced the development of lumber and paper mills. Today Plattsburgh’s industries produce paper products (including wallpaper), toys, lighting fixtures, passenger railcars, and plastics, and the city is a base for the Lake Champlain resort area. The State University of New York College at Plattsburgh (established as a normal school, 1889) and Clinton Community College (1966) of the State University of New York system are additional economic factors. Recognized as a village in 1785, it was incorporated as a city in 1902. Pop. (2000) 18,816; (2010) 19,989.