Schenectady, New York
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Union College's Nott Memorial, one of the most recognized buildings in Schenectady |
Schenectady (
IPA ) is a
city in
Schenectady County,
New York,
United States, of which it is the county seat. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 61,821. Schenectady is the 9th largest city in New York State. The name "Schenectady" is derived from a
Mohawk word for "on that side of the pinery," or "near the pines," or "place beyond the pine plains."
The
City of Schenectady is in eastern
New York State, near the confluence of the
Mohawk and
Hudson Rivers. It is in the same metropolitan area as the state capital,
Albany, New York; central Schenectady is about 15 miles (24 km) north-west of central Albany.
The area that is now Schenectady was originally the land of the
Mohawk tribe of the
Iroquois Nation. When Dutch settlers arrived in the Hudson Valley in the middle of the 17th century, the Mohawk called the settlement at
Fort Orange "Schau-naugh-ta-da", meaning "over the pine plains." Eventually, this word entered the lexicon of the Dutch settlers, but the meaning was reversed, and the name referred to the bend in the Mohawk River where the city lies today.
Contrary to popular belief, the areas consisting of Schenectady and nearby Niskayuna were not actually inhabited by the Mohawk -- at most there were "lean-to's" scattered throughout the area, enabling weary travellers and hunting parties the opportunity to stop and rest before heading to the settlements near present-day Fonda. If there were indeed settlements in the immediate area of Schenectady and Niskayuna, they most likely belonged to the
Mohican, who by 1634 had been forced east of the Hudson River.
Schenectady was first settled in
1661 when the area was part of the Dutch colony of
New Netherland. Settlement was led by
Arent Van Curler of
Nijkerk in the
Netherlands, who was granted letters patent to Schenectady in
1684.
On
February 8,
1690, the town was attacked and overrun by forces of
France and their
Indian allies, who burned the town and killed all but 60 of the inhabitants. This event is known as
The Schenectady MassacreIn
1765, Schenectady was incorporated as a borough. It was chartered as a city in
1798.
During the
American Revolutionary War the local militia unit the
2nd Albany County Militia Regiment was active during the
Battle of Saratoga and in fights against
Loyalist troops.
Union College was founded here in
1795.
In
1887,
Thomas Edison moved his Edison Machine Works to Schenectady. In
1892, Schenectady became the headquarters of the
General Electric Company.
Schenectady is home to
WGY-AM, one of the first commercial radio stations in the United States. The station was named after its owner, General Electric (the G), and the city of Schenectady (the Y). General Electric also generated the first regular television broadcasts in the United States in
1928, when experimental station W2XB began regular broadcasts on Thursday, Thursday and Friday afternoons. This television station is now
WRGB, for years, the Capital District's
NBC affiliate, but more recently, its
CBS affiliate. (
see: 1928 in television).
Historic population of Schenectady: 13,655 in
1880; 31,682 in
1900; 92,061 in
1950.
The city was once known as "The City that Lights and Hauls the World"--a dual reference to two prominent businesses located in the city, the
Edison Electric Company (now known as
General Electric), and the
American Locomotive Company (ALCO). GE has retained its administrative core in Schenectady, but many of the manufacturing jobs have been relocated to the
Sun Belt and abroad. ALCO's operations slowly fizzled out as the company went through a series of acquisitions and restructuring in the late 1960s, and their Schenectady plant was closed in 1969. In the late 21st century, the city experienced difficult financial times, as did many upstate New York cities. The profound loss of employment opportunities has led to Schenectady's population decline by nearly a third since 1950.
Today, Schenectady is beginning to reinvent itself. Over $150 Million has been invested in the city's downtown district, which is quickly emerging as an arts and entertainment district. A state of the art cinema, an IMAX movie theater, and several other restaurants and bars are scheduled for completion within the next year. Proctors Theater has undergone an expansion which will allow for large Broadway show, such as Phantom of the Opera, to run on a regular basis. Several companies have relocated to the city and more are expected to relocate along Erie Blvd in the near future as it undergoes a complete cosmetic and infrustructure rennovation. All signs point to a bright future for the city that once hauled and lit the world.
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Map of Schenectady (1955) |
Schenectady is located at (42.804076, -73.929289). The altitude above sea-level is 211 to 275 feet.
According to the
United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 28.5
km² (11.0
mi²). 28.1 km² (10.9 mi²) of it is land and 0.4 km² (0.1 mi²) of it (1.27%) is water.
As of the
census of 2000, there were 61,821 people, 26,265 households, and 14,051 families residing in the city. The
population density was 2,199.9/km² (5,699.0/mi²). There were 30,272 housing units at an average density of 1,077.2/km² (2,790.6/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 76.77%
White, 14.77%
African American, 0.36%
Native American, 2.00%
Asian, 0.04%
Pacific Islander, 2.52% from
other races, and 3.53% from two or more races.
Hispanic or
Latino of any race were 5.88% of the population. There is a growing
Guyanese population in the area.
There were 26,265 households out of which 27.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 32.0% were
married couples living together, 16.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 46.5% were non-families. 38.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.23 and the average family size was 2.98.
In the city the population was spread out with 24.3% under the age of 18, 11.6% from 18 to 24, 29.7% from 25 to 44, 19.1% from 45 to 64, and 15.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 91.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.4 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $29,378, and the median income for a family was $36,458. Males had a median income of $30,869 versus $25,292 for females. The
per capita income for the city was $17,076. About 16.8% of families and 20.8% of the population were below the
poverty line, including 30.5% of those under age 18 and 9.6% of those age 65 or over.
Amtrak, the national passenger rail system, provides service to Schenectady as delineated in the table below:
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An accordion-playing guide welcomes visitors to a restored Dutch home in the Schnectady Stockade District. |
*The
Stockade Historic District, which features dozens of Dutch and English Colonial houses dating from the 18th and 19th centuries, is New York State's first National Register historic district, designated in 1965. It is named after the stockade fence that originally surrounded the settlement. Another historic neighborhood, the GE Realty Plot, was built by General Electric Company executives in the early 20th century. "The Plot," as the locals call it, is known for its eclectic collection of grand homes.
Union Street is a great shopping and dining district. It is home to several restaurants including:
*Homestyle Pizza & Caterers - 36 yrs, catering, patio, dine-in, takeout, delivery
*Scotti's, an outstanding Italian restaurant
*Hunan Wok, a sit down Chinese restaurant
*The City Squire, an Irish pub
*Pieces of Heaven Candy Shop - Homemade candy, gelato, and italian ice.
*I Love New York Pizza
*Gershons - a Fantastic New York City Style Deli
*Riccardi's Deli - Home of the Sanducci
*Golden Dragon Chinese Take Out
*Dunkin Donuts
*Brugers Bagels
*Quiznos
*Subway
*McDonalds
Northeastern Fine Jewelry, Sondra's Jewelry, and Salamacks are a few of the stores vistors should wander into.
*
Union College, located adjacent to the GE Realty Plot, is the oldest planned college campus in the United States. The Union campus features Jackson's Garden, with eight acres (32,000 m²) of formal gardens and woodlands, and the unique 16-sided
Nott Memorial building, built in 1875.
*
Schenectady County Community College is located in downtown Schenectady. The school was started in the former Hotel Van Curler and is known for its technical, culinary, and music programs.
*Central Park is the crown of Schenectady's numerous parks. Central Park is the highest elevation point in the city. The Common Council voted in 1913 to purchase the land for the present site of the park. The park features an acclaimed rose garden, Iroquois Lake, and a stadium tennis court that is home to the
New York Buzz of the
World Team Tennis league.
*City Hall is the focal point of government in the city. It is often remarked that Schenectady City Hall is one of the more beautiful city halls in
New York*Located in Schenectady is its
Municipal Golf Course. It is an 18 hole championship facility nestled amongst stately oaks and towering pines.
*:The course was designed in 1935 by Jim Thompson under the Works Progress Administration (WPA) program. Schenectady Municipal Golf Course stretches to 6600 yards (6000 m) and features fast, undulating greens and tight fairways blanketed within grasses and native vegetation.
*:Schenectady Municipal Golf Course was ranked by Golf Digest "Best Places to Play in 2004" and earned a three-star rating.
*Proctor's Theater is the major arts venue. Built in 1926 as a vaudeville/movie theater, it was refurbished and is now home for live stage events. It is home to "Goldie," a Wurlitzer theater pipe organ. Proctor's was also the site of one of the first public demonstrations of
television, projecting an image from a studio at the GE plant a mile [2 km] away.
*A timeline of Schenectady's long
history.
*Science Fiction Author Kurt Vonnegut has portrayed Schenectady in his novels through the name "Illium".
*The
tulip is the City of Schenectady's designated flower. Symbolic of the
Dutch origin of the city, the tulip is a flower extensively cultivated and nurtured in the
Netherlands, although also extensively grown in
North America.
*Schenectady is featured in
Dr. Seuss's "I Can Read With My Eyes Shut".
*Schenectady is featured in a poem by
Eve Merriam called "Schenectady".
*Schenectady is featured in a poem by Medora Addison called "Names".
*Schenectady's General Electric plant has the
ZIP Code 12345.
*Schenectady is the hometown of
Grace Adler on the
NBC sitcom Will & Grace.
*There is a collection of science-fiction short stories by Barry Longyear entitled "It came from Schenectady." The title is from
Harlan Ellison's reply when people asked Ellison, "Where do you get your ideas?"
*Schenectady is the former home of the
Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame. In 2005 the Hall moved to
Amsterdam.
*The fictional comic book character
Doctor Octopus from "
Spider-Man" is from Schenectady.
*Schenectady introduced the first commercial television station with the creation of WRGB in 1940.
*The title character of Henry James's novella, "Daisy Miller" is from Schenectady.
*
Official song of Schenectady, "Our Schenectady," composed by John Van Laak and sung by Judi Merriam. Adopted by Schenectady City Council Jan. 30, 1995:
In SchenectadyOur SchenectadyWhat a warm and friendly place it is to beNestled among plains and hillsWith a beautiful river that always gives us thrillsAnd stores and shops with all that one might need or wish to seeAnd legends and tales and lots of historyOh SchenectadyOur SchenectadyLet us now plan and help to make it growIf we will all do our bestThen others can do the restFor places to study and learn inPlaces to work and earn inPlaces to live in happinessSource: Daily Gazette Jan. 31, 1995 p. B1
* In the fall of 1972, director
Sydney Pollack filmed for two weeks on the
Union College campus for the flashback sequences of the movie
The Way We Were, starring Robert Redford and Barbra Streisand.
*
Horatio Allen, born in Schenectady, railroad engineer and inventor
*Paul "Legs" DiCocco, the capital district's link to
organized crime was a well liked, prominent business owner. He owned a luncheonette with his brother Duilio that was renowned for its
Italian cuisine. Paul died in 1989 after a
heart transplant. His son, Paul Jr., now is a driver for actor
Tom Hanks and has acted in a few films himself.
* Director
John Sayles was born and raised in Schenectady; the Schenectady High school of fine arts is named after him
*
Shirley Muldowney, the First Lady of Drag Racing was born and raised in Schenectady.
*Basketball Coach
Pat Riley was born and raised in Schenectady. The Schenectady High School athletics wing is named after him after he donated a substantial amount of money for its creation.
*
Sir Charles Mackerras, the famous British conductor, was born in Schenectady while his father was taking an electrical-engineering course. See
Medallion man*
Mickey Rourke was born in Schenectady
*
Ann B. Davis (Alice on
The Brady Bunch) was born in Schenectady
*
*
City of Schenectady (official website)*
Visit Schenectady (tourist information)*
Schenectady County Chamber of Commerce*
City of Schenectady Info*
Schenectady City Court information*
Schenectady/Nijkerk Council*
Central Park Rose Garden*
Daily Gazette, the local newspaper on line*
Proctor's Theatre*
Leading Global Premix Manufacturer*
Schenectady Blue Jays who Made the Major Leagues*
Stockade Historic District
