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Albany NY

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About Albany NY

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia:

"Albany is the capital city of the US state of New York, the seat of Albany County, and the central city of New York's Capital District. At roughly 150 miles (240 km) north of New York City, Albany sits on the west bank of the Hudson River, a few miles south of the confluence of the Mohawk and Hudson Rivers.

The city had an estimated population of 93,539 as of 2008; the population of the greater metropolitan area was estimated at 857,592 as of 2009. Albany has close ties with the nearby cities of Troy, Schenectady, and Saratoga Springs, forming a region called the Capital District. The bulk of this area is made up of the Albany-Schenectady-Troy Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA); this MSA is the fourth largest urban area in New York and the 56th largest MSA in the country.

Albany was permanently settled in 1614 and officially chartered as a city in 1686. It became the capital of New York in 1797. It is one of the oldest surviving settlements from the original thirteen colonies, and the longest continuously chartered city in the United States.

Modern Albany was founded as the Dutch trading posts of Fort Nassau in 1614 and Fort Orange in 1623; the fur trade brought in a population that settled around Fort Orange and founded a village called Beverwijck. The English took over and renamed the town Albany in 1664, in honor of the English Duke of Albany. The city was officially chartered in 1686 with the issuance of the Dongan Charter, the oldest effective city charter in the nation and possibly the longest-running instrument of municipal government in the Western Hemisphere.

In the late 18th century and most of the 19th century, Albany was a center of transportation. It is located on the north end of the navigable Hudson River, is on the eastern terminus of the Erie Canal, and is home to some of the earliest railroad systems in the world.

Albany's main exports at the time were beer, lumber, published works, and ironworks. Beginning in 1810, Albany was one of the ten most populous cities in the nation, a distinction that it held until the 1860 census. The 20th century saw the city opened one of the first commercial airports in the world, the precursor of today's Albany International Airport. The 1920s saw the rise of a powerful political machine controlled by the Democratic Party which brought about the election of Erastus Corning 2nd, the nation's longest-serving mayor of any city.

The 1960s saw major changes to the city's skyline with the construction of the Empire State Plaza and the uptown campus of SUNY Albany, mainly at the hand of Governor Nelson Rockefeller. While Albany saw a decline in its population due to urban sprawl, many of its historic neighborhoods were saved from destruction thanks to the policies of Mayor Corning.

Albany has been a center of both state government and higher education for over a century, and much of the rest of its economy has been dependent on health care services. More recently, the city has experienced growth in the high-tech industry, with great strides in the nanotechnology sector.

The city has experienced a rebound from the urban decline of the 1970s and 1980s, with noticeable development happening in the city's downtown and midtown neighborhoods. Albany is known for its extensive history, culture, architecture, and institutions of higher education. The city is home to the mother churches of two Christian diocese as well as the oldest Christian congregation in upstate New York. Albany is a two-time All-America City Award winner (1991 and 2009)."

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Neighborhoods - Albany NY

Albany NY from the air

Albany's neighborhoods are varied demographically, geographically, architecturally, and historically.

Downtown Albany is the city's oldest neighborhood, centered on State Street, one of Albany's oldest streets and its original main street. Today downtown consists mostly of office buildings inhabited by state agencies, though a recent push to bring in permanent residents has led to proposed apartments and condominiums, many of which have failed to get past the proposal phase.
North and south of Downtown are old residential communities often consisting of row houses. North is Sheridan Hollow, Arbor Hill, and North Albany; to the south is the super-neighborhood of the South End, which consists of a multitude of smaller neighborhoods including the Mansion District, the Pastures, Kenwood, Groesbeckville, Delaware Avenue, and Krank Park.
West of Downtown is the Empire State Plaza, which effectively cuts Downtown off from the gentrified neighborhoods of Center Square, Hudson/Park, Lark Street, and Washington Park. Collectively referred to as mid-town, these neighborhoods are often compared to New York City's Greenwich Village for their eclectic mix of residential and commercial uses, including bars, night clubs, restaurants, and unique stores. Albany's gay culture is vibrant in this area.
Nearby Park South, a nine-block area surrounding New Scotland Avenue and home to roughly 1,000 individuals, is currently undergoing an urban renewal as existing housing units are removed or renovated and new office, commercial, and apartment buildings are added.
New construction includes expansion of Albany Medical Center, one of the largest employers in Albany. Nearby is University Heights, a united campus consisting of Albany Medical Center Hospital, Albany Medical College, Albany Law School, Albany College of Pharmacy, and Sage College of Albany.
Single-family detached homes, duplexes, and apartments, along with single-family houses that have been carved up into multiple units, can be found west of the older neighborhoods. These neighborhoods, such as Pine Hills, Delaware Avenue, Whitehall, Helderberg, New Scotland, and Beverwyck, tend to have larger lots and more suburban surroundings.
The Eastern section of Pine Hills is often referred to as the "student ghetto" due to the proximity of the campuses of Saint Rose College and University at Albany. The area from North Main to South Lake between Myrtle and Washington avenues has become home to off-campus college students living in houses carved into multiple units by absentee landlords.
Further west, the neighborhoods become more affluent and are dominated almost exclusively by single-family dwellings. These neighborhoods, such as Melrose, Western Pine Hills, New Albany, Eagle Hill, Westland Park, Campus, and Buckingham Park, have some of the quieter streets and larger lots in the city, and more closely resemble neighboring areas of the suburban towns than they do the downtown parts of the city.
Further west is the W. Averell Harriman State Office Campus and the University at Albany's main campus. West of those campuses are offices and commercial properties lining frontage roads along Washington Avenue Extension, with a small housing development called The Dunes, all surrounded by the Pine Bush Preserve.

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Night Life - Albany NY

"Price Chopper sponsors the annual Fourth of July fireworks show at the Empire State Plaza.
Albany's geographic situation, roughly equidistant from New York and Montreal south-north, and Buffalo and Boston west-east, makes it a convenient stop for nationally touring artists and acts.
- The Palace Theatre and The Egg provide mid-sized forums for music, theater, and spoken word performances, with the Capital Repertory Theatre filling the small-sized niche.
- The TU Center serves as the city's largest musical venue for nationally and internationally prominent bands, and hosts trade shows, sporting events, and other large-scale community gatherings. Two independent movie theaters operate within the city: the Madison Theater and the Spectrum 8 Theatre.
In recent years, the city's government has invested resources to cultivate venues and neighborhoods that attract after-hours business. Madison Avenue, Pearl Street, Delaware Avenue and Lark Street serve as the most active entertainment areas in the city.
Many restaurants, clubs, and bars have opened since the mid 1990s, revitalizing numerous areas that had once been abandoned; various establishments have reclaimed old row houses, businesses, and even a pump station.
The bar scene generally incorporates three main strips. The typical downtown scene is found on Pearl Street, stretching about two blocks. Up State Street, past the business district is the Lark Street strip, home to smaller and typically more aesthetic bars, fitting into the neighborhood's artistic and eclectic reputation. Lastly the midtown strip, with several bars located on Western and Madison Avenues, centers around the campuses of the College of Saint Rose and SUNY Albany's downtown campus. The midtown strip generally draws a younger crowd, as it is popular to the local college students."

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Festivals - Albany NY

"The Tulip Festival, one of Albany's largest festivals, is set in Washington Park. This traditional Albany event marks the beginning of spring as thousands of tulips bloom in the park in early May. The day features musical performances and the coronation of the Tulip Queen. Tulip Fest is a celebration of Albany's rich Dutch heritage, and draws both local and regional attendance.
Alive at 5 is a free concert series held downtown on Thursday evenings throughout the summer. The concert series features local, regional, and national artists and hosts different genres of music each week.
The Price Chopper Fabulous Fourth and Fireworks Festival at the Empire State Plaza celebrates Independence Day with musical performances and the region's largest fireworks display.
Freihofer's Run for Women is a 5-kilometer run through the city that draws more than 4,000 participants from across the country; it is an annual event that began in 1978.

Smaller events include:

African American Family Day Arts Festival each August at the Empire State Plaza;
Latin Fest, held each August at the Corning Preserve;
Albany Jazz Festival, an annual end-of-summer event held at the Corning Preserve;
Lark Fest, a music and art festival held each fall;
Capital Pride Parade and Festival, a major gay pride event, held each June.
The once-popular First Night, celebrating the New Year holiday each December 31, was replaced by the Albany Winterfest in 2006 due to declining interest. Winterfest occurs each year on December 30."

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Museums and Historic Sites - Albany NY

"Because of Albany's historical and political significance, the city has numerous museums, historical buildings, and historic districts.

Albany is home to the New York State Museum and New York State Archives, both open to the public.
The USS Slater (DE-766), a decommissioned World War II destroyer escort that was restored in 1998, is a museum ship docked in the Hudson River at Quay Street. It is the only ship of its kind still afloat.
The Albany Heritage Area Visitors Center, located at the corner of Clinton Avenue and Broadway at Quackenbush Square, hosts a museum, gift shop, and the Henry Hudson Planetarium;
Quackenbush Square is the docking point for the Albany Aqua Ducks, a company that offers boat and trolley tours of the city.

Albany is home to 57 listings on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) and six National Historic Landmarks.

The Ten Broeck Mansion, a 1797 Federal-style mansion (later renovated in the Greek-Revival style) built for Abraham Ten Broeck—a two-time mayor of Albany (1779–1783 and 1796–1798) and administrator of the Manor of Rensselaerswyck until Stephen Van Rensselaer reached the age of majority—is currently a historic house museum and the headquarters of the Albany County Historical Association; it was added to the NRHP in 1971. Later known as "Arbor Hill", it gave the current neighborhood its name."

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