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Capital District (New York)

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This article is about the Capital District in New York. For other uses of capital district, see capital districts and territories or capital region.
Capital District
Population
1,147,850[1]

The Capital District is an imprecisely defined region in upstate New York that generally refers to the four counties surrounding Albany, the capital: Albany County, Schenectady County, Rensselaer County, and Saratoga County (historically, Saratoga County was not considered part of the region, however, it has had significant suburban growth from the adjoining counties since 1980). Other surrounding counties are sometimes included depending on the context, which is why the area is not specifically defined by actual borders (much like upstate New York itself). According to a report by the Capital District Regional Planning Commission released on November 19, 2008 the gross product of the area (defined as the Albany-Schenectady-Troy MSA) is $70.1 billion.[2]

Origin of the name

The term Capital District is commonly used to refer to the area due to its location surrounding the state capital. This is similar to other capital districts throughout the world, all of which are associated with a respective capital city. Other nicknames have included Tri-Cities and Tech Valley, while Capital Region is the most popular of the typical nicknames.[3] A Capital Police District was attempted by the state in late 1860s comprising of land that is now the cities of Albany, Troy, Rensselaer, Watervliet, and Cohoes; along with what are now the towns of Colonie (including the villages of Colonie and Menands), Green Island, North Greenbush, and East Greenbush.[4] Later, Schenectady was added to this district as well.[5] The name of the police district was often abbreviated as "the capital district".[6] This is apparently the earliest instance of the name "capital district" in reference to the greater area around Albany. In the 1910s several organizations covering the area of Albany, Schenectady, Troy and inbetween used the name Capital District in their name, such as the Capital District Conference of Charities and Corrections in 1913,[7]the Capital District Life Underwriters Assocation also in 1913,[8] and the Capital District Recreation League.[9] The Capital District Recreation League, formed in 1916, proposed a Capital District Park (also refered to as the Six City Park) to be roughly 8 miles (13 km) from each of the six cities (Albany, Cohoes, Rensselaer, Schenectady, Troy, and Watervliet). The location proposed was the area of the Shaker settlement.[9] The park was never created though in 1928, the location was used for Albany County Airport for the same reason of its central location to those same cities.

Alternative names

Capital Region and Northeastern New York (NENY) are terms sometimes used to refer to the Capital District in combination with counties surrounding the area (usually those to the north, and to a lesser degree west of the four core counties of the District). Economic definitions of the Capital District, Capital Region, NENY, and Tech Valley may sometimes be expanded to include the extreme northern portions of the Mid-Hudson Valley, usually Ulster and Dutchess counties.

The Capital District has also been given the marketing moniker Tech Valley in recognition of the technology companies that have moved to the region, or are being wooed by governmental or educational institutions to relocate to the area. The term "Tech Valley" originated in January 1998 by the Albany-Colonie Regional Chamber of Commerce. The Chamber holds a registered trademark for the term. The 19-county region, which extends from just south of Montreal is just north of New York City, is marketed by organizations such as the Tech Valley Chamber Coalition and the Albany-based Center for Economic Growth. The region has made great strides by landing a chip fabrication plant by AMD (which is planned to be built in Malta); boasting the nation's top nanotechnology college, College of Nanotechnology Science and Engineering at the University at Albany; luring headquarters of SEMATECH's manufacturing and research division- International Sematech, to the University at Albany from Austin, Texas;[10] and the engineering- and technology-centered university Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy and its corresponding Technology Park in North Greenbush, which is used as an incubator for start up companies coming from RPI. In addition, the new Tech Valley High School opened in 2007 and educates local students in a project-based learning environment.[11]

History

First Settlements

Capital District settlements in 1771

The first European settlers in the area were French fur traders; they built in 1540 a fort upon Castle Island in Albany but it was soon destroyed by the annual freshet.[12] Permanent European claims and settlement began in 1609 when Henry Hudson sailed north up the Hudson River to the southern portions and the core of the Capital District in the name of the Dutch.[13] At the same time in 1609 Samuel Champlain explored south down Lake Champlain and Lake George into the northern areas of the Capital District in the name of France.[13] Conflict soon ensued between the French and Dutch for control of the fur trade and both would make alliances with different Native American tribes. In 1664 the English would conquer the Dutch and rivalry with the French would continue. The Dutch, and then the English, would focus on settlement and farming while the French incursion into this area would be limited to hunting for furs, trading with the natives, and building a few forts. In 1691 the mayor of Albany Pieter Schuyler built a fort at Ticonderoga where Lake George flows into Lake Champlain, directly threatening French claims. This fort was later abandoned but later replaced in the area with the French-built Fort Carillon and the British-built Fort William Henry. From the mid 1600s to the late 1700s, settlers at Fort Orange (later Albany) bought land from the natives and started their own settlements further into the hinterland. Arent van Curler later founded Schenectady in 1662, Fort Saratoga at present-day Schuylerville in 1691, and Greenbush (present-day city of Rensselaer) in the 1620s.

The French and Indian War saw several major battles in the Capital District, including at the aforementioned forts. In the end the French was defeated, freeing the land for further settlement to the west and north of Albany. During the American Revolution the area again saw fighting and Fort Ticonderoga experienced notable action. The Battle of Saratoga in the present-day town of Stillwater is considered the turning point of the war. South of Albany settlement occured quickly at first, but slowed as growth on the frontier pushed people north and west of Albany and left the southern reaches of the Capital District behind. Hudson in Columbia County was purchased from the natives in 1662 by Dutch settlers but didn't see actual settlement and growth until the 1700s by New Englanders mainly from southeastern Massachussetts and Rhode Island. It was chartered as a city in 1785. After the Revolution and the ensuing elimination of the threat of native attacks, settlements continued to proliferate west and north of the Albany area. North of Albany along the river, settlements grew quickly: Waterford (oldest continuously incorporated village in the US, incorporated in 1794),[14] Troy (settled in 1787, chartered as a village 1801, city in 1816), Lansingburgh (a village in 1763, annexed to Troy in 1900), and Watervliet (settled in 1643 and incorporated as a village in 1836 as West Troy, city in 1897).

Creation of the counties

Albany County in 1776

The entire area of the Capital District was within the original boundaries of Albany County as established by the Province of New York on November 1, 1683; it was one of the original 12 counties. In 1772 formed from Albany County was Charlotte County, in the Capital District it included Washington and Warren counties. Also in 1772 Tryon County was formed from Albany, Tryon was renamed Montgomery County in 1784. In the Capital District it included Montgomery, Schoharie, and Fulton counties. Tryon encompassed the lands from five miles west of Schenectady to the Proclamation of 1763 line. What remained of Albany County in 1774 was the most populated county in the state with 42,921 persons. In 1786 Columbia County would be formed, and in 1791 Rensselaer and Saratoga counties would be separated from Albany. In 1790 Albany County remained the most populated county in the state with 75,921 persons. In 1795 Schoharie County would be formed from parts of Otsego County (which had been split off from Montgomery County in 1791) and Albany. Greene County would be formed in 1800. Schenectady County would be created in 1809 from Albany, in 1813 Warren County from Washington, and in 1838 Fulton County would be formed from Montgomery, the last Capital District county to be formed. 

                                    Albany County*
                                          |
      +----------+-----------+------------+---------+----------+---------+----+
      |          |           |            |         |          |         |    | 
 Schenectady* Charlotte#  Columbia*     Tryon#  Rensselaer* Saratoga* Greene* |   
                 |                        |                                   |
        +--------+-------+            +---+---------+                         | 
        |                |            |             |                         |
     Washington*      Warren*      Fulton*      Montgomery*                   |
                                                    |                         |
                                                 Otsego¥                      |
                                                    |                         |
                                                    +-----------+-------------+     
                                                                |
                                                            Schoharie*

-*-Current name of a county in the District

-#-Name of a former county in the District

-¥-Name of a county currently outside the District

Industrialization and transportation

Many geographical features led to early industrialization. Having many small creeks with waterfalls led to early adoption of the waterwheel while navigation south on the Hudson and the relatively flat Mohawk Valley to the west allowed for easy access to and from resources and markets to the south and to the west. In the late 1790s stage lines began to connect the various cities and villages in the area and then with the rest of the country in the early 1800s. Also the early 1800s saw the rise of turnpikes (Great Western Turnpike would be the first in 1799), plank roads, and post roads. In 1813 to support the army in the War of 1812 the US government built the Watervliet Arsenal in West Troy, one of the earliest large scale industrial complexes in the Capital District. In 1823 the Federal Dam would be built allowing for navigation north past Troy to Waterford and Cohoes. In 1825 the Erie Canal and Champlain Canal would built connecting the area with the Great Lakes and Saint Lawrence leading to a large influx in industrialization and immigration. Shortly after the completion of the canals the Mohawk and Hudson Railroad Company (M&H) built the Albany and Schenectady Railroad between those two cities in 1831, this was the first railway in the state. Cohoes would soon become known as the Spindle City for its large cotton mills, mostly thanks to Harmony Mills, the largest cotton mill complex in the world when it opened in 1872. Troy would become famous for its iron works thanks to the Burden Iron Works, though later Troy would earn the nickname of "Collar City" thanks to Cluett, Peabody & Co. which made Arrow brand shirts at the largest collar, cuff, and shirt factory in the world there in Troy (today the building is Hedley Park Place). In 1887 Thomas Edison moved his Edison Machine Works to Schenectady, and in 1892 Schenectady became the headquarters of the General Electric Company (GE). Schenectady Locomotive Works along with seven other locomotive manufacturers would merge in 1901 and the American Locomotive Company (ALCO) would be formed and headquartered in Schenectady. Due to the dominance of GE and ALCO in their respective industries Schenectady would gain the nicknames of Electric City and "The City that Lights and Hauls the World".

Demographics and Geography

Map of the constituent MSAs within the Albany-Schenectady-Amsterdam CSA: Red= Albany-Schenectady-Troy; Yellow= Glens Falls; Green= Hudson; Pink= Amsterdam; Blue= Gloversville

The Albany-Schenectady-Troy Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) which, as defined by the Office of Management and Budget, includes Albany County, Rensselaer County, Saratoga County, Schenectady County, and Schoharie County makes up a large portion of the Capital District.[15] The Albany-Schenectady-Troy MSA was ranked the 56th most populous in the United States of America in the 2000 census, with a total population of 848,879.[16] Warren and Washington counties, in the northern reaches of the Capital District, make up the Glens Falls MSA; while Fulton County is the Gloversville Micropolitan Statistical Area (formed in 1990), Montgomery County the Amsterdam Micropolitan Stat. Area (formed in 1990 from Albany-Schenectady-Troy MSA), and Columbia County is the Hudson Micropolitan Stat. Area (formed in 1990). The Albany-Schenectady-Troy and Glens Falls MSA's along with those Micropolitan Stat. Areas combine to form the Albany-Schenectady-Amsterdam Combined Statistical Area (A-S-A CSA).[17] The A-S-A CSA is the vast majority of the Capital District, leaving out only Greene County. It has a population of 1,118,095 according to the 2000 US census,[18] and is ranked 38 out of the 123 CSAs in the US,[19] and third largest in the state.

Colleges and universities

Two college buildings representing the past and the future, the Nott built in 1879 and EMPAC in 2008
Nott Memorial at Union College
Experimental Media and Performing Arts Center at RPI

Media market

The Albany-Schenectady-Troy media market, which is the 56th largest in the United States,[citation needed] includes all of the 11 counties of the Capital District, along with Hamilton County, New York, as well as Berkshire County, Massachusetts, and Bennington County, Vermont.[20] In total, there are 16 AM/MW stations, 30 full-power FM stations, 14 low-power FM translators, 8 full power analog TV stations, 5 low-power TV translators, and 8 full power digital TV (DTV) stations licensed to communities within 30 miles (48 km) of downtown Albany. In terms of broadcast media, Albany is part of Arbitron market #63 (radio), and Nielsen DMA #57 (television), and is a broadcast market with historical relevance. The pioneering influence of General Electric in Schenectady directly contributed to the area emerging as the birthplace of station-based television (WRGB) and one of the earliest FM broadcast stations (today's WRVE), in addition to the first federally licensed radio station in upstate New York, WGY.

Newspaper

The Albany Times Union is area's primary daily newspaper, its headquarters moved to suburban Colonie from Albany in the 1970s after a dispute with then-Mayor Erastus Corning 2nd over land needed for expansion. More localized are the Daily Gazette which focuses primarily on Schenectady and Troy Record which focuses on Troy, the Post-Star which focuses on Washingon, Warren, and northern Saratoga counties, and the Saratogian focusing on Saratoga County. Metroland is the alternative newsweekly in the area, publishing each Thursday, while The Business Review is a business weekly published each Friday.

Television

WRGB has the distinction of being the very first affiliated station of the NBC Television Network. The Albany TV DMA is served by the following stations, providing programming from many of the English-language American broadcast television networks: WRGB-CBS, WTEN-ABC, WNYT-NBC, WXXA-FOX, WMHT-PBS,WCWN-CW, WNYA-My Network TV, and WYPX-ION. All of these services, with the exception of WNYA, also have companion digital television transmitters serving the region. There are currently no local affiliates for any of the Spanish-language domestic broadcast television networks, however the national service of Univision is provided via basic cable TV. Local cable TV operator Time-Warner Cable provides a 24-hour cable news channel, Capital News 9. Christian television networks TBN and 3ABN are available via low-power translator service to the immediate metro area. Unlike many television markets around the country, TV stations from neighboring markets cannot normally be received in the greater Albany area due to distance and terrain.

Radio

In 1947, this region was also home to the first independently-owned and operated stand-alone FM radio station in the United States, W47A. In the early 2000s, the greater Albany market had the distinction of having the highest concentration of FM broadcast stations east of the Mississippi River. The Capital District has three local News/Talk radio stations, WGY, WROW, and WGDJ on the AM (MW) band. All feature a mixture of locally oriented and nationally syndicated programming. There are two Sports formatted stations: WOFX, local affiliate for FOX Sports Radio; and WTMM, local affiliate for ESPN Radio. Both stations provide local sports and sports-talk programming as well as national content. The FM dial is primarily made up of commercial music-formatted stations similar to those in other cities around North America, the largest of which include Pop music station WFLY 'FLY-92', Adult Contemporary WYJB 'B-95.5', Adult Rock WRVE '99.5 The River', Soft music WKLI 'Magic 100.9', Rock station WQBK-FM 'Q-103', Classic Rock WPYX 'PYX-106', and Country music WGNA 'Country 107.7'. Public radio broadcasting is available from two organisations: Northeast Public Radio serves the Capital Region via their flagship station WAMC-FM, and is the primary local affiliate for NPR network programming, and WMHT-FM is another local outlet that clears select NPR and PRI programming. WAMC focuses on News & Talk programming during the day, various music programs and BBC World Service programming in the evening, while WMHT-FM mainly provides Classical Music programming for most of their broadcast schedule. There are no radio stations in the Albany area that provide programming in languages other than English on a full-time basis. A few individual programs in languages including Spanish, Italian and Arabic are scheduled, primarily on college owned and operated stations.

Selected attractions

Incorporated Cities, Towns, and Villages in the Capital District

File:City Of Albany.JPG
A view of Albany from Rensselaer County
Schenectady with the General Electric plant in the foreground
Downtown Troy in the fall as viewed from down Broadway
The clock outside the Adirondack Trust building in downtown Saratoga Springs

Primary cities

  • Albany (the state capital) population in 2003 roughly 96,000
  • Schenectady population in 2000 roughly 65,000
  • Troy population in 2000 roughly 49,000

Communities with over 40,000 inhabitants

Communities with between 30,000 and 40,000 inhabitants

Number indicates approximate population in 2000:

Communities with between 20,000 and 30,000 inhabitants

Number indicates approximate population in 2000:

Communities with between 10,000 and 20,000 inhabitants

Number indicates approximate population in 2000:

Communities with between 5,000 and 10,000 inhabitants

Number indicates approximate population in 2000:

Communities with fewer than 5,000 inhabitants

Number indicates approximate population in 2000:

References

  1. ^ July 2004 est. by Census Bureau
  2. ^ Eric Anderson (20 November 2008). "Port of Albany 'still thriving'". Albany Times Union. Retrieved 2008-11-26.
  3. ^ Wechsler, Alan (2006-04-21). "Region rich in business history". Albany Times Union. Retrieved 2006-04-22. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  4. ^ John Edmonds, ed. (1870). "Statutes at Large of the State of New York". Weed, Parson & Company. Retrieved 2009-03-19. {{cite web}}: Text "page 439" ignored (help)
  5. ^ Edward Underhill, official stenographer (1868). "Proceedings and debates of the Constitutional convention of the state of New York, held in 1867 and 1868, in the city of Albany. Vol. 4". Weed, Parsons & Company. p. 3001. Retrieved 2009-03-19.
  6. ^ Edward Underhill, official stenographer (1868). "Proceedings and debates of the Constitutional convention of the state of New York, held in 1867 and 1868, in the city of Albany. Vol. 4". Weed, Parsons & Company. p. 2954. Retrieved 2009-03-21.
  7. ^ Second Capital District Conference of Charities and Correction: Proceedings. J.B. Lyon Company. 1914. p. iv. Retrieved 2009-4-20. {{cite book}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  8. ^ The Insurance Year Book. The Spectator Company. 1914. p. 429. Retrieved 2009-04-20.
  9. ^ a b John Whish (1917). Albany Guide Book. J.B. Lyon Company. Retrieved 2009-04-20. {{cite book}}: Text "page 210" ignored (help)
  10. ^ Richard D'Errico (2007-05-10). "International Sematech move to transform local economy". The Business Review. Retrieved 2009-04-20.
  11. ^ Gardinier, Bob (2007-09-03). "For 40 kids, an adventure begins Thursday". Times Union (Albany). pp. A1. Retrieved 2009-01-17. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help)
  12. ^ Cuyler Reynolds (1906). Albany Chronicles. p. 2. Retrieved 2009-04-20.
  13. ^ a b Paul Grondahl (2009-02-08). "400 Years: A Grand Perspective". Albany Times Union. Retrieved 2009-04-20.
  14. ^ "Waterford, NY village web page". Village of Waterford. Retrieved 2009-04-20.
  15. ^ OMB Bulletin No. 06-01- Corrected
  16. ^ Census 2000 PHC-T-29: Ranking Tables for Population of Metropolitan Statistical Areas, Micropolitan Statistical Areas, Combined Statistical Areas, New England City and Town Areas, and Combined New England City and Town Areas: 1990 and 2000 (Areas defined by the Office of Management and Budget as of June 6, 2003.)
  17. ^ "Metropolitan and Micropolitan Areas in New York State" (PDF). New York State Department of Labor. Retrieved 2009-04-19.
  18. ^ "Population in Combined Statistical Areas" (PDF). US Census Bureau. Retrieved 2009-04-19.
  19. ^ "Annual Estimates of the Population of Combined Statistical Areas: April 1, 2000 to July 1, 2007" (CSV). 2007 Population Estimates. United States Census Bureau, Population Division. 2008-03-27. Retrieved 2008-04-02. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  20. ^ "Albany Schenectady Troy DMA". Truckads. Retrieved 2009-04-20.

See also

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