Schenectady () is a city in Schenectady County, New York, United States, of which it is the county seat. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 66,135. The name "Schenectady" is derived loosely 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, near the confluence of the Mohawk and Hudson Rivers. It is in the same metropolitan area as the state capital, Albany; Schenectady is about northwest of Albany.

History

When first encountered by Europeans, the area that is now Schenectady was the land of the Mohawk nation of the Iroquois Confederacy. When Dutch settlers arrived in the Hudson Valley in the 17th century, the Mohawk called the settlement at Fort Orange (present day Albany, NY) "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.

Schenectady was first settled by Europeans in 1661 when the area was part of the Dutch colony of New Netherland. Settlement was led by Arent van Curler, a prominent figure in the colony who had emigrated from Nijkerk in the Netherlands, after purchase from the Mohawk Nation. Additional land was purchased from the Mohawks in 1670 and 1672. In 1664 the English seized the Dutch colony and renamed it New York. Twenty years later (1684) Governor Thomas Dongan granted letters patent for Schenectady to five trustees.

On February 8, 1690, during King William's War the Schenectady massacre, led by France and its Indian allies, resulted in the death of 62 of Schenectady's inhabitants. In 1748, during King George's War it was again attacked by the French and their Indian allies.

In 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 the 19th century Schenectady became an important transportation center connecting the Hudson River to the Mohawk Valley and the Great Lakes. The Albany and Schenectady Turnpike (now State Street), established in 1797, connected Albany to the Mohawk Valley. The Erie Canal (now Erie Boulevard), opened in 1825, passed through here, as did the Mohawk and Hudson Railroad, opened in 1831, one of the first railway lines in the United States.

In 1887, Thomas Edison moved his Edison Machine Works to Schenectady. In 1892, Schenectady became the headquarters of the General Electric Company. Interestingly, when 5-digit ZIP codes were introduced by the U.S. Postal Service in the 1960s, the GE campus was assigned 12345 -- zip codes in Schenectady all start with 123 -- even though the next highest number is 12308.

Schenectady is home to WGY-AM, one of the first commercial radio stations in the United States. The station was named for 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 and Friday afternoons. This television station is now WRGB, for years the Capital District's NBC affiliate, but more recently it is the CBS affiliate.

Geography

Schenectady is located at (42.8041, −73.9293). The altitude above sea level is .

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which, of it is land and of it (1.27%) is water.

It is part of the Capital District, the metropolitan area surrounding Albany, New York state's capital. Along with Albany and Troy, it is one of the three principal population and industrial centers in the region.

Economy

The city was once known as "The City that Lights and Hauls the World" – a reference to two prominent businesses in the city, the Edison Electric Company (now known as General Electric), and the American Locomotive Company (ALCO). GE retains its administrative core in Schenectady, but many of manufacturing jobs relocated to the Sun Belt and abroad. The American Locomotive Company produced steam locomotives for railroads for years, and then in the later years became famous for its "Superpower" line of high pressure locomotives, such as those for the Union Pacific Railroad in the 1930s and 1940s. As diesel locomotives began to appear, ALCO joined with GE to develop diesel locomotives to compete with the EMD division of General Motors. But corporate restructuring to cope with the changing locomotive procurement environment saw the slow downward spiral of ALCO and ALCO's operations fizzled as the company went through acquisitions and restructuring in the late 1960s. Its Schenectady plant closed in 1969. In the late 20th century, the city experienced difficult financial times, as did many upstate New York cities. The loss of employment helped cause Schenectady's population to decline by nearly one-third since 1950. Nevertheless, Schenectady is presently a part of a metropolitan area with improving economic health.

Price Chopper Supermarkets and the New York Lottery are based in Schenectady.

Demographics

As of the census of 2010, there were 66,135 people, 26,265 (2000 data) households, and 14,051 (2000 data) families residing in the city. The population density was 6,096.7 people per square mile (2,199.9/km²). There were 30,272 (2000 data) housing units at an average density of 2,790.6 per square mile (1,077.2/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 61.38% White, 20.19% African American, 0.69% Native American, 3.62% Asian, 0.14% Pacific Islander, 7.24% from other races, and 6.74% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 10.47% of the population. There is a growing Guyanese population in the area.

Using 2000 data, there were 26,264 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 year 2000 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 in 2000 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.

The acting mayor is Gary McCarthy, City Council President. McCarthy took over when elected mayor Brian Stratton resigned to accept a position with the State of New York on April 3, 2011.

Rail transportation

Amtrak, the national passenger rail system, provides regular service to Schenectady. Schenectady also has freight rail service from Canadian Pacific Railway and CSX Transportation.

Schenectady once had a local streetcar system and an electric interurban passenger line from Gloversville, Johnstown, Amsterdam, and Scotia into Downtown Schenectady. This was on the electrified Fonda, Johnstown, and Gloversville Railroad. Considerable passenger traffic for the interurban was created by the numerous leather and glove companies (178) in the Gloversville region. Sales representatives with their product sample cases beginning their sales campaigns throughout the rest of the country would use the interurban to reach Schenectady's New York Central Railroad station to connect for trains to New York City and Chicago and points between.

Bright orange FJ&G; interurbans were scheduled to meet every daylight New York Central train that stopped at Schenectady. Through the 1900s and into the early 1930s the line was quite prosperous but as ridership began to decline, the FJ&G; purchased in 1932 five lightweight Brill Bullet cars (#125 through 129) from the JGBrill Company. These interurbans represented state of the art design: the "bullet" description came from the unusual aerodynamically sloped front roof down to the windshield. This purchase was based upon FJ&G;'s assumption of continuing good passenger business from a prosperous glove and leather industry and legacy tourism traffic to Lake Sacandaga north of Gloversville. Instead, roads got better, automobiles got cheaper, and the Great Depression deepened.

Ridership continued to decline, and in 1938 New York state condemned the line's bridge over the Mohawk River at Schenectady. This bridge had once carried cars, pedestrians, plus the interurban, but ice flow damage in 1928 prompted the state to restrict its use to the interurban. In 1938, the state condemned the bridge for interurban use too, and this led to abandonment of passenger service. The desirable Bullet cars were sold. Freight business had also been important to the FJ&G;, and supposedly it continued over the questionable bridge into Schenectady a few more years.

Places of interest

Proctors Theatre is an arts center. Built in 1926 as a vaudeville/movie theater, it has been refurbished. 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. Today, Proctors is home to 3 theaters including the historic Mainstage at Proctors, the GE Theatre at Proctors and 440 Upstairs at Proctors.

The Stockade Historic District, which features dozens of Dutch and English Colonial houses from the 18th and 19th centuries, is New York's first historic district, designated in 1965. It is named after the stockade fence that originally surrounded the settlement.

The General Electric Realty Plot, located near Union College, was built for General Electric Company executives in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and features an eclectic collection of grand homes in a variety of architectural styles, including Tudor, Dutch Colonial, Queen Anne, and Spanish Colonial. The Plot is home to the first all electric home in the United States, and is one of the first planned residential neighborhoods in the US. The Plot also hosts an annual House and Garden Tour.

Union College, adjacent to the GE Realty Plot, is the oldest planned college campus in the United States. The Union campus features the unique 16-sided Nott Memorial building, built in 1875, and Jackson's Garden, eight acres (32,000 m²) of formal gardens and woodlands.

Central Park is the crown jewel of Schenectady's 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 which was the former home to the New York Buzz of the World Team Tennis league (as of 2008). Central park was named after New York City's Central Park, the crowning achievement of the designer of both, Frederick Law Olmstead.

The Schenectady Museum features exhibits on the development of science and technology. It contains the Suits-Bueche Planetarium.

Schenectady City Hall is the focal point of government in the city. It was designed by McKim, Mead and White and built in 1933.

Schenectady's Municipal Golf Course is an 18-hole championship facility sited among oaks and pines. Designed in 1935 by Jim Thompson under the WPA, the course was ranked by Golf Digest among "Best Places to Play in 2004" and received a three-star rating.

Jay Street, located between Proctors and City Hall, is a short street partially closed to motor traffic. It features a number of small, independently operated businesses and eateries and is a popular destination.

Schenectady Light Opera Company (SLOC) is a small community theater on group on State Street in downtown Schenectady.

The Empire State Aerosciences Museum, in nearby Glenville, features extensive exhibits and materials on aviation.

The Edison Tech Center, exhibits and promotes the physical development of engineering and technology from Schenectady and elsewhere, it provides online and on site displays that promote learning about electricity and its applications in technology.

Upper Union Street Business Improvement District, near the Niskayuna boundary, is home to almost 100 independently owned businesses including a score of restaurants, upscale retail, specialty shops, salons and services.

In popular culture

The 2008 film Synecdoche, New York is partially set in Schenectady, and plays on the aural similarity between the city's name and the figure of speech synecdoche. The film The Way We Were was filmed on location in Schenectady at Union College, and in nearby Electric City.

In the television program, "The Honeymooners", Trixie's mother was from Schenectady. In the ABC-TV series Ugly Betty, Marc St. James (played by Michael Urie) grew up in Schenectady. In one episode of All In The Family, Edith (played by Jean Stapleton) mentions that going to Buffalo, New York by way of the New York State Thruway, it took her at least four hours to go through Schenectady.

In the song Someone To Love by Fountains of Wayne, Seth Shapiro, a fictional character in the song, moved to Brooklyn from Schenectady in 1993.

Schenectady is referenced or is the setting for many of Kurt Vonnegut's books, most notably Hocus Pocus and Player Piano. Doctor Octopus a Marvel Comics supervillain was born in Schenectady, New York.

Daisy Miller, the title character of the 1878 novella by Henry James, hails from Schenectady. This fact is revealed, in a passage notable for its humor, when Daisy's little brother, Randolph, explaining why his father has not accompanied the family on its trip to Switzerland, announces, "'My father ain't in Europe; my father's in a better place than Europe.'" His interlocutor "imagined for a moment that this was the manner in which the child had been taught to intimate that Mr. Miller had been removed to the sphere of celestial rewards. But Randolph immediately added, 'My father's in Schenectady. He's got a big business. My father's rich, you bet.'"

Author Harlan Ellison has stated that anytime a fan or interviewer asks him the question "Where do you get your ideas?" he replies "Schenectady". Science fiction writer Barry Longyear subsequently titled a collection of his short stories "It Came From Schenectady"

Grace Adler, of the television comedy Will & Grace, is from Schenectady. In the series, Grace was raised in Schenectady and her mother, played by Debbie Reynolds, still lives there as of the end of the series' run. The city was featured in season one's "The Unsinkable Mommy Adler", season two's "Whose Mom Is It Anyway?" and season six's "Swimming From Cambodia" and "Fanilow". In the flashback season three episode, Lows In The Mid-Eighties, Will and Grace visited Schenectady back when they were dating during college.

In 2011, the movie 'The Place Beyond the Pines' featuring Bradley Cooper and Ryan Gosling is being filmed near the Schenectady Police Headquarters and other areas of Schenectady. The movie will be released in 2013.

Notable residents

Stephen Alexander, (1806–1883), astronomer, mathematician, and educator Horatio Allen, (1802–1889), railroad engineer and inventor, born in Schenectady

Ralph Alpher (1921–2007), a cosmologist who won the National Medal of Science for his seminal work on the Big Bang Theory, worked in Schenectady for 50 years, first at General Electric and then at Union College.

Chester Arthur (1829–1886), U.S. president, lived in Schenectady while attending Union College.

Science fiction author Pat Cadigan was born in Schenectady.

President Jimmy Carter, a US Navy lieutenant at the time, began graduate studies in nuclear physics at Union College starting in March, 1953, but left in July, 1953 after his father's death to tend to the family peanut farm.

Jackie Craven, architectural writer

Ann B. Davis (Alice on The Brady Bunch) was born in Schenectady

Amir Derakh, guitarist for the rock band Orgy, was born in Schenectady

Paul "Legs" DiCocco (1924–1989), gambler and racketeer

John Owen Dominis (1832–1891), prince consort of Queen Liliuokalani of Hawaii

Jamie Dukes, American football player, born in Schenectady

Harry J. Flynn, seventh archbishop of the Archdiocese of Minneapolis/St. Paul, was born in Schenectady.

Harold Gould, who portrayed Miles Webber on the hit sitcom The Golden Girls, was born in Schenectady.

Kevin Greene, outside linebackers coach of the Green Bay Packers.

Patricia Kalember, actress, born in Schenectady.

Paul Kazee, one of the founders of the Lincoln Center's influential New York Asian Film Festival lives in Schenectady.

Irving Langmuir (1881–1957), 1932 Nobel laureate in chemistry.

Sir Charles Mackerras (1925–2010), Australian conductor, was born in Schenectady while his father was taking an electrical engineering course.

Simeon Butler Marsh (1798–1875), journalist, hymn writer, lived in Schenectady; buried in Vale Cemetery.

Ray Nelson, science fiction author and cartoonist was born in Schenectady.

Eliphalet Nott (1773–1866), president of Union College.

Shirley Muldowney, professional auto racer, was born and raised in Schenectady.

Jean-Hervé Peron (born 1949), one of the founders of Germany's influential experimental rock band, Faust, lived in Schenectady from June 1967 through June 1968 as an American Field Services exchange student at Mont Pleasant High School.

Pat Riley, NBA player and coach, was born in Rome NY, lived in Schenectady.Pat Riley played basketball for Linton High School in Schenectady, New York under head coach Walt Przybylo and his assistants Bill Rapavy and Ed Catino. Linton High School's 74–68 victory over New York City's Power Memorial on December 29, 1961, is remembered mostly for its two stars: Power Memorial's Lew Alcindor (who later changed his name to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar); and his future coach with the Los Angeles Lakers, Linton's Riley. In 1991, Riley called it, "One of the greatest games in the history of Schenectady basketball."

The Schenectady High School athletics wing was named after him after he donated a substantial amount of money for its creation.

Don Rittner, author and historian, lives in Schenectady

Ron Rivest, Turing award winner, the "R" in RSA cryptography

Mickey Rourke, boxer/actor, was born in Schenectady

Director John Sayles was born and raised in Schenectady; the Schenectady High school of fine arts is named after him.

William H. Seward (1801–1872), U.S. Secretary of State.

Nehemiah Shumway (1761–1843), teacher and musical composer, lived in Schenectady.

Simon J. Schermerhorn (1827–1901), U.S. representative.

Gerald Stano (1951–1998), serial killer.

Charles Proteus Steinmetz (1865–1923), mathematician, electrical engineer, developer of alternating current.

Samuel S. Stratton (1916–1990), mayor, U.S. representative, father of Brian Stratton.

Lynne Talley, oceanographer, born in Schenectady.

John Tudor, major league baseball pitcher

Deborah Van Valkenburgh, co-star in the cult classic movie The Warriors was born in Schenectady.

Charles H. Veeder (1796–1871), Schenectady native, founder of Minden, Louisiana.

Kurt Vonnegut (1922–2007) lived in Schenectady while working for GE in the early 1950s.

George H. Wells (1833–1905), Confederate officer, attorney and member of the Louisiana State Senate

George Westinghouse (1846–1914), grew up in Schenectady, worked at his father's agricultural machine factory, invented and patented the railroad air-brake in 1869 before relocating to Pittsburgh.

Charles Yates (1808–1870), brigadier-general during the American Civil War; nephew of Joseph Christopher Yates.

Joseph Christopher Yates (1768–1837), governor of New York.

Sister city

Nijkerk, Netherlands

References

"The Fonda, Johnstown, and Gloversville RR: The Sacandaga Route to the Adirondacks". Randy Decker, Arcadia Publishing.

" Our Railroad: The Fonda, Johnstown, and Gloversville RR 1867 to1893". Paul Larner, St. Albans, VT.

"The Steam Locomotive in America". Alfred W. Bruce, 1952, Bonanza Books division of Crown Publishers, Inc., New York, NY.

Yates, Austin A. Schenectady County, New York: Its History to the Close of the Nineteenth Century Publisher: New York History Company, 1902.

External links

City of Schenectady (official website)

Schenectady County Historical Society

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

Schenectady Museum and Suits-Bueche Planetarium

Schenectady Museum Amateur Radio Association

Stockade Historic District

New York State Heritage Areas

Capital District History

Category:New York State Heritage Areas Category:Populated places established in 1661 Category:County seats in New York Category:Cities in New York Category:Populated places in Schenectady County, New York

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