|
History Lake Placid was founded in the early 1800's to develop a mining operation based on iron ore discovered nearby. By 1840, the population of North Elba (as the village was then known) consisted of 6 families. In 1845 Gerrit Smith arrived in North Elba. He not only bought up a great deal of land around the village, he also granted large tracts to his slaves, reforming the land law and reflecting his support of Abolitionism. The abolitionist John Brown heard about Gerrit Smith's reforms, and left his anti-slavery activities in Kansas to buy 244 acres of land, which later became known as the "Freed Slave Utopian Experiment," Timbucto. Upon his execution in 1859, John Brown asked to be buried on his farm, which is preserved as John Brown Farm State Historic Site. As leisure time increased in the late 19th century, Lake Placid was discovered by the rich and famous, drawn to the fashionable Lake Placid Club. Melvil Dewey, inventor of the Dewey Decimal System, designed what was then called "Placid Park Club" in 1895 and inspired a village name change, to Lake Placid. He is also sometimes credited with introducing recreational winter sports such as skiing and bobsledding to the United States, or at least helping to popularize them. The Lake Placid Club was also the headquarters for the International Olympic Committee which brought the 1932 and the 1980 Winter Olympics to Lake Placid. Location Lake Placid is located in the Adirondack State Park, the largest state park in the US, and one fifth of the total area of New York State. The one million acre park is a unique mix of private and public lands, containing the highest mountains in New York State and 2,000 miles of hiking trails. Legislation passed in 1885 conserved the park area and was followed by state constitutional protection in 1894, declaring the land to be protected forever, or "forever wild." The Adirondack Park created the equally legendary Adirondack Guides. These versatile hunting and fishing guides were true "Renaissance Men of the Woods," capable of tracking anything, catching it for dinner, kindling a fire, and telling stories around it. They became Victorian era icons of the back-to-nature movement that surfaced in Europe during the nineteenth century. Famous painters inspired by the scenic Adirondacks include Winslow Homer, Arthur Fitzwilliam Tait, Rockwell Kent, Alexander Helwig Wyant, and Harold Weston. They were a favorite subject of the Hudson River school. Many writers found the area conducive to inspiration and relaxation, from James Fenimore Cooper and Robert Louis Stevenson, to Theodore Dreiser and Russell Banks. The Park was also the home of the United States' most famous hermit, Noah John Rondeau, who called himself the "Mayor of Cold River City (Population 1)" in the western Adirondack High Peaks. A moneyed, grand style of nature enjoyment led to the building of Adirondack Great Camps, in which campers roughed it in style, with elaborate lodgings, recreational facilities, and social activities. Those without a Great Camp of their own would visit famous lodgings in the area, which duplicated for the public the Adirondack Great Camp experience. The Adirondacks are perhaps most famous for the Adirondack Chair, a type of wooden chair featuring wide arms and a slanted back and seat. Its invention is often credited to Thomas Lee, who spent his summers in Westport, New York and used the input of his 22 member family to create the perfect chair for relaxation. First patented in 1904 as the Westport chair, subsequent versions have made only small adjustments to this classic design. Recreational Opportunities Lake Placid is well-known among winter sports enthusiasts for its skiing, both Alpine and Crosscountry, one of only three actual bobsled rides in the North and South American continents, the open skating on the Olympic Oval where Eric Heiden won his five Olympic Gold Medals, and one of the few places in the contiguous United States which offers dogsled and sleigh rides. [http://www.whiteface.com/newsite/ Whiteface Mountain] Located on Route 86 in Wilmington, NY, it is about 13 miles from Lake Placid. Whiteface Mountain's summit is at 4,867 feet, with lift-serviced terrain from 4,386 ft. and hike-to terrain from 4,650 feet. With a base elevation of 1,220 feet, Whiteface boasts the greatest vertical drop in the east at 3,430 feet. Its neighbour, Little Whiteface, tops in altitude at 3,676 ft. Whiteface has a total of 18 miles of ski terrain spread out over 74 trails. 220 acres of skiing area include the "The Slides", 35 acres of true expert extreme adventure terrain. A new 13 acre terrain park was added in 2000-1 with ramps, rails, and pipes. Whiteface features some of the most difficult skiing and snowboarding terrain in the United States, made even more treacherous by the severe weather that the mountain usually experiences for most of the winter. Sub-zero temperatures and strong winds make Whiteface challenging, even for expert skiiers. The wind on the mountain often blows loose snow off the trails, and ice is often exposed. As a result, the mountain is commonly known as "Iceface." In summer, Whiteface Mountain also features gondola rides, mountain biking, and the Veteran's Memorial Highway, which allows vehicle access almost to the top of the mountain, for a panoramic view as far as thirty miles. An elevator can take even those with mobility challenges to the very top. Franklin Delano Roosevelt guided this WPA project from his personal experience dealing with polio. Hiking Lake Placid is an excellent base from which to tackle the forty six High Peaks in the Adirondack Mountains, the successful completion of which enables the hiker/climber to join the Adirondack Forty-Sixers. Golf The Barons of the Gilded Age who loved to play in Lake Placid brought their favorite game with them. Lake Placid built its first golf course in 1898, one of the first in the United States. Because of this history, Lake Placid still has the most golf courses of any area in the Adirondacks, many of them designed by famous golf course architects such as John Van Kleek, Seymour Dunn, Alexander H. Findlay, and Alister MacKenzie. The geographic features of the Adirondacks were considered reminiscent of the Scotland mountains where the game was invented, and thus a fitting canvas for original play, or "mountain golf." Fishing Lake Placid is near the West Branch of the Au Sable, a well-known stretch of river for fly fishing. Over six miles of the West Branch is year-round catch-n-release artificial lures-only water. [http://lakeplacid.com/flash/whattodo/z-search_events.htm Events] Trivia Geography The village is located near the south end of a lake called Lake Placid. More immediate to the village is Mirror Lake, which lies between the village and Lake Placid. Lake Placid is located at (44.285691, -73.985404). According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 3.9 km² (1.5 mi²). 3.6 km² (1.4 mi²) of it is land and 0.4 km² (0.2 mi²) of it (9.87%) is water. Demographics As of the census of 2000, there were 2,638 people, 1,303 households, and 604 families residing in the village. The population density was 738.1/km² (1,913.2/mi²). There were 1,765 housing units at an average density of 493.8/km² (1,280.1/mi²). The racial makeup of the village was 95.75% White, 0.68% African American, 0.45% Native American, 0.91% Asian, 0.57% Pacific Islander, 0.19% from other races, and 1.44% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.91% of the population. There were 1,303 households out of which 22.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 34.1% were married couples living together, 8.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 53.6% were non-families. 45.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.02 and the average family size was 2.93. In the village the population was spread out with 22.4% under the age of 18, 8.5% from 18 to 24, 33.2% from 25 to 44, 19.3% from 45 to 64, and 16.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 92.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.3 males. The median income for a household in the village was $28,239, and the median income for a family was $43,042. Males had a median income of $26,585 versus $21,750 for females. The per capita income for the village was $18,507. About 8.5% of families and 13.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.3% of those under age 18 and 17.8% of those age 65 or over. | |||||||||
|
| ||||||||||
 |
|
| |