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History 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 Massacre 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 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 20th 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. However, it should be noted that Schenectady is part of a larger metropolitan area which has better economic health overall. Geography
Demographics 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. Rail Transportation Amtrak, the national passenger rail system, provides service to Schenectady as delineated in the table below: Schenectady also has freight rail service from Canadian Pacific Railway and CSX Transportation. Places of interest
Trivia In Schenectady Our Schenectady What a warm and friendly place it is to be Nestled among plains and hills With a beautiful river that always gives us thrills And stores and shops with all that one might need or wish to see And legends and tales and lots of history Oh Schenectady Our Schenectady Let us now plan and help to make it grow If we will all do our best Then others can do the rest For places to study and learn in Places to work and earn in Places to live in happiness Source: Daily Gazette Jan. 31, 1995 p. B1 Notable residents | ||||||||||||||
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