Albany is a city in the northeastern United States, the capital
of New York State and Albany County. The population of the city
itself is 99.2 thousand, the population of the urban
agglomeration is 899.2 thousand people (2020).
It is
closely associated with the neighboring cities of Troy,
Schenectady, and Saratoga Springs, with which it forms a
metropolitan area that is one of the historic regions of the
United States. The main part of this district is the urban
agglomeration of Albany - Schenectady - Troy, which is the
fourth largest in the state of New York and the 56th in the
United States.
By plane
Albany International Airport (IATA: ALB) is a good 20
minutes northwest of downtown. He will e.g. flown from Newark, Boston
and Philadelphia, despite the pompous suffix "International" but not
directly from Europe. If you don't want to change planes once you've
crossed the Atlantic, the best thing to do is to fly to Newark (EEA) and
continue from there either by train or rental car to Albany. The
distance to Boston is not much greater. JFK Airport in New York should
only be chosen by those who want to continue their journey by public
transport, because the traffic in the boroughs of Queens and Bronx,
which you have to cross in this case, can be really unpleasant.
By train
Albany is among the privileged cities to have an Amtrak
train station; however, it is in Rensselaer, on the other side of the
Hudson River. Several Amtrak lines operate here:
The Ethan Allen
Express connects New York City (Penn Station) to Rutland, Vermont via
Albany.
The Adirondack line connects New York City to Montreal via
Albany and Plattsburgh.
The Empire Service connects New York City to
Niagara Falls via Albany and Syracuse. The Maple Leaf line does the same
but extends to Toronto.
The Lake Shore Limited line connects New York
City to Chicago via Albany, Buffalo and Cleveland.
If you are traveling to Albany by car, you can hardly avoid parking in the Capitol Hill area, as this is where most of the sights are located. Parking is quite expensive in some areas; It is worth taking a look at the Parkopedia, especially on weekdays. In any case, you can park relatively cheaply at the New York State Museum.
Albany is located in the Northeast of the United States near the
confluence of the Mohawk and Hudson Rivers and 150 miles north of New
York City.
Neighboring communities
Albany forms the Capital
District with the nearby towns of Cohoes, Troy, Watervliet and
Schenectady.
Albany is in the temperate continental climate zone, with cold, snowy winters and hot, humid summers.
Albany is one of the oldest surviving European settlements of the
thirteen colonies, and the city with the longest-standing charter in the
United States (the Dongan Charter incorporation was incorporated in
Albany three months before the act). New York charter). The Hudson River
was originally inhabited by the Algonquins, who spoke the same language
as the Mohicans, and called it Pempotowwuthut-Muhhcanneuw, meaning the
home of the Mohican Nation. On the west side of the Mohawk River, the
Mohawks referred to Albany as Sche-negh-ta-da, which later the city of
Schenectady to the west would take that name, or as "through the pines",
referring to the pass through which they came. European traders visited
the lands from Albany around 1540, but how long they stayed in the city
is unknown.
Its story began when Henry Hudson explored the area
for the Dutch West India Company in 1609, when he reached the area with
his carrack Halve Maen, claiming it for the United Provinces of the
Netherlands. In 1614 Hendrick Christiaensen built Fort Nassau, on Castle
Island, in the vicinity of Albany. In 1618 it was flooded and fell into
ruin, but was rebuilt in 1624 as Fort Orange. Both forts were named
after the German royal House of Orange-Nassau. In 1652 Fort Orange and
the surrounding area were incorporated into the Beverwyck town. During
these decades, the Mohawks developed trading relationships with the
Dutch, although their cultures were different.
When New
Netherland was taken over by the kingdom of England in 1664,
Beverwijck's name was changed to Albany, in honor of the Duke of Albany,
James II of England and VII of Scotland.
In 1754, representatives
from the seven British North American colonies met at the Albany
Congress. Benjamin Franklin of Pennsylvania introduced the Albany Plan
of Union, the first firm proposal to unite the colonies.
In 1797
the capital of the State of New York was moved from Kingston to Albany.
600 Broadway
This building housed the offices of the United
Traction Company, which operated Albany's streetcars. The building was
completed in 1900. Architect Marcus T. Reynolds designed it in the Beaux
Arts style.
Academy Park
Academy Park is named for Albany
Academy, the school that originally occupied the building at the center
of the park. The building is now officially known as the Joseph Henry
Memorial. It is named after the best-known professor at the Academy, who
pioneered the development of the telegraph, electric motor and telephone
with the discovery of magnetic self-induction. Now the administration of
the City School District of Albany is located in this building.
Albany City Hall
Albany's City Hall was built between 1880 and 1883
to a design by Henry Hobson Richardson. The 1927 Carillon is the first
municipal carillon in the United States and contains 60 bells. It's
still being played today. The statue in front of City Hall represents
General Philip Schuyler, whose mansion is in Albany. Schuyler was
Quartermaster General of the Northern Department of the Continental Army
during the American Revolution.
Albany County Courthouse
Completed in 1916, the courthouse is a neoclassical structure made of
granite and limestone. Built on a slope, it has four floors at the front
of the building and six at the back.
Albany Heritage Area Visitor
Center
The visitor center consists of two historic buildings: the
former Albany pumping station, built in the 1870s, and a former
townhouse, built in 1852. Water was pumped from the Hudson River to the
pumping station, where it was filtered and pumped on to Bleecker
Reservoir. In the 1980's this historic district and area known as
Quackenbush Square was redeveloped. The former townhouse and part of the
pumping station became home to the Albany Visitor Center.
Clinton
Square
Clinton Square was named after Governor DeWitt Clinton, the
financier of the Erie Canal. The canal connected the waters of Lake Erie
to the west with the Hudson River to the east and through to the
Atlantic. Today, New York's canal system consists of the Erie,
Champlain, Oswego, and Cayuga-Seneca Canals. East of Clinton Square is a
row of houses built in 1832 in Federal-style architecture. Herman
Melville, author of the classic "Moby-Dick", spent part of his youth
between 1830 and 1838 in the right-hand house of this line.
Hudson River Way
The Hudson River Way is a pedestrian walkway
connecting historic downtown Albany to the banks of the Hudson River.
One of the most important features on the bridge is the depiction of
Albany's history through a series of paintings.
James T Foley
U.S. Courthouse
The James T. Foley Courthouse opened in 1934 and
originally served as a post office, courthouse and customs house. The
premises are still used today by authorities and as a courthouse. The
building is an excellent example of Art Deco design, incorporating
modern design with ornate decorative details. Eight-foot-tall eagles
carved from a 17-ton block of Vermont marble stand high above the two
main entrances. A frieze surrounds the building showing the activities
of the post office, customs and courts.
Kenmore Hotel
The
Kenmore Hotel was built between 1876 and 1878 and was one of the finest
in Albany. The hotel's nightclub, The Rainbow Room, presented big bands
on their tour tours and was a favorite haunt of gangster and smuggler
Legs Diamond. The Kenmore was refurbished and converted into offices in
the 1980's.
New York State Capitol
The building, constructed
between 1867 and 1899, is the seat of the New York state legislature.
Quackenbush House
The Quackenbush house is named after the family
who owned it for almost 150 years. Peter Quackenbush, a successful brick
maker, was the first family member to come to the area from Holland. The
Quackenbush House is the second oldest Dutch architectural style
building still standing in Albany. The original 1730's part of the
building facing Broadway Street may have been constructed of bricks from
a brickworks located on that side of the building. The rear of the
building is late 18th century Federal style architecture.
St.
Mary's Church
Today's building is the third St. Mary's Church. It was
consecrated in 1869. When St. Mary's Parish was organized in 1796, it
was the second oldest Roman Catholic parish in New York State, after St.
Peter's Church in Lower Manhattan. The weathervane at the top of the
bell tower depicts Archangel Gabriel. Inside the church there are
frescoes by Italian artists from 1891 to 1895.
St. Peter's Church
Anglican services have been held in Albany since 1708, initially
primarily for British soldiers. The construction of today's St. Peter's
Church was completed in 1860. Of particular note are three gargoyles on
the outside of the bell tower, each weighing three tons, each projecting
eight feet above the tower's walls. The interior of the church is
decorated with works by leading artists of the time, including the rose
window above the State Street entrance designed by the Tiffany Company.
State Street Banks
The growth of banking in Albany in the early
19th century was due to the city's prosperity in trade and
transportation and the location of the state government. Banks lined
State Street on both sides with their magnificent architecture. Albany
is still an important regional financial center. Of particular note is
69 State Street, the original home of the New York State Bank. The
facade of the original building was constructed in 1803. This building
is the oldest bank building in the city of Albany and the oldest
building in the United States constructed and continuously used as a
bank.
State University of New York (SUNY)
The former offices
of the Delaware and Hudson Railroad Administration are now used by the
State University of New York. The neo-Gothic building was constructed
between 1914 and 1918 at a time when Albany was a busy river port as
well as an important railway junction. The copper weather vane at the
top of the central tower is a replica of Henry Hudson's ship Half Moon.
To the right of the SUNY building is the former ticket office for the
Hudson River Day Line, one of America's most successful passenger
steamer lines, which operated regular service between Albany and New
York City.
Steuben Street
The street was named after the
German-American General Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben. On the corner of
Steubenstrasse and North Pearl Street is the Steuben Athletic Club,
formerly the seat of the YMCA. The architects of this building, Fuller
and Wheeler of Albany, became nationally known as specialists in this
type of structure and were asked to advise on the construction of the
YMCA headquarters in the French capital of Paris. The white line at the
beginning of Steubenstrasse marks the course of the protective palisade
ring that once surrounded Albany. The cobblestones of Steubenstrasse are
made of stones that were brought into Albany harbor as ballast on ships
in the 19th century.
The Court of Appeals
The Court of Appeals
is the highest court in New York State and was completed in 1842 in
Greek Renaissance style. The courtroom, designed by architect Henry
Hobson Richardson, is made of carved oak and was moved into the building
from its original location in the New York State Capitol.
The
Empire State Plaza
Empire Plaza was Governor Nelson A. Rockefeller's
vision. It replaced 40 previous blocks. Outside there are three levels
of parking and a meeting point with shops and cafeterias. All of the
buildings on the plaza, except for the circular performing arts center
in the center of the plaza, affectionately known as The Egg, are clad in
marble. Corning Tower is a 42-story building and the tallest in the
plaza. It is named after Albany's longtime mayor, Erastus Corning. There
is a viewing area on the 42nd floor. A modern art collection, the New
York State Museum, library and archives, and a convention center are
also housed at Empire State Plaza.
The First Church
The Albany
First Church congregation, part of the Reformed Church in America, was
organized in 1642. It is the second oldest parish in New York State. The
current building, the fourth on this square, was built in 1798 to a
design by the renowned New York architect Philip Hooker. The hourglass
pulpit inside the church's chancel is the oldest pulpit in the United
States and was imported from Holland in 1656. Also on display are the
1720 Charter of Incorporation, the weathercock from the previous "Log
Cabin" church, and the Sarah Faye Sumners memorial window, which is the
work of Louis Comfort Tiffany.
The Palace Theatre
The Palace
Theater opened in 1931 as one of the jewels in the RKO cinema chain,
with a stage for live stage shows between feature films. Having survived
the advent of talkies, it became the city's premier cinema until after
World War II. The theater is now a performing arts venue and is home to
the Albany Symphony Orchestra.
Tricentennial Park
Tricentennial Park was dedicated in 1986 to commemorate the city's
tricentennial. The statue in the center of the park represents Albany's
city seal and history of trade and commerce. The word "Assiduity" at the
center of the statue means "diligence" and "care" and is intended to
reflect the characteristics of the city's original colonists throughout
the ages characterized Albany's almost 400-year history. Tricentennial
Park also houses a memorial to former Albany Mayor Thomas M. Whalen III.
Union Station
Union Station originally served as a station for
the New York Central and Hudson River Railroad, the Boston and Albany
Railroad, and the Delaware and Hudson Railway. The station received 96
trains a day in 1900, up to 121 a day during World War II. With the
cessation of passenger services, the station was closed in 1968.
According to the 2010 census, Albany had around 98,000 inhabitants. The population was made up of 63 percent white, 28 percent black, 5.6 percent Latino and 3.3 percent Asian. Of the residents, 17 percent were Irish, 12 percent Italian, and 11 percent German.
The I-87 freeway connects Albany south to New York City and north to Montreal in Canada. The I-90 freeway connects the city to the east with Springfield, Massachusetts, and to the west with Syracuse. Northwest of the city is Albany International Airport. Amtrak trains run south (New York City), north (Montreal), to Rutland in Vermont, west to Niagara Falls, Toronto and Chicago, and east to Boston.
Albany is home to the State University of New York at Albany (also called SUNY Albany or University at Albany) and Siena College in the suburb of Loudonville.
The Freihofer's Run for Women, one of the most important women's road races in the world, has been taking place in Albany since 1979.
Albany is the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany, established in 1847. The Immaculate Conception Cathedral was completed in 1852.
sons and daughters of the town
Philip Livingston (1716–1778),
merchant, politician and signer of the United States Declaration of
Independence
William Livingston (1723–1790), first governor of New
Jersey and one of the signers of the United States Constitution
Philip Schuyler (1733–1804), General of the Continental Army in the
American Revolutionary War and New York's representative in the US
Senate
Peter Gansevoort (1749–1812), Colonel in the Continental Army
in the American Revolutionary War 1775–1781
Henry S Thibodaux
(1769–1827), politician
Joseph Henry (1797–1878), physicist,
eponymous for the physical unit "Henry"
Jane Stanford (1828–1905),
philanthropist, co-founder of Stanford University
Daniel Manning
(1831–1887), journalist, businessman and politician
Philip Sheridan
(1831–1888), General in the Union Army in the Civil War 1861–1865
Bret Harte (1836–1902), writer
Charles Dwight Sigsbee (1845–1923), US
Navy naval officer, commanding officer of the USS Maine
Jonathan
Scott Hartley (1845–1912), American sculptor
Charles Warren Eaton
(1857–1937), visual artist
William C. Redfield (1858–1932), United
States Secretary of Commerce
John Rathbone Oliver (1872–1943),
psychiatrist, medical historian and clergyman
Charles Fort
(1874–1932), author
Sanford A. Moeller (1879–1961), drummer and music
educator
Alice Morgan Wright (1881–1975), sculptor, women's and
animal rights activist
Lemuel Whittington Gorham (1885–1968),
internist
Leslie R. Groves (1896–1970), US Army Lieutenant General
and military leader for the development of the first atomic bomb
Kay
Sage (1898–1963), surrealist artist and writer
Donald Prentice Booth
(1902–1993), Lieutenant General, United States Army
Mort Stulmaker
(1906–1988), jazz musician
John Joseph Thomas Ryan (1913–2000),
Archbishop of Anchorage and Military Bishop
John Rodgers (1914–2004),
geologist
Andy Rooney (1919–2011), radio and TV journalist and author
Allen Mandelbaum (1926–2011), Professor of Italian Literature
William
Joseph Kennedy (born 1928), writer
Marion Zimmer Bradley (1930–1999),
writer
John Furlong (1933–2008), actor
Stanley Falkow (1934–2018),
microbiologist
Pete Turner (1934–2017), photographer
Thomas
Michael Whalen III (1934–2002), politician
Robert Chazan (born 1936),
historian
Stephen A. Geller (born 1938), Jewish theologian
William
Devane (born 1939), actor
Kent Mitchell (born 1939), rower
John
Hilton (1942–2017), football player
Martin Seligman (born 1942),
psychologist
Robert Langer (born 1948), chemical engineer and
professor at MIT
Bert Sommer (1949–1990), musician, songwriter and
actor
Larry Connor (born 1950), entrepreneur, pilot, racer,
philanthropist and spaceman
John McTiernan (born 1951), film director
and producer of action films
Paul Krugman (born 1953), economist and
Nobel laureate in economics
Jan Kerouac (1952–1996), writer
Gregory Maguire (born 1954), writer
Carolee Carmello (born 1962),
actress
Scott Pladel (born 1962), bobsleigh athlete
Nicole
Passonno Stott (born 1962), astronaut
Kirsten Gillibrand (born 1966),
politician and senator
Curt Schreiner (born 1967), biathlete
Ralph
Tortorici (c. 1968–1999), hostage taker
Stefon Harris (born 1973),
jazz vibraphonist
Clancy Newman (born 1977), cellist and composer
Ashton Holmes (born 1978), actor
Chad Michael Collins (born 1979),
actor, film producer and voice actor
Shane Jones (born 1980), author
and poet
Marc Cavosie (born 1981), ice hockey player
Christopher
Beckmann (born 1986), alpine skier
Dion Lewis (born 1990), American
football player
Rudy Winkler (born 1994), hammer thrower
Kevin
Huerter (born 1998), basketball player
Personalities who worked
on site
Christian Heinrich Friedrich Peters (1813–1890),
German-American astronomer, discovered a total of 48 asteroids, worked
at times at the Albany observatory.
Herman Melville (1819–1891),
writer (Moby-Dick), lived in Albany between 1830 and 1838.
Isaac
Mayer Wise (1819–1900), Czech-American rabbi, served as a rabbi in the
Albany Jewish community.
Albert Uffenheimer (1876–1941), German
doctor, expelled from Germany in 1938, was a lecturer at Siena College
from 1940.
Nick Brignola (1936–2002), musician, died in Albany.
Israel Tsvaygenbaum (born 1961), Russian-American artist, lives in the
city.