Saratoga Springs, New York
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- Saratoga Springs redirects here; for the city in Utah, see Saratoga Springs, Utah.
History
The first settler arrived around 1776.Saratoga Springs was established as a town in 1819 from a western portion of the Town of Saratoga. Its principal community was incorporated as a village in 1826 and the entire region became a city in 1915.
In the 19th Century, the community became famous as a spa.
The famous Battle of Saratoga, the turning point of the American Revolution, did not take place in Saratoga Springs. Rather, the [battlefield] is 15 miles (24 km) to the southeast in the Town of Stillwater.
Geography
The City of Saratoga Springs is in the northeast part of the county. The Adirondack Northway (Interstate 87) and US Route 9 pass though the city.Saratoga Springs is located at (43.075337, -73.782422)[Geographic references#1GR1].
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 75.3 km² (29.1 mi²). 73.6 km² (28.4 mi²) of it is land and 1.6 km² (0.6 mi²) of it (2.17%) is water.
Demographics
As of the census[Geographic references#2GR2] of 2000, there were 26,186 people, 10,784 households, and 5,985 families residing in the city. The population density was 355.6/km² (921.1/mi²). There were 11,584 housing units at an average density of 157.3/km² (407.5/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 93.53% White, 3.11% African American, 0.24% Native American, 1.03% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.64% from other races, and 1.41% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.85% of the population.There were 10,784 households out of which 25.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.1% were married couples living together, 9.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 44.5% were non-families. 35.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.21 and the average family size was 2.88.
In the city the population was spread out with 19.4% under the age of 18, 15.5% from 18 to 24, 27.5% from 25 to 44, 23.4% from 45 to 64, and 14.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 90.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.1 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $45,130, and the median income for a family was $59,281. Males had a median income of $39,573 versus $29,439 for females. The per capita income for the city was $26,250. About 5.5% of families and 8.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.0% of those under age 18 and 5.7% of those age 65 or over.
Additional facts about Saratoga Springs
Racing
The city is perhaps most famous for the Saratoga Race Course, the oldest continuously-operating thoroughbred track in the United States. The track holds a summer meet lasting approximately six weeks, from late July to Labor Day, every day but Tuesdays. Also located in the city is the Saratoga Gaming and Raceway, a harness track that includes a video gaming facility, the Racino.Culture
The Saratoga Performing Arts Center (known by its acronym "SPAC," rhymes with "black") is a 5,000-seat covered outdoor amphitheater, with a further capacity of 30,000 in its lawn seating. It is located on the grounds of the Saratoga Spa State Park. SPAC is the summer home of the Philadelphia Orchestra and the New York City Ballet. National touring acts also stop at SPAC during the summer. Just steps away in the Spa Little Theater, the geographically misdescriptive Lake George Opera performs between mid-June and mid-July.There are several museums in the area, including the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame. There are more than 20 golf courses in Saratoga and its environs.
The city is also notable for its vibrant night life. Its Caffè Lena introduced a young Bob Dylan to the world. Arlo Guthrie played the Caffè early in his career and has returned for occasional benefit concerts. Singer Don McLean is said to have composed his "American Pie" sitting at a table in the Tin & Lint, a bar on Caroline Street. A plaque marks the table today.
Recently, Beekman Street (four blocks west of Broadway) has become an art district, housing four galleries and a bistro. Now artists live and work in co-ops and arrange social events. While many congratulate themselves on "revitalizing" a "deteriorating" area, others consider such declarations an insult to the generations of Saratogians of marginalized ethnicities that toiled in support the tourism economy of the city, and were traditionally segregated to this once-remote quarter.
Notable personalities hailing from Saratoga Springs include writer Frank Sullivan, golfer Dottie Pepper, drummer for the group Train Scott Underwood, and actors David Hyde Pierce and Scott Valentine. It is the home of author and social critic James Howard Kunstler. Socialite Marylou Whitney maintains a home at Cady Hill.
Skidmore College is located in the north of the city. During the summer, Skidmore is one of several hosts for the Johns Hopkins' [CTY program].
Saratoga is also home to Yaddo, a 400 acre (1.6 km²) artists' community, founded by Spencer Trask and his wife Katrina. Since its inception in 1900, Yaddo has been home to 60 Pulitzer Prize winning authors and one Nobel Prize winner. Sylvia Plath, Truman Capote, and David Sedaris have all been artists-in-residence.
It is believed that potato chips were invented in Saratoga Springs, by Native American/African American chef George Crum, at the Moon Lake Lodge on August 24, 1853.
Walt Disney World Resort has a theme resort called Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa, inspired by this city. Saratoga was noted in The Hipster Handbook as one of the college towns where hipsters often dwell.
Transportation
The closest scheduled air service is available at Albany International Airport (ALB). There is also a general aviation facility, Saratoga County Airport (5B2), located just outside city limits.
Amtrak, the national passenger rail system, provides service to Saratoga Springs, operating its Adirondack daily in both directions between Montreal and New York City. The local station was built in 1956, but dramatically rehabilitated in 2004. The 6,400 square foot passenger area contains a coffee shop/newsstand, murals, an automated teller machine, a visitors information kiosk, outside patio area and benches, and a children’s play area. The station serves about 23,000 passengers every year. The Adirondack and Ethan Allen Express trains stop in Saratoga.
Greyhound Bus Lines also serves the city frequently, sending buses every few hours from Albany or Montreal. Its station is the Spa City Diner on South Broadway, distinguished by a fiberglass statue of a young horse mounted on the roof of the building. The bus station is also served by the Capital District Transportation Authority.
Long-distance motorists generally reach Saratoga via I-87, which north of Albany is known as the Adirondack Northway. Three exits access the city. Exit 13-S is optimal for reaching Saratoga Lake, and 13-N for SPAC, and the southern and western quadrants of the city. Visitors to the racetrack use Exit 14, which is also arguably best for reaching downtown. Exit 15 serves the shopping malls just north of city limits.
Sister cities
Saratoga Springs has one sister city, Chekhov, Russia, as designated by [Sister Cities International, Inc. (SCI)].See also
References
External links
- [Saratoga Race Course]
- [Saratoga Gaming and Raceway Harness Track]
- [City of Saratoga Springs]
- [Discover Saratoga - official website of the Saratoga Convention and Tourism Bureau]
- [Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce tourist information]
- [Yaddo Artists' Community]
- [Saratoga Springs area information]
- [SPAC homepage]
- [Early history of SaratogaSprings]
- [Beekman Street Artists]
- [Arnold Rothstein's Saratoga]
- [The Saratoga National Historial Park web site]
- [Saratoga Springs-Chekhov twinning website]
- [Maps and aerial photos]
- * Street map from [Google Maps] or [Yahoo! Maps]
- * Topographic map from [TopoZone]
- * Aerial image or topographic map from [TerraServer-USA]
- * Satellite image from [Google Maps] or [Windows Live Local]
| Saratoga County, New York |
|---|---|
| County seat | Ballston Spa |
| City>Cities | Mechanicville | Saratoga Springs |
| Villages | Ballston Spa | Corinth | Galway | Round Lake | Schuylerville | South Glens Falls | Stillwater | Victory | Waterford |
| Towns | Ballston | Charlton | Clifton Park | Corinth | Day | Edinburg | Galway | Greenfield | Hadley | Halfmoon Malta | Moreau | Northumberland | Providence | Saratoga | Stillwater | Waterford | Wilton |
| Hamlets | Ballston Lake | Burnt Hills | Country Knolls | Crescent | Gansevoort | Rexford |
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