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Place Name
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Albany
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Place Status (Type)
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city
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Capital Of
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N.Y. state and of Albany County
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Population
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101,082 (1990)
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Location
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Albany County, New York (NY), United States, North America
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Latitude
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42°40'N
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Longitude
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73°47'W
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Albany
, city (
21 sq mi/54 sq km; 1990 pop.
101,082),  N.Y. state and of Albany co., E N.Y., on the W bank
of the Hudson; 42°40'N 73°47'W. A deepwater port of entry, it
handles much shipping, has major oil storage facilities, and is a
transshipment point for turbines and generators. Airport (1st municipal
airport in U.S., 1919). Though primarily a govt. and service center,
the city still retains significant mfg., trucking, and warehousing
functions. Mfg. (metal fabrication, machine tools for RR and transit
vehicles, cardboard and paper prods., clothing and textiles, chemicals,
plastics, cable and wire rope, petroleum prods.). In 1609, Henry Hudson
visited the site, and 4 years later the Dutch built Fort Nassau, a
fur-trading post on Castle Isl. In 1624 several Walloon families began
permanent settlement at the Du. post of Fort Orange, later renamed
Albany when the English took control (1664). Albany was long important
as a fur-trading center and was involved in the Fr. and Indian Wars. In
1754 the Albany Congress met there, and after the Revolution the state
capital was moved (1797) to Albany from N.Y. city. Albany's trade grew
with the development of the state, particularly after the opening of
the Champlain and Erie canals in the 1820s. It is the seat of the State
Univ. of N.Y. at Albany, Union Univ. (Col. of Pharmacy, Albany Law
School, and Albany Medical Col.), the Col. of St. Rose, Maria Col., and
Russell Sage Jr. Col.; the State Univ. of N.Y. Regents Col. Degrees;
and the Albany Inst. of History and Art. Siena Col. is in suburban
Loudonville. Among the many old bldgs. are the Schuyler mansion (1762),
where Gen. Philip Schuyler's daughter, Elizabeth, was married to
Alexander Hamilton; Ten Broeck Mansion (1798); and Cherry Hill (1768),
the home of Philip Van Rensselaer and his descendants until 1963. Since
the decline in mfg. in the late 1950s, the city has undertaken several
major revitalization efforts, including the Gov. Nelson A.
Rockefeller Empire State Plaza, a 90 acres/36 ha complex of
above- and underground shops and offices, administrative
bldgs. (including the 44-story Corning Tower, offering
panoramic views of surrounding countryside), convention facilities,
parks, the largest and oldest state mus. in the nation, and the state
lib.; the Knickerbocker Arena is S of the plaza. The plaza faces the
lavish 19th-cent. capitol bldg. with impressive halls, stairways, and
stonework built in the Fr. chateau style. The riverfront
commercial dist. also enjoyed a revival in the 1980s, including a
$120-million upgrade of its oil refinery. Site of Crossgates Mall, one
of the largest shopping centers in U.S. An annual tulip festival is
held in the city. Bret Harte was b. here, and Herman Melville, author
of Moby-Dick, lived here. Inc. 1686.
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