Albany

Albany, city in eastern New York, capital of the state, and seat of Albany County, on the high west bank of the Hudson River. The city’s economy is centered around state government. Albany is the regional center for several banks and manufacturing firms. The health care, education, and research facilities of the Albany Medical Center complex are also important to the economy. Commercial air transportation is through Albany International Airport. The city serves as a gateway to resort areas in the nearby Catskill, Adirondack, and Berkshire mountains. It also is the eastern terminus of the Erie Canal, once a leading commercial transportation route but now primarily a recreational waterway.

Among Albany’s points of interest are the home of American soldier and politician Philip Schuyler, completed in 1762 and now a state historic site; and the Albany Institute of History and Art, with major exhibits associated with the Hudson Valley. Government activities are concentrated at the Nelson A. Rockefeller Empire State Plaza. The plaza also contains the Cultural Education Center, with the New York State Museum and New York State Library and Archives, and the Performing Arts Center. Adjoining the plaza is the massive State Capitol (1867-1899), noteworthy when built for its large cost and today for its marriage of design styles. The city has an orchestra, ballet, and numerous theaters.

Institutions of higher education in Albany include a campus (established in 1844) of the State University of New York, Excelsior College (1971), and the College of Saint Rose (1920). Also in the city are Albany Law School (1851), Albany College of Pharmacy (1881), and Albany Medical College (1839), all affiliated with Union College (1795) in Schenectady.

Native Americans of the Mahican tribe lived in what is now the Albany area before European settlement. The area was visited in 1609 by English navigator Henry Hudson during his exploration of the river that was later named for him. The city was settled in 1614 with the establishment of Fort Nassau, a Dutch trading post. In 1624 a group of Walloons, French-speaking people from the present-day Belgium area, built Fort Orange nearby. Soon after, land on both sides of the river was purchased by an Amsterdam merchant and incorporated into a patroonship, in which settlers had to pay a share of their crops as rent. The settlement around Fort Orange was made independent in 1652 and renamed Beverwyck, or “town of the beaver.” Following the surrender of Fort Orange to the British in 1664, the city’s name was changed to honor the Duke of York and Albany (later James II). It was incorporated in 1686.

Albany’s nickname, “Cradle of the Union,” resulted from the meeting here in 1754 of the Albany Congress, which adopted Benjamin Franklin’s Plan of Union, the first formal proposal to unite the colonies. The city suffered heavy damage at the hands of the British during the American Revolution (1775-1783). In 1797 it was chosen as the permanent state capital of New York. Its subsequent commercial development was spurred by the completion of the Champlain Canal (1822), connecting the city to Lake Champlain; Erie Canal (1825), providing a major link to Lake Erie and the country’s developing interior; and Mohawk and Hudson Railroad (1831), the first steam railway in the United States. In the 1930s port facilities were improved and a deep-water channel was dredged, allowing oceangoing vessels to dock at the city. Albany’s economy declined in the mid-20th century but was revived by the construction of major government facilities beginning in the 1960s.

Albany covers a land area of 55 sq km (21 sq mi), with a mean elevation of 9 m (30 ft). According to the 2000 census, whites are 63.1 percent of the population, blacks 28.1 percent, Asians 3.3 percent, and Native Americans 0.3 percent. Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders represent less than 0.1 percent of the population. The remainder are of mixed heritage or did not report race. Hispanics, who may be of any race, are 5.6 percent of the people. Population 101,727 (1980); 101,082 (1990); 95,658 (2000); 93,963 (2006).