Albany

Sister cities

• Nijmegen
• Viterbo
• Tula
• Nassau
• Quebec City
• Verona
• Ghent

History

The Hudson River area was originally inhabited by Algonquian-speaking Mohicans, who called it Pempotowwuthut-Muhhcanneuw, meaning "the fireplace of the Mohican nation". Based to the west along the Mohawk River, the Iroquoian-speaking Mohawk called it skahnéhtati, also transliterated to Sche-negh-ta-da, "through the pine woods", referring to the path they took there. According to Hendrick Aupaumut, the Mohicans came to the area from the north and the west. They settled along the Mahicannituck River, which is now called the Hudson River, and called themselves the Muh-he-con-neok, the "People of the Waters That Are Never Still". The Mohawks, one of the Five Nations of the Iroquois Confederacy, were based in the Mohawk valley and noted for their fur trading and their access to trade between the Iroquois and other nations. The Mohawk became strong trading partners with the Dutch and English. It is likely that the area was visited by European fur traders perhaps as early as 1540, but the extent and duration of those visits are unclear. Permanent European claims began when Englishman Henry Hudson, exploring for the Dutch East India Company on the Half Moon (), reached the area in 1609, claiming it for the United Netherlands. In 1614, Hendrick Christiaensen built Fort Nassau on Castle Island (now called Port of Albany), in the Hudson River. The fort acted as a fur-trading post and was the first documented European structure in present-day Albany. Commencement of the fur trade provoked hostility from the French colony in Canada and among the natives, all of whom vied to control the trade. In 1618, a flood ruined Fort Nassau, but the Dutch replaced it with Fort Orange on the mainland in 1624. Both forts were named in honor of the leading family of the Dutch Revolt, members of…

Geography

Albany is about north of New York City on the Hudson River. The city is bordered on the north by the town of Colonie (along with the village of Menands), on the west by the town of Guilderland, and on the south by the town of Bethlehem. The former Foxes Creek, Beaver Kill, and Rutten Kill were diverted underground in the 19th century. There are four lakes within city limits: Buckingham Lake; Rensselaer Lake at the mouth of the Patroon Creek; Tivoli Lake, which was formed as a reservoir and once connected to the Patroon Creek; and Washington Park Lake, which was formed by damming the Beaver Kill.—at an average of above sea level at low tide and at high tide. The interior of Albany consists of rolling hills which were once part of the Albany Pine Bush, an area of pitch pine and scrub oak, and has arid, sandy soil that is a remnant of the ancient Lake Albany. Due to development, the Pine Bush has shrunk from an original today. A preserve was set up by the State Legislature in 1988 and is on the city's western edge, spilling into Guilderland and Colonie; it is the only sizable inland pine barrens sand dune ecosystem in the United States, and is home to many endangered species, including the Karner Blue butterfly. Albany is in the humid continental climate zone (Köppen climate classification: Dfa), and features cold, snowy winters, and hot, humid summers; the city experiences four distinct seasons. Albany is in plant hardiness zone 6a near downtown and along the shore of the Hudson and 5b at its western end. Albany receives of precipitation per year, Winters can be very cold with fluctuating conditions; temperatures drop to or below on nine nights per annum. The neighborhoods of Albany include Arbor Hill; Center Square, "[an] eclectic mix of residential and…

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  32,130
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  31,666
• Black-capped Chickadee

  Poecile atricapillus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  30,868
• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  29,289
• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  26,647
• Tufted Titmouse

  Baeolophus bicolor (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  26,266
• American Goldfinch

  Spinus tristis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  25,349
• Downy Woodpecker

  Dryobates pubescens (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  25,287

Largest nearby schools

• ALBANY HIGH SCHOOL
  High · ALBANY · 2,676 students · 13.4:1 ratio
• SHAKER HIGH SCHOOL
  High · LATHAM · 2,018 students · 12.5:1 ratio
• COLONIE CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL
  High · ALBANY · 1,538 students · 13.1:1 ratio
• GUILDERLAND HIGH SCHOOL
  High · GUILDERLAND CENTER · 1,462 students · 11.7:1 ratio
• SHAKER MIDDLE SCHOOL
  Middle · LATHAM · 1,423 students · 12.4:1 ratio
• BETHLEHEM CENTRAL SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL
  High · DELMAR · 1,364 students · 12.2:1 ratio
• FARNSWORTH MIDDLE SCHOOL
  Middle · GUILDERLAND · 1,151 students · 10.9:1 ratio
• BETHLEHEM CENTRAL MIDDLE SCHOOL
  Middle · DELMAR · 923 students · 11.5:1 ratio

Most recent

• M 3.1 — 2020-03-11
  0 km SSW of South Glens Falls, New York
• M 2.79 — 2015-09-27
  New York
• M 2.76 — 2011-08-27
  5 km WSW of Altamont, New York
• M 2.69 — 2011-08-25
  5 km WSW of Altamont, New York
• M 3.15 — 2009-12-13
  15 km N of Medusa, New York
• M 2.56 — 2009-12-13
  14 km N of Medusa, New York