Central Avenue, Albany, New York
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Central Avenue, in Albany, New York, through the years has become a gateway to the West and the location for many family-owned businesses, some for generations. Today Central Avenue is a three-mile stretch of road that runs east from Lark Street West to the city line, bordered by the town of Colonie, New York.
[edit] History
The oldest records that can be found claim[citation needed] that the origins of the street are from the Iroquois Trail and then the later Mohawk Turnpike, then the Schenectady Turnpike. Central Avenue was the original way to travel west from Albany which sits at the base of the Hudson River to the east.
Central Avenue has always been the main thoroughfare for commerce in the City of Albany. Originally the street was called "The Bowery." (It was named by Dutch settlers referring to the word "Bouwerie" meaning "farm" or place for flowers and plants. The reference to the Bowery was dropped after the meaning of the word received a negative connotation from the New York Bowery.
On July 15th, 1867, the City of Albany, N.Y. Common Council eliminated the name Bowery and created Central Avenue. (According to some historians[citation needed], at that time the City Council was trying to eliminate many references to the early Dutch road names).
[edit] Management
The Central Avenue corridor is currently managed by a Business Improvement District called the Central District Management Association, Inc.
