Watervliet, New York
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Watervliet, New York | |
| Nickname: The Arsenal City | |
  Watervliet, New York
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| Coordinates: | |
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| Country | United States |
| State | New York |
| County | Albany |
| Government | |
| - Mayor | Michael Manning (D) |
| Area | |
| - Total | 1.5 sq mi (3.9 km²) |
| - Land | 1.3 sq mi (3.5 km²) |
| - Water | 0.2 sq mi (0.4 km²) |
| Elevation | 30 ft (9 m) |
| Population (2000) | |
| - Total | 10,207 |
| - Density | 7,608.0/sq mi (2,937.5/km²) |
| Time zone | Eastern (EST) (UTC-5) |
| - Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| ZIP code | 12189 |
| Area code(s) | 518 |
| FIPS code | 36-78674[1] |
| GNIS feature ID | 0968918[2] |
| Website: http://www.watervliet.com/ | |
Watervliet is a city in Albany County, New York, United States. The population was 10,207 as of the 2000 census.
The City of Watervliet is north of Albany, New York and is at the east border of the Town of Colonie. The city is also known as "the Arsenal City."
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[edit] History
The explorer Henry Hudson arrived in the area of Watervliet around 1609. The area was first settled in 1643 as part of the Rensselaerwyck Patroonship (see: Kiliaen Van Rensselaer).
In 1774, the Shakers settled in the Watervliet region. [3] The "Town of Watervliet" was founded in 1788 and included all of the county except Albany. This location of the future city was incorporated as the "Village of Gibbonsville", along with the unincorporated "Village of Port Schuyler" and "Village of West Troy" in 1836. The "City of Watervliet" was incorporated in 1896 after the rest of the town became the Town of Colonie in 1895. Because so many towns had been created from the Town of Watervliet, it is regarded as the "mother of towns" in the county.
The Watervliet Arsenal, founded in 1813, is the oldest Federal arsenal in the country; it is the sole manufacturing facility for large caliber cannon.
The junction of the main route of the Erie Canal to Buffalo and the Lake Champlain branch was in Watervliet, and a weigh station and a center for paying canal boat operators was located there; as a result, it was once famous for gambling, saloons, and prostitution.
The current mayor of Watervliet is Michael Manning, elected to his first term in 2007. Mr. Manning, a Democrat, defeated incumbent mayor Robert Carlson in a rare Democratic primary election in September 2007.[4] Mr. Carlson had served as mayor of Watervliet for ten years.
[edit] Notable Residents
Watervliet was the birthplace in 1824 of Leland Stanford, Governor of California and founder of Stanford University. It is also the birthplace of veteran voice actor Joe Alaskey.
[edit] Geography
Watervliet is located at (42.724628, -73.706162)[5].
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1.5 square miles (3.9 km²), of which, 1.3 square miles (3.5 km²) of it is land and 0.2 square miles (0.4 km²) of it (10.07%) is water.
Watervliet is on the west bank of the Hudson River.
[edit] Demographics
As of the census[1] of 2000, there were 10,207 people, 4,665 households, and 2,547 families residing in the city. The population density was 7,608.0 people per square mile (2,941.0/km²). There were 5,116 housing units at an average density of 3,813.3/sq mi (1,474.1/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 92.00% White, 3.87% African American, 0.18% Native American, 1.34% Asian, 0.08% Pacific Islander, 1.21% from other races, and 1.33% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.62% of the population.
There were 4,665 households out of which 26.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 32.9% were married couples living together, 16.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 45.4% were non-families. 38.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.18 and the average family size was 2.91.
In the city the population was spread out with 23.7% under the age of 18, 9.6% from 18 to 24, 31.0% from 25 to 44, 19.7% from 45 to 64, and 16.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 88.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.6 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $32,910, and the median income for a family was $38,735. Males had a median income of $31,656 versus $26,083 for females. The per capita income for the city was $18,294. About 12.3% of families and 13.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.7% of those under age 18 and 5.7% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] References
- ^ a b American FactFinder. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
- ^ US Board on Geographic Names. United States Geological Survey (2007-10-25). Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
- ^ "Watervliet Shaker Historic District", National Park Service, United States Department of the Interior, 1998-05-30.
- ^ "Primary Election Results", WRBG, Freedom Communications, 2007-09-18.
- ^ US Gazetteer files: 2000 and 1990. United States Census Bureau (2005-05-03). Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
[edit] External links
- Watervliet, New York is at coordinates Coordinates:
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