| Lake Placid, New York | |
|---|---|
| — Village — | |
| Mid-Main Street | |
| Nickname(s): "Herb Brooks Little City" | |
| Motto: "If the Bombers don't win, nobody is happy." | |
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Lake Placid, New York
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| Coordinates: | |
| Country | United States |
| State | New York |
| County | Essex |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Craig H Randall [1] |
| Area | |
| • Total | 1.5 sq mi (3.9 km2) |
| • Land | 1.4 sq mi (3.6 km2) |
| • Water | 0.1 sq mi (0.4 km2) |
| Elevation | 1,801 ft (549 m) |
| Population (2000) | |
| • Total | 2,638 |
| • Density | 1,913.2/sq mi (738.7/km2) |
| Time zone | Eastern (EST) (UTC-5) |
| • Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| ZIP code | 12946 |
| Area code(s) | 518 |
| FIPS code | 36-40761 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0954931 |
Lake Placid is a village in the Adirondack Mountains in Essex County, New York, United States. As of the 2000 census, the village had a population of 2,638.
The Village of Lake Placid is near the center of the Town of North Elba, 52 miles (84 km) southwest of Plattsburgh. Lake Placid, along with nearby Saranac Lake and Tupper Lake, comprise what is known as the Tri-Lakes region. Lake Placid hosted the 1932 and 1980 Winter Olympics.
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Lake Placid was founded in the early 19th century to develop a mining operation based on iron ore discovered nearby. By 1840, the population of "North Elba" (four miles southeast of the present village near where the road to the Adirondack Loj crosses the Ausable River) consisted of six families. In 1845, Gerrit Smith arrived in North Elba and not only bought a great deal of land around the village, but granted large tracts to former slaves, reforming the land law and reflecting his support of Abolitionism.
The abolitionist John Brown heard about Gerrit Smith's reforms, and left his anti-slavery activities in Kansas to buy 244 acres (1.0 km2) of land, which later became known as the "Freed Slave Utopian Experiment," Timbucto. Upon his execution in 1859, John Brown asked to be buried on his farm, which is preserved as the John Brown Farm State Historic Site.
As leisure time increased in the late 19th century, Lake Placid was discovered by the rich and famous, who were drawn to the fashionable Lake Placid Club. Melvil Dewey, who invented the Dewey Decimal System, designed what was then called "Placid Park Club" in 1895 and inspired the village to change its name to Lake Placid, which became an incorporated village in 1900. Dewey kept the club open through the winter in 1905, which aided the development of winter sports in the area, although nearby Saranac Lake had hosted an international winter sporting event as early as 1889.
By 1921, the area could boast a ski jump, speed skating venue and ski association, and in 1929, Dr. Godfrey Dewey, Melvil's son, was able to convince the International Olympic Committee (IOC) that Lake Placid had the best winter sports facilities in the nation.[2] The Lake Placid Club was the headquarters for the IOC for the 1932 and the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid.
Lake Placid is best known as the two-time site of the Winter Olympics, in 1932 and 1980. In the United States, the village is especially remembered as the site of the 1980 USA–USSR hockey game the Miracle on Ice, when a group of American college students and amateurs upset the heavily favored Soviet national ice hockey team 4–3 and two days later won the gold medal. The victory is often ranked as the greatest in American sports history. It is also the site of the Olympic Oval, where Eric Heiden won his five Olympic gold medals.
Lake Placid also hosted the 1932 Winter Olympics. During the 1932 games, the trails outside of the city served for the cross-country skiing events and the cross-country skiing part of the Nordic combined event.[3] Along with St. Moritz, Switzerland, and Innsbruck, Austria, it is one of the three places to have twice hosted the Winter Olympic Games. Lake Placid was the first location in North America to host two Olympic games. Los Angeles became the other when it hosted the Summer Olympic Games for the second time in 1984.
Jack Shea, a resident of the village, became the first person to win two gold medals when he doubled in speed skating at the 1932 Winter Olympics. He carried the Olympic torch through Lake Placid in 2002 shortly before his death.[4] His grandson, Jimmy Shea, competed in the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah in his honor, winning gold in the Skeleton.
On Nov. 20, 1995, two-time Olympic Gold medalist Russian figure skater Sergei Grinkov collapsed and died from a massive heart attack while he and his wife were practicing in Lake Placid for their upcoming performance in the 1995–1996 Stars on Ice tour.
During the 1980 Olympics, Lake Placid Middle/High School was issued an alcohol license. The school served as a private bar during the Olympics. It is the only high school in the United States to be issued an alcohol license.
Lake Placid was interested in bidding for the 2016 Winter Youth Olympics but decided not to bid. Lake Placid is now interested in bidding for the 2020 Winter Youth Olympics. [5]
Lake Placid is well known among winter-sports enthusiasts for its skiing, both Alpine and Nordic. Whiteface Mountain (4,867 ft/1,483 m), in nearby Wilmington about 13 miles (21 km) from Lake Placid, offers skiing, hiking, gondola rides, and mountain biking, and is the only one of the High Peaks that can be reached via an auto road. The area has one of only sixteen bobsled runs in the western hemisphere, and is one of the few places in the contiguous United States which offers dogsled and sleigh rides.
In 2010, U.S. News & World Report rated Lake Placid as one of the "6 Forgotten Vacation Spots" in North America.[6]
Many people use Lake Placid as a base from which to climb the 46 High Peaks in the Adirondack Mountains; those who complete these climbs may join the Adirondack 46ers.
Lake Placid built its first golf course in 1898, one of the first in the United States, and has more golf courses than any other region in the Adirondacks. Many of its courses were designed by well-known golf course architects, such as John Van Kleek, Seymour Dunn, Alexander H. Findlay, and Alister MacKenzie. The geographic features of the Adirondacks were considered reminiscent of the Scottish landscape in which the game was invented, and thus a fitting canvas for original play, or "mountain golf."
Lake Placid is near the West Branch of the Ausable River, a well-known stretch of water for fly fishing. More than six miles (10 km) of the West Branch is year-round catch-and-release, artificial-lures-only water.
Lake Placid is home to five private schools:
Lake Placid is served by nearby Adirondack Regional Airport in Saranac Lake, 16 miles (26 km) from the village. Lake Placid Airport, two miles south of the village, does not offer scheduled flights.
Other relatively nearby airports include Albany International Airport and Burlington International Airport. Lake Placid is also served by an Amtrak Thruway Motorcoach connection through Westport via limousine service. In addition, Lake Placid is served by Adirondack Trailways of the Trailways Transportation System.
Lake Placid is not located on any interstate highway. It can be reached from Interstate 87 to the east via New York State Route 73, New York State Route 86, and New York State Route 9N. County Roads 21, 31 and 35 also serve the community.
Lake Placid is also the Northern Terminus of the Adirondack Scenic Railroad over former New York Central and Delaware & Hudson Trackage. There are currently plans to restore service to Utica, New York
According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 1.5 square miles (3.9 km2), of which 1.4 square miles (3.6 km2) is land, and 0.2 square miles (0.52 km2) (9.87%) is water.
The village is located near the south end of Lake Placid lake. More immediate to the village is Mirror Lake, which lies between the village and Lake Placid.
As of the census[9] of 2000, there were 2,638 people, 1,303 households, and 604 families residing in the village. The population density was 1,913.2 inhabitants per square mile (738.7 /km2). There were 1,765 housing units at an average density of 1,280.1 per square mile (494.2 /km2). The racial makeup of the village was 95.75% White, 0.68% African American, 0.45% Native American, 0.91% Asian, 0.57% Pacific Islander, 0.19% from other races, and 1.44% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.91% of the population.
There were 1,303 households, of which 22.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 34.1% were married couples living together, 8.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 53.6% were non-families. 45.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.02, and the average family size was 2.93.
The population was spread out with 22.4% under the age of 18, 8.5% from 18 to 24, 33.2% from 25 to 44, 19.3% from 45 to 64, and 16.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 92.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.3 males.
The median income for a household in the village was $28,239, and the median income for a family was $43,042. Males had a median income of $26,585 versus $21,750 for females. The per capita income for the village was $18,507. About 8.5% of families and 13.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.3% of those under age 18 and 17.8% of those age 65 or over.
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