Schenectady is a city of the Comté of Schenectady of the State of New York, from which it is besides the county seat , i.e. the administrative capital. With the census of 2000, the city was populated of 61.821 inhabitants. Schenectady is located at the west of the State, of which it is the ninth most populated city, on the level of the confluence of the river Mohawk and the Hudson River. Located at 24km of the capital of the State of New York, Albany, it belongs to the same metropolitan surface.

History

When the colonists Dutch arrived in the valley of Hudson in the middle of the XVIIe century, the Mohawks baptized their camping Schau-naugh-your-da , which means close to the pines . The word was adopted by the Netherlanders, who possibly used it to indicate the banks of the river Mohawk, where the town of Schenectady is located today.

The colony of Schenectady, directed by Arent Van Curler of Nijkerk to the Netherlands, belonged to the New-Country-Low.

The February 8th 1690, the city was attacked by the French and their Amerindian allies, which burned Schenectady and massacred the population, leaving the safe life to some sixty survivors hardly. The event is known under the name of Massacre of Schenectady .

Schenectady became a city in 1798.

In 1887, Thomas Edison moved his company there. Starting from 1892, the general headquarters of the company General Electric were established in Schenectady.

Geography

Schenectady is located At 42°48 ′ 15 ″ NR, 73°55 ′ 45 ″ W (42.804076, -73.929289) GR1. Its surface is of 28.5 km ², including 28.1 km ² of ground and 0.4 km ² (0.1 semi ²) of water (what corresponds to 1,27% of its total surface area).

Population

1880 : 13.655 inhabitants.

1900 : 31.682 inhabitants.

1950 : 92.061 inhabitants.

2000 : 61.821 inhabitants.

The town of Schenectady a long time accommodated on its territory American Locomotive Company (Alco). The closing of the factory in 1969 created many Chômage and partly explains the decline of the population of the city during second half of the XXe century.

Others

• the temple of re-elected professional Lutte was located at Schenectady until 2005, year when he was moved with Amsterdam.
• the birthplace of the character appointed Doctor Octopus, in the cartoon Spider-Man, is Schenectady.
• the first station of commercial Télévision was WRGB, opened with Schenectady in 1940.

Personalities related to Schenectady

• Kurt Vonnegut, author (who often disguised Schenectady under the name Illium in his novels).
• Stephen Alexander (1806-1883), astronomer and mathematician.
• Mickey Rourke, actor, was born in Schenectady.
• John Sayles, scenario writer born and high in Schenectady. The school of beautiful arts of the city bears its name.
• Stalemate Riley, player and trainer of professional Basketball. It financed a school named in its honor.

Random links:

Gathering of French people | Bigeard shrimp | OverClocked ReMix | Patent of State of sporting teacher | Savitchi