Getting in Albany

Cambridge ’s proximity to the transportation hub of Boston makes travel and transit convenient and accessible.

By Plane

Logan International Airport, New England’s largest transportation center, serves more than 26 million passengers. It is the nation’s seventeenth busiest airport and is served by over 55 scheduled and non-scheduled airlines. Included are eight major domestic carriers, 16 non-US flag carriers and 13 regional and commuter airlines.

By Train

Interstate train service is available on Amtrak’s main line at Boston’s South Station. Trains regularly depart the station, traveling down the eastern seaboard to Washington DC via New York City. High-speed train service has been introduced via Amtrak’s Acela trains, which travel at speeds up to 150 m.p.h. Service is also offered from Boston to Portland, Maine.

By Car

From the North or South
There is a Cambridge exit off of Interstate 93, a major north-south route.

From the West

The Massachusetts Turnpike (I-90) is the major east/west route connecting Cambridge to the I-128 and I-495 belts. Cambridge is accessible at the Allston/Brighton interchange on I-90, also referred to as the Mass Pike.

From Greater Boston

The principle driving routes to/from Cambridge are State Routes 2 (Memorial Drive), 2A (Massachusetts Avenue), 16 and 28 (McGrath Highway).

Albany Visitor Information

Albany is the jewel in New York’s crown. The City, first settled by the Dutch in 1624, was given its charter in 1686 by Governor Thomas Dongan and became Capital of the State of New York in 1797. For the first time visitor, it is highly recommended that you start your tour of Albany at the Visitor’s Center located at 25 Quackenbush Square on Broadway. The Henry Hudson Planetarium at the Center has wonderful shows to introduce you to the City’s history and attractions.

You can take a walking tour or board one of the City’s trolleys with a guide to describe to you the City’s educational and historic sites. The Visitor’s Center can also supply you with information on concert and theater performances, on dining and lodging options, or help you book a tour on one of the sightseeing boats that sails on the Hudson River.

For the sports enthusiast, there is hockey, football and basketball at the Pepsi Arena, baseball at nearby Heritage Park or, in August, the thoroughbred racetrack at Saratoga. The City is also noted for its annual Tulip Festival in May and for its free Alive-at-Five concert series at the Corning Preserve on the riverfront in the summer.

Arts of Albany

While an oft-discussed “Smallbany” mentality may lead locals and visitors alike to conclude that Albany’s culture is lacking or provincial when judged against that of New York City or other large metropolitan areas, the city does indeed possess an active and fruitful artistic community which may be rated as being of equal or superior quality when compared to cities of similar size, despite its not being well known outside its inner core.

Over the past decade, the City has invested effort and advertising resources to cultivating venues and municipal zones that can attract after-hours business once the large commuting worker population has left Albany for the day. Pearl Street, Broadway and Lark Street now serve as the most commercially active arts and entertainment areas in the City, and summer concert series are sponsored by the City and local businesses at the Corning Preserve, Tricentennial Square and the Empire State Plaza.

Albany’s independent and underground artists, musicians and writers actively work in a variety of clubs, bars and coffee houses located throughout the City, many of them outside of those more commercially active areas. Metroland, the alternative newsweekly of the Capital Region, has generally provided a central focal point for previewing, reviewing and interviewing independent local artists and performers for much of the past quarter century.
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Demographics of Albany

As of the censusGR2 of 2000, there were 95,658 people, 40,709 households, and 18,400 families residing in the city. The population density was 4,474.6/mi² (1,727.5/km².) There were 45,288 housing units at an average density of 2,118.4/mi² (817.9/km².) The racial makeup of the city was 63.12% White, 28.14% Black or African American, 0.31% Native American, 3.26% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 2.15% from other races, and 2.98% from two or more races. 5.59% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 40,709 households out of which 22.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 25.3% were married couples living together, 16.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 54.8% were non-families. 41.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.11 and the average family size was 2.95.

In the city the population was spread out with 20.0% under the age of 18, 19.3% from 18 to 24, 29.2% from 25 to 44, 18.1% from 45 to 64, and 13.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females there were 90.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.5 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $30,041, and the median income for a family was $39,932. Males had a median income of $31,535 versus $27,112 for females. The per capita income for the city was $18,281. 21.7% of the population and 16.0% of families were below the poverty line. 28.8% of those under the age of 18 and 12.5% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.

Geography of Albany

Albany is located at 42°39′35″ North, 73°46′53″ West (42.659829, -73.781339)GR1.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 21.8 mi² (56.6 km²). 21.4 mi² (55.5 km²) of it is land and 0.5 mi² (1.2 km²) of it is water. The total area is 2.15% water.

The Pine Bush, located on the far edge of the city with Guilderland and Colonie is the only sizable inland pine barrens and sand dunes in the United States and home to many endangered species including the Karner Blue butterfly. Four lakes exist within city limits, including Buckingham Lake, Rensselaer Lake, Tivoli Lake, and Washington Park Lake.

Albany is the hub city of the Capital District, which itself is a large component of the Albany-Schenectady-Troy Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) which was ranked the 56th most populous in the United States of America in the 2000 Census, with a total population of 825,875.

History of Albany

Albany was one of the earlier permanent settlements in the thirteen original American colonies and is the second oldest chartered city in the United States. The original native settlement in the area was called Penpotawotnot. Its colonial history began when Englishman Henry Hudson, exploring for the Dutch East India Company on the Halve Maen (or Half Moon) reached the area in 1609. In 1614, the company constructed Fort Nassau, its first fur trading post near present-day Albany. Commencement of the fur trade provoked hostility from the French colony in Canada and amongst the native tribes, who vied to control the trade. In 1624, Fort Orange was established in the area. Both forts were named in honor of the Dutch House of Orange-Nassau. Nearby areas were incorporated as the village of Beverwyck in 1652.

When the land was taken by the English in 1664, the name was changed to Albany, in honor of the Duke of York and Albany, who later became King James II of England and James VII of Scotland. Duke of Albany was a Scottish title given since 1398, generally to a younger son of the Scottish King. The name is ultimately derived from Alba, the Gaelic name for Scotland. Albany was formally chartered as a municipality by Governor Thomas Dongan on 1686-07-22. The “Dongan Charter” [1] was virtually identical in content to the charter awarded to New York City three months earlier. Pieter Schuyler was appointed first mayor of Albany the day the charter was signed.

In 1754, representatives of seven British North American colonies met in the Albany Congress. Benjamin Franklin of Pennsylvania presented the Albany Plan of Union, the first formal proposal to unite the colonies. Although it was never adopted by Parliament, it was an important precursor to the U.S. Constitution. Albany native Philip Livingston was one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence. William Alexander, a general in the Revolutionary War, died in Albany in 1783. Several US Navy ships have since been named USS Albany in honor of the City’s historical and military importance.

In 1797, the state capital of New York was moved from Kingston to Albany, about 50 miles north. The State Capitol building was constructed between 1867 and 1899 and inspired by the Hotel de Ville (City Hall) in Paris, France. Notable architectural features include its “Million Dollar Staircase.”

The City’s location on the Hudson River made it a center of transportation from the outset. In 1807, Robert Fulton initiated a steamboat line from New York City to Albany. On October 26, 1825 the Erie Canal was completed, forming a continuous water route from the Great Lakes to New York City. The Mohawk and Hudson Railroad between Albany and Schenectady, New York opened on September 24, 1831 and subsequently became part of the New York Central Railroad. Erastus Corning, a noted industrialist and founder of the New York Central, called Albany home and served as its mayor from 1834 to 1837. His great-grandson, Erastus Corning II, served as mayor of Albany from 1942 until 1983, the longest single mayoral term of any major city in the United States.

Between 1965 and 1978, the Empire State Plaza was constructed in Albany’s Midtown, west of Downtown and south of the Capitol building. It was, and remains, controversial, in large part because it required the demolition of several historical neighborhoods and the forced removal of their inhabitants. The Plaza was conceived by Governor Nelson Rockefeller and is now named in his honor. The Erastus Corning Tower stands 589 feet (180 meters) high, the tallest building in New York State outside New York City. Four other smaller towers, the Legislative Office Building, the State Library and Museum, the Justice Building, and the impressive performing arts center known as “The Egg” make up the rest of the Empire State Plaza. The design of Empire State Plaza is based loosely on the National Congress complex in the Brazilian capital of Brasilia.

Chester A. Arthur, 21st U.S. president, is buried in Albany Rural Cemetery in Menands, north of the City.

The settlement of Fort Orange, named for the royal family of the Netherlands, was established in 1624 and 1652, Pieter Stuyvesant, governor of New Netherland, proclaimed that Fort Orange should become the village of Beverwyck. (more…)

Introducation of Albany: New York

Albany is the capital of the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2000 census, it has a population of 95,658. It is the county seat of Albany County. The City of Albany lies 145 miles (233 km) north of and slightly east of New York City, and slightly to the south of the juncture of the Mohawk and Hudson Rivers. Albany has close ties with the cities of Troy, New York and Schenectady, New York, forming what is generally known as the Capital District, which in turn makes up the bulk of the Albany-Troy-Schenectady Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Albany was one of the earlier permanent settlements in the thirteen original American colonies and is the second oldest chartered city in the United States. Modern-day Albany is built on the site of the Dutch Fort Orange and its surrounding community of Beverwyck. The name of the city was changed to Albany when the land was taken by the English, in honor of the Duke of Albany. It was formally chartered in 1686 via charter issued by Governor Thomas Dongan.

Albany is a major regional educational center, and is home to Siena College, Albany College of Pharmacy, Albany Law School, Albany Medical College, College of Saint Rose, Excelsior College, Maria College of Albany, Sage College of Albany and the University at Albany, part of the State University of New York system.

The Capital District, a four-county region surrounding Albany, New York, has experienced dramatic growth in vehicle-miles of travel (VMT) in recent years, which has far outstripped population growth. One cause of this rapid growth in VMT has been the dispersal of population and employment. While congestion does not yet represent a major threat to the area, future traffic increases are projected to increase traffic delay greatly and to affect transit and freight movement negatively.
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