Watervliet

Watervliet
City
Watervliet as seen when entering the city on Congress Street Bridge from Troy
Official name: City of Watervliet
Name origin: From Dutch for "water flood"
Nickname: The Arsenal City
Country	United States
State	New York
Region	Capital District
County	Albany
Landmark	Watervliet Arsenal
River	Hudson
Elevation	30 ft (9 m)
Lowest point	sea level
- elevation	0 ft (0 m)
Area	1.5 sq mi (4 km2)
- land	1.3 sq mi (3 km2)
- water	0.2 sq mi (1 km2)
Population	10,207 (2000)
Density	7,608.0 /sq mi (2,937 /km2)
Incorporation as city	1896
Government
- location	City Hall
Mayor	Michael Manning (D)
General Manager	Mark E. Gleason
Timezone	EST (UTC-5)
- summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP Code	12189
Area code	518
FIPS code	36-78674[1]
GNIS feature ID	0968918[2]
Location of Watervliet within Albany County
Wikimedia Commons: Watervliet, New York
Website: www.watervliet.com

Watervliet (pronounced /ˈwɔːtər.vliːt/ "water-vleet") is a city in Albany County, New York, United States. The population was 10,207 as of the 2000 census. Watervliet is north of Albany, the capital of the state, and is bordered on the north, west, and south by the town of Colonie. The city is also known as "the Arsenal City."

History

The explorer Henry Hudson arrived in the area of Watervliet around 1609. The area was first settled in 1643 as part of the Rensselaerswyck patroonship, under the direction of Kiliaen van Rensselaer.

The location of the future city was taken by the villages of West Troy (incorporated in 1836) and Gibbonsville (1824),^[3] and the hamlets of Port Schuyler and Washington. The farm owned by John Bleeker, stretching north from Buffalo Street (Broadway and 15th Street) to the farm owned by the Oothout family near 25th Street was purchased by Philip Schuyler, Isais Warren, Richard P. Hart, Nathan Warren, and others in 1823; they named it West Troy. Gibbonsville was the farm of James Gibbons (which he purchased in 1805), which stretched from North Street (8th Street) to Buffalo Street (15th Street). In 1710 Derrick van de Heyden operated a ferry from the Bleeker Farm (near 16th Street) across the Hudson River to Troy. Troops during the Revolutionary War used this ferry in 1777 on their way to Bemis Heights and Stillwater for the Battle of Saratoga. In 1786 a second ferry was started at Ferry Street (today 14th Street) over to Troy.^[3]

The town of Watervliet was founded in 1788 and included all of present-day Albany County except what was in the city of Albany at the time. Because so many towns had been created from the town of Watervliet, it is regarded as the "mother of towns" in the county.^{[citation needed]} In 1816 the first post office was erected, corner of River and Ferry streets (Broadway and 14th Street), it took the name Watervliet.^[3] In 1865 all of what is today Watervliet was included in the Capital Police Force within the Troy District, this regional attempt at consolidation of municipal police failed and in 1870 the West Troy Police Force was organized.^[3]

By 1895 the town was reduced to the present-day city of Watervliet, town of Colonie, and village/town of Green Island. Colonie would split off in 1895, and the city of Watervliet was incorporated in 1896 at the same time that Green Island became a town of its own.

In the early 1800s Watervliet became a major manufactoring community much like its neighbors Cohoes and Troy, thanks to bell foundries. The first was located on Water Street (Broadway), between 14th and 15th streets, by Julius Hanks, and the first bell foundry in Gibbonsville was established in 1826 by Andrew Menelly, Sr.^[3] This would be the genesis of the Meneely Bell Foundry, which made thousands of bells that are still in use today from Iowa to the Czech Republic.

Watervliet Arsenal

In 1813 the US Federal Government purchased from James Gibbons 12 acres in Gibbonsville, in 1828 another 30 acres, along with later purchases from S.S. Wandell and others.^[3] This land was used as the site for the Watervliet Arsenal, founded in 1813 during the War of 1812, it is the oldest Federal arsenal in the country; and is the sole manufacturing facility for large caliber cannon.^{[citation needed]} John Morrissey, heavy-weight boxing champion and New York State Assemblyman was once employed at the Arsenal.^[3]

The junction of the main route of the Erie Canal from Buffalo to Albany and a side-cut to the Hudson was located at Watervliet. A weigh station and a center for paying canal boat operators was located here as well; as a result, it was once famous for gambling, saloons, and prostitution.^{[citation needed]} The Watervliet Turnpike Company, 1828, built present-day New York State Route 32 from the northern boundary of Albany north to the northern of Gibbonsville (now Broadway and 15th Street).^[3]

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.

Notable Residents

It is also the birthplace of veteran voice actor Joe Alaskey, as well as Congressional Medal of Honor winner Peter J. Dalessondro. Song writer Tony Romeo writer of "I think I love you" by the Partrige family

Geography

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. It is bordered on three sides by the town of Colonie; to the north by the hamlet of Maplewood, on the west by Latham and the hamlet of Mannsville, and on the south by the hamlet of Schuyler Heights. To the northeast is the town and village of Green Island. The Hudson River to the west is the boundary between Albany County and Rensselaer County, in Rensselaer County it is the city of Troy that borders Watervliet. The city is mostly flat but begins an extreme slope in the center of its most westerly edge, especially around 19th Street before it enters the town of Colonie.

Panorama of Troy. Image taken from RPI's Experimental Media and Performing Arts Center, one block north of Congress Street. On the extreme right is Kennedy Tower. On the extreme left is the Empire State Plaza. Across the Hudson River in the center is the city of Watervliet.

Location

		Town of Colonie Hamlet of Maplewood	Town and village of Green Island
	Town of Colonie Hamlets of Latham and Mannsville		Hudson River Rensselaer County City of Troy
		City of Watervliet
		Town of Colonie Hamlet of Schuyler Heights and Schuyler Flatts Cultural Park

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.

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Watervliet, New York

• Watervliet official website
• Watervliet Arsenal

• Watervliet, New York is at coordinates 42°43′29″N 73°42′22″W / 42.724628°N 73.706162°W / 42.724628; -73.706162 (Watervliet, New York)Coordinates: 42°43′29″N 73°42′22″W / 42.724628°N 73.706162°W / 42.724628; -73.706162 (Watervliet, New York)

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