Cohoes, New York
Cohoes, New York | ||
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City | ||
D )
Common Council
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Area FIPS code | 36-16749 | |
GNIS feature ID | 0947009 | |
Wikimedia Commons | Cohoes, New York | |
Website | [1] |
Cohoes (
As of the
History
In the early years of
Though the area was not much settled for a time, it was known for the Cohoes Falls. One of the earliest descriptions of the falls was in 1642 by
During the various French and Indian Wars of the mid-18th century, Van Schaick Island was developed as part of a military road that came from Albany north along the islands at the mouth of the Mohawk River. These islands allowed for easier fords across the various mouths of the Mohawk and access to Waterford and points north. The islands were used for numerous military encampments during both the French and Indian Wars and the American Revolutionary War.[5]
The Van Schaick Mansion on Van Schaick Island was built in the 1730s; it was one of the sites used as a military headquarters during the Revolution by the Americans under
Until after the Revolutionary War, Cohoes was a small quiet hamlet with isolated farms. After the Mohawk and other Iroquois allies of the British were forced to cede their territory, New York encouraged new settlement. Thousands of Yankee settlers came from New England. Cohoes was linked to the larger settlements of Lansingburg and Albany. In 1795 the first bridge across the Mohawk River was constructed at Cohoes. It was 900 feet long, 24 feet wide, 15 feet high, and was based on 13 stone piers. It cost $12,000 to build and was a toll bridge. This bridge provided access to Cohoes as one of the main routes north.[4] The bridge was rebuilt in 1806 by the Cohoes Bridge Company, which raised the tolls to cover the cost.[5]
Another major transportation improvement, construction of the Erie and Champlain canals were begun in 1817. The section in Cohoes was finished in 1823, stimulating trade for the city. Cohoes was known as Juncta because of being served by the two canals, which improved water traffic north to Lake Champlain and west through the Mohawk Valley. One or both of the canals crossed every farm in Cohoes.[4] Even with the canals and the bridge bringing easier access to larger markets, Cohoes was a sleepy place prior to 1831. The nearest post office was at Waterford; fresh meat and produce were available mostly by residents raising their own. A United States post office was built in Cohoes in 1831.[4]
In 1811 the Cohoes Manufacturing Company, owned entirely by men from Lansingburg, was incorporated and began a factory for making screws. This was the first large industry in Cohoes to use the power of the Mohawk River and Cohoes Falls.[5]
In 1831, a new Cohoes Company constructed a dam on the Mohawk River above the city's waterfall in order to better regulate water flow for industrial use. It was soon swept away by ice at the break-up in spring, and a new dam was built the following year. Two canals extended from the dam to provide water power for industry.[4] Ironworks were the first main industry in Cohoes, as it was in Troy, Menands, and West Troy. Daniel Simmons' Simmons Axe Company was famous throughout the United States, and the Cohoes Iron Foundry was a large business enterprise in the 1830s.[6]
In the 1820s, the first cotton mill in Albany County was built in Cohoes. Egberts and Bailey was the first factory to use knitting machinery run by power, based on the Cohoes Company's power canals.[4]
The community became a center of textile manufacturing; in 1836 the Harmony Manufacturing Company was founded, later famous as
In 1848, Cohoes was incorporated as a
In 1866, during excavation work for construction of Mill #3 of the Harmony Mills, the bones of a mastodon were unearthed over a period of several weeks. This mammal ranged in this territory when humans were first settling here.[citation needed]
The Cohoes Mastodon skeleton was long on display in the lobby of the New York State Museum in Albany, New York. Since the early 21st century, the skeleton has been moved to a new location away from the windows, where temperature and humidity fluctuations risked damaging the skeleton. A replica complete with fur is on display at the Cohoes Public Library.[7]
Upon their completion, in 1872, the Harmony Mills were the largest cotton mill complex in the world. The Harmony Mills are an excellent example of 19th-century mill architecture. During the 19th century, numerous immigrants came to Cohoes to work in the mills, particularly
Around the start of the 20th century, daredevil Bobby Leach practiced going over the Cohoes Falls in a barrel before he performed the same stunt at Niagara. Cohoes residents watched this feat from the lawn or the porch of The Cataract House, the Victorian hotel at the corner of North Mohawk and School streets. This site was later developed as the present School Street Power Station.[citation needed]
From 2005 to 2013, the Harmony Mills were redeveloped and restored by real estate developer Uri Kaufman. Kaufman converted the Mills to luxury loft apartments, sparking a revival in the heart of the city.[citation needed]
On November 30, 2017, there was
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 4.2 square miles (11 km2), of which 3.7 square miles (9.6 km2) is land and 0.5 square miles (1.3 km2) (11.79%) is water.
Cohoes is situated at the
Within Albany County, the city has the town of
Demographics
Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
---|---|---|---|
1850 | 4,229 | — | |
1860 | 8,800 | 108.1% | |
1870 | 15,357 | 74.5% | |
1880 | 19,416 | 26.4% | |
1890 | 22,509 | 15.9% | |
1900 | 23,910 | 6.2% | |
1910 | 24,709 | 3.3% | |
1920 | 22,987 | −7.0% | |
1930 | 23,226 | 1.0% | |
1940 | 21,955 | −5.5% | |
1950 | 21,272 | −3.1% | |
1960 | 20,129 | −5.4% | |
1970 | 18,653 | −7.3% | |
1980 | 18,144 | −2.7% | |
1990 | 16,825 | −7.3% | |
2000 | 15,521 | −7.8% | |
2010 | 16,168 | 4.2% | |
2020 | 18,147 | 12.2% | |
U.S. Decennial Census[12] |
As of the
There were 6,932 households, out of which 25.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 36.4% were married couples living together, 15.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 44.3% were non-families. 38.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.20 and the average family size was 2.91.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 22.4% under the age of 18, 8.5% from 18 to 24, 29.3% from 25 to 44, 22.5% from 45 to 64, and 17.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 86.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 81.6 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $32,856, and the median income for a family was $42,054. Males had a median income of $31,972 versus $25,845 for females. The
Arts and culture
Historic sites
A number of sites in Cohoes are included on the
- Cohoes Music Hall
- Delaware and Hudson Railroad Freight House
- William J. Dickey House
- Downtown Cohoes Historic District
- Enlarged Erie Canal Historic District (Discontiguous)
- Fonda House
- Godfrey Farmhouse
- Harmony Mill No. 3
- Harmony Mills Historic District
- J. Leonard Lackman House
- Lock 18 of Enlarged Erie Canal
- Matton Shipyard
- Olmstead Street Historic District
- Silliman Memorial Presbyterian Church
- Van Schaick House
Infrastructure
Transportation
New York State Route 787 has its northern terminus in Cohoes. New York State Route 32 runs north–south through Cohoes. New York State Route 470 crosses east–west through the city and goes over the Hudson River to the northern parts of Troy.
Until the mid-1950s, the
Notable people
- Charles H. Adams served as mayor from 1870 to 1872 and as US Congressman from 1877 to 1879.
- Ron Canestrariserved as mayor from 1976 to 1988 and as Assemblyman from 1988 to 2013, becoming Majority Leader in 2007.
- National Baseball Hall of Fame.
- James Lafferty (1837–1872), Wisconsin politician
- Zach Remillard is a Major League Baseball player currently with the Chicago White Sox
- Harold E. Rosecrans was a Brigadier General in the Marine Corps during World War II.
In popular culture
Author Kurt Vonnegut's character, writer Kilgore Trout, was said to have been a resident of Cohoes in his story, "Requiem for a Dreamer".[17]
References
- ^ "ArcGIS REST Services Directory". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved September 20, 2022.
- ^ Edward M. Rutenber (1906). A Indian Geographical Names. New York State Historical Society. p. 200. Retrieved November 3, 2009., Google Book Search
- ^ Bulletin of the New York State Museum, Aboriginal Place Names of New York. 1907. p. 19. Retrieved November 3, 2009., Google Book Search
- ^ a b c d e f g h Masten, Arthur (1877). The History of Cohoes, New York. Joel Munsell. Retrieved January 20, 2010.
- ^ ISBN 1-892724-17-0.
- ^ "Trade catalogs from Cohoes Iron Foundry and Machine Co". National Museum of American History. Retrieved June 5, 2020.
- OCLC 1061143171.
- ^ "National Historic Landmarks Program (NHL)". June 5, 2011. Archived from the original on June 5, 2011. Retrieved June 9, 2020.
- ^ "Mayor: Amateur bladesmith started massive Cohoes blaze". Timesunion.com. November 30, 2017. Retrieved January 19, 2018.
- ^ Albany, N. W. S. (November 30, 2017). "Smoke from a fire in Cohoes, NY is visible on the Albany, NY WSR-88D Radar. See that plume of gray and blue colors in southern Saratoga county? That's the smoke from the fire in Cohoes.pic.twitter.com/PpQLEInc4M". Twitter. Retrieved January 19, 2018.
- ^ "Cohoes fire: Upstate NY man sparks massive blaze while imitating TV show (photos)". Newyorkupstate.com. December 2017. Retrieved January 19, 2018.
- ^ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
- ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
- ^ Official Guide of the Railways, August 1958, Table 1
- ^ Official Guide of the Railways, June 1961, Table 1
- ^ Vonnegut, Kurt. 'Requiem For a Dreamer,' In These Times.