42 Facts About Albany New York

1.

Albany New York is one of the oldest surviving settlements of the original British thirteen colonies; no other city in the United States has been continuously chartered as long.

FactSnippet No. 1,069,577
2.

Albany New York is one of the oldest surviving European settlements from the original thirteen colonies and the longest continuously chartered city in the United States.

FactSnippet No. 1,069,578
3.

Duke of Albany New York was a Scottish title given since 1398, generally to a younger son of the King of Scots.

FactSnippet No. 1,069,579
4.

Albany New York has been a center of transportation for much of its history.

FactSnippet No. 1,069,580
5.

Albany New York went on to be the first Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution.

FactSnippet No. 1,069,581
6.

Albany New York has significant history with rail transport, as the location of two major regional railroad headquarters.

FactSnippet No. 1,069,582
7.

Albany New York was known for its publishing houses, and to some extent, still is.

FactSnippet No. 1,069,583
8.

Albany New York was second only to Boston in the number of books produced for most of the 19th century.

FactSnippet No. 1,069,584
9.

Albany New York opened one of the first commercial airports in the world, and the first municipal airport in the United States, in 1908.

FactSnippet No. 1,069,585
10.

Albany New York encouraged redevelopment of historic structures and helped attract federal dollars earmarked for that purpose.

FactSnippet No. 1,069,586
11.

Albany New York won the All-America City Award in both 1991 and 2009.

FactSnippet No. 1,069,587
12.

Highest natural point in Albany New York is a USGS benchmark near the Loudonville Reservoir off Birch Hill Road, at 378 feet above sea level.

FactSnippet No. 1,069,588
13.

Albany New York is in the humid continental climate zone, and features cold, snowy winters, and hot, humid summers; the city experiences four distinct seasons.

FactSnippet No. 1,069,589
14.

Albany New York is in plant hardiness zone 6a near downtown and along the shore of the Hudson and 5b at its western end.

FactSnippet No. 1,069,590
15.

However, Albany New York is close enough to the Atlantic coast to receive heavy snow from Nor'easters and the city occasionally receives Alberta clippers.

FactSnippet No. 1,069,591
16.

Neighborhoods of Albany New York include Arbor Hill; Center Square, "[an] eclectic mix of residential and commercial [buildings], including bars, night clubs, restaurants, and stores"; Pine Hills; and the South End.

FactSnippet No. 1,069,592
17.

Albany New York has more than 60 public parks and recreation areas.

FactSnippet No. 1,069,593
18.

Quackenbush House, a Dutch Colonial brick mansion, was built c 1736; Schuyler Mansion, a Georgian-style mansion, was built in 1765; and the oldest building in Albany is the 1728 Van Ostrande-Radliff House at 48 Hudson Avenue.

FactSnippet No. 1,069,594
19.

Dutch and Yankee, German and Irish, Polish and Italian, black and Chinese—over the centuries Albany New York's heritage has reflected a succession of immigrant nationalities.

FactSnippet No. 1,069,595
20.

Until after the Revolution, Albany New York's population consisted mostly of ethnic Dutch descendants.

FactSnippet No. 1,069,596
21.

Settlers migrating from Albany New York England tipped the balance toward British ethnicity in the early 19th century.

FactSnippet No. 1,069,597
22.

Albany New York is home to a Triqui language-speaking community of Mexican-Americans.

FactSnippet No. 1,069,598
23.

Albany New York is home to 57 listings on the National Register of Historic Places and five National Historic Landmarks.

FactSnippet No. 1,069,599
24.

Albany New York has been the subject, inspiration, or location for many written and cinematic works.

FactSnippet No. 1,069,600
25.

The elusive author Trevanian grew up in Albany New York and wrote The Crazyladies of Pearl Street, about a North Albany New York neighborhood along Pearl Street.

FactSnippet No. 1,069,601
26.

City School District of Albany New York operates the city's public school system, which consists of 17 schools and learning centers; in addition, there are 7 charter schools, including Green Tech Charter High School, and Albany New York Leadership High School.

FactSnippet No. 1,069,602
27.

Albany New York has a prominent history in higher education and was ranked third in a Forbes survey called "The Best Places with the Best Education" in 2005; it ranked top on Forbes' "IQ Campuses" list as part of its 150 Cheap Places to Live series in 2006.

FactSnippet No. 1,069,603
28.

SUNY Albany is a unit of the State University of New York and one of only four university centers in the system.

FactSnippet No. 1,069,604
29.

Companies based in Albany New York include Trans World Entertainment, AMRI Global and Clough Harbour.

FactSnippet No. 1,069,605
30.

Albany New York's replaced former mayor Gerald Jennings who was mayor for 20 years from 1994 to 2013.

FactSnippet No. 1,069,606
31.

Albany New York is in the 20th Congressional district, represented by Paul Tonko in the United States House of Representatives.

FactSnippet No. 1,069,607
32.

Albany New York's politics have been dominated by the Democratic Party since the 1920s; Daniel O'Connell established a political machine in the city with the election of William Stormont Hackett as mayor in 1922.

FactSnippet No. 1,069,608
33.

The Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception is the cathedral of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany New York, led by Bishop Edward Scharfenberger, and the Cathedral of All Saints is the cathedral of the Episcopal Diocese of Albany New York.

FactSnippet No. 1,069,609
34.

Albany New York is home to one of the few Karaite synagogues outside Israel.

FactSnippet No. 1,069,610
35.

South of Albany New York, I-87 becomes part of the Thruway and ends at Interstate 278 in the Bronx.

FactSnippet No. 1,069,611
36.

Major airline service to Albany New York includes service by: American Airlines, Cape Air, Delta Air Lines, Southwest Airlines, JetBlue Airlines, and United Airlines; Million Air is the local fixed-base operator.

FactSnippet No. 1,069,612
37.

In 2010, Albany had the highest average airfare in New York, though the per-mile cost on its busiest routes was second-lowest in the state.

FactSnippet No. 1,069,613
38.

Albany New York has no major league professional sports teams, and minor league teams typically have low support.

FactSnippet No. 1,069,614
39.

The Albany New York Empire played in the AFL from 2018 through the 2019 season when the league folded.

FactSnippet No. 1,069,615
40.

Albany New York Legends, played in the Washington Avenue Armory from 2010 to 2014 before moving to Schenectady.

FactSnippet No. 1,069,616
41.

The Albany New York Patroons have played at the Armory on and off since 1982 and currently play in The Basketball League.

FactSnippet No. 1,069,617
42.

In 2006, UAlbany New York became the first SUNY-affiliated school to send a team to the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament.

FactSnippet No. 1,069,618