History
Albany was the second settlement in the 13 original American colonies,
after Jamestown, Virginia. The Dutch who built a fort there in 1614 called
the place New Orange, after the Prince of Orange. When the land was taken
by the British in 1664, the name was changed to Albany, in honor of the
Duke of York and Albany, who later became James VII of Scotland and II of
England. The Duke of Albany is a Scottish title given since 1398,
generally to a younger son of the Scottish King. The name is derived from
Alba; the Gaelic name for Scotland.
Albany was made the state capital in 1797.
Geography
Albany is located at 42°39'35" North, 73°46'53" West (42.659829,
-73.781339).
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of
21.8 mi˛ (56.6 km˛). 21.4 mi˛ (55.4 km˛) of it is land and 0.5 mi˛ (1.2
km˛) of it is water. The total area is 2.15% water.
Demographics
As of the census2 of 2000, there are 95,658 people, 40,709 households, and
18,400 families residing in the city. The population density is 4,474.6/mi˛
(1,727.5/km˛.) There are 45,288 housing units at an average density of
2,118.4/mi˛ (817.9/km˛.) The racial makeup of the city is 63.12% White,
28.14% 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 are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 40,709 households out of which 22.0% have children under the age
of 18 living with them, 25.3% are married couples living together, 16.1%
have a female householder with no husband present, and 54.8% are non-families.
41.9% of all households are made up of individuals and 11.5% have someone
living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size
is 2.11 and the average family size is 2.95.
In the city the population is 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 are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 31 years. For every
100 females there are 90.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over,
there are 86.5 males.
The median income for a household in the city is $30,041, and the median
income for a family is $39,932. Males have a median income of $31,535
versus $27,112 for females. The per capita income for the city is $18,281.
21.7% of the population and 16.0% of families are below the poverty line.
Out of the total people living in poverty, 28.8% are under the age of 18
and 12.5% are 65 or older.
Education
In addition to the state government, Albany is the home of the University
at Albany, a university center of the State University of New York.
Several other colleges are located in Albany, including the College of
Saint Rose, Excelsior College, Albany Law School, Albany Medical College,
and the Albany College of Pharmacy.
Additional facts about Albany
On the southern section of Albany's downtown lies the Empire State Plaza.
The Erastus Corning Tower stands 589 feet (180 meters) high, the tallest
building in New York State outside of New York City.
Several US Navy ships have been named Albany.
William Alexander, a general in the Revolutionary War died there in 1783.
Noted industrialist and founder of the New York Central Railroad Erastus
Corning called Albany home and served as its mayor from 1834 to 1837. His
great-grandson, Erastus Corning II, served as mayor of Albany from 1941
until 1983, one of the longest single mayoral terms of any major city in
the United States.
