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Schenectady (; Tkahnéhtati in Tuscarora
Tuscarora language

Tuscarora, sometimes called Skarure, is an Iroquoian languages of the Tuscarora , spoken in southern Ontario, Canada, and northwestern New York around Niagara Falls, in the United States....
) is a city
City

A city is an urban area with a high population density and a particular administrative, legal, or historical status.Large industrialized cities generally have advanced systems for sanitation, utilities, land usage, house, and transportation and more....
 in Schenectady County
Schenectady County, New York

Schenectady County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the United States Census 2000, the population was 146,555. It is part of the Albany-Schenectady-Troy Metropolitan Statistical Area....
, New York
New York

The State of New York is a U.S. state in the Mid-Atlantic States and Northeastern United States regions of the United States and is the nation's List of U.S....
, United States
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
, of which it is the county seat. As of the 2000 census, the city had a population of 61,821, making it the ninth-largest city in New York. The name "Schenectady" is derived from a Mohawk
Mohawk language

Mohawk is a Native Americans in the United States language spoken by the Mohawk nation in the United States and Canada. It is part of the Iroquoian family....
 word for "on that side of the pinery," or "near the pines," or "place beyond the pine plains."

The city of Schenectady is in eastern New York State
New York

The State of New York is a U.S. state in the Mid-Atlantic States and Northeastern United States regions of the United States and is the nation's List of U.S....
, near the confluence of the Mohawk
Mohawk River

The Mohawk River is a long river in the U.S. state of New York. It is the largest tributary of the Hudson River and it meets it in the Capital Region, a few miles north of the city of Albany, New York....
 and Hudson River
Hudson River

The Hudson River, called Muh-he-kun-ne-tuk , the Great Mohegan by the Iroquois, or as the Lenape Native Americans called it in Unami, Muhheakantuck, is a river that flows from north to south through eastern New York....
s.






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Schenectady (; Tkahnéhtati in Tuscarora
Tuscarora language

Tuscarora, sometimes called Skarure, is an Iroquoian languages of the Tuscarora , spoken in southern Ontario, Canada, and northwestern New York around Niagara Falls, in the United States....
) is a city
City

A city is an urban area with a high population density and a particular administrative, legal, or historical status.Large industrialized cities generally have advanced systems for sanitation, utilities, land usage, house, and transportation and more....
 in Schenectady County
Schenectady County, New York

Schenectady County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the United States Census 2000, the population was 146,555. It is part of the Albany-Schenectady-Troy Metropolitan Statistical Area....
, New York
New York

The State of New York is a U.S. state in the Mid-Atlantic States and Northeastern United States regions of the United States and is the nation's List of U.S....
, United States
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
, of which it is the county seat. As of the 2000 census, the city had a population of 61,821, making it the ninth-largest city in New York. The name "Schenectady" is derived from a Mohawk
Mohawk language

Mohawk is a Native Americans in the United States language spoken by the Mohawk nation in the United States and Canada. It is part of the Iroquoian family....
 word for "on that side of the pinery," or "near the pines," or "place beyond the pine plains."

The city of Schenectady is in eastern New York State
New York

The State of New York is a U.S. state in the Mid-Atlantic States and Northeastern United States regions of the United States and is the nation's List of U.S....
, near the confluence of the Mohawk
Mohawk River

The Mohawk River is a long river in the U.S. state of New York. It is the largest tributary of the Hudson River and it meets it in the Capital Region, a few miles north of the city of Albany, New York....
 and Hudson River
Hudson River

The Hudson River, called Muh-he-kun-ne-tuk , the Great Mohegan by the Iroquois, or as the Lenape Native Americans called it in Unami, Muhheakantuck, is a river that flows from north to south through eastern New York....
s. It is in the same metropolitan area
Capital District

The Capital District is an imprecise regional definition that generally refers to the four counties surrounding Albany, New York, the capital of New York: Albany County, New York, Schenectady County, Rensselaer County, New York, and Saratoga County ....
 as the state capital, Albany
Albany, New York

Albany is the Capital of the state of New York and the county seat of Albany County, New York. Albany is roughly 136 miles north of the city of New York City, and slightly south of the confluence of the Mohawk River and Hudson Rivers....
; Schenectady is about eighteen miles (29 km) northwest of Albany.

History

The area that is now Schenectady was originally the land of the Mohawk
Mohawk nation

Mohawk are an Indigenous peoples of the Americas of North America originally from the Mohawk Valley in upstate New York to southern Quebec and eastern Ontario....
 tribe of the Iroquois
Iroquois

The Iroquois Confederacy is a group of First Nations/Native Americans in the United States that originally consisted of five nations: the Mohawk nation, the Oneida tribe, the Onondaga , the Cayuga nation, and the Seneca nation....
 Nation. When Dutch settlers arrived in the Hudson Valley in the middle of the 17th century, the Mohawk called the settlement at Fort Orange
Fort Orange

Fort Orange was the first permanent Dutch colonization of the Americas in New Netherland and was on the site of the present-day city of Albany, New York....
 "Schau-naugh-ta-da", meaning "over the pine plains." Eventually, this word entered the lexicon of the Dutch settlers, but the meaning was reversed, and the name referred to the bend in the Mohawk River where the city lies today.

Schenectady was first settled in 1661 when the area was part of the Dutch colony of New Netherland
New Netherland

File:Seal of new netherland.jpgNew Netherland, or Nieuw-Nederland in Dutch, was the seventeenth-century colonial province of the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands on the Eastern Seaboard of North America....
. Settlement was led by Arent van Curler
Arent van Curler

Arent van Curler, later van Corlaer, was the cousin of Kiliaen van Rensselaer and undertook the management of Rensselaer's patroon Rensselaerwyck in the Dutch colony of New Netherland in 1637....
 (Dutch: Arent van Corlaer) of Nijkerk
Nijkerk

Media:Nl-Nijkerk.ogg is a municipality and a city in the middle of the Netherlands, in the province of Gelderland....
 in the Netherlands
Netherlands

The Netherlands is a country that is part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It is a parliamentary democratic constitutional monarchy. The Netherlands is located in North-West Europe, and bordered by the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east....
, who was granted letters patent to Schenectady in 1684.

On February 8, 1690, during King William's War
King William's War

The first of the French and Indian Wars, King William's War was the name used in the English colonies in America to refer to the North American theater of the Nine Years' War ....
 the Schenectady massacre
Schenectady massacre

The Schenectady Massacre was an attack against the village of Schenectady in the colony of New York on 1690-02-08. It was carried out by a party of over 200 French commandos and Sault_Tribe_of_Chippewa_Indians and Algonquin Indian raiders that set out from Montreal to attack English outposts to the south, and was intended as retaliation for a...
, led by France
France

France , officially the French Republic , is a country whose Metropolitan France is located in Western Europe and that also comprises various Overseas departments and territories of France....
 and its Indian allies, resulted in the death of 62 of Schenectady's inhabitants. In 1748, during King George's War
King George's War

King George's War is the name given to the operations in North America that formed part of the 1740–1748 War of the Austrian Succession. The name "King George's War" is only used in the United States....
 it was again attacked by the French and their Indian allies.

In 1765, Schenectady was incorporated as a borough. It was chartered as a city in 1798.

During the American Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War

The American Revolutionary War , also known as the American War of Independence, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and Thirteen Colonies on the North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers....
 the local militia unit the 2nd Albany County Militia Regiment
2nd Albany County Militia Regiment

The 2nd Albany County Militia Regiment was the local militia unit for Schenectady, New York during the American Revolutionary War under the command of Colonel Abraham Wemple....
 was active during the Battle of Saratoga
Battle of Saratoga

The Battles of Saratoga in September and October 1777 were decisive Continental Army victories in the American Revolutionary War, resulting in the surrender of an entire British army of over 6,000 men invading New York from Canada....
 and in fights against Loyalist
Loyalist (American Revolution)

Loyalists were Thirteen Colonies who remained loyal to the Kingdom of Great Britain during and after the American Revolutionary War. They were often referred to as Tories, Royalists, or King's Men by the Patriot , those that supported the American cause....
 troops.

Union College
Union College

Union College is a private, non-denominational Liberal arts colleges in the United States located in Schenectady, New York. In 1795, Union became the first college chartered by the Regents of the State of New York....
 was founded here in 1795.

In 1887, Thomas Edison
Thomas Edison

Thomas Alva Edison was an American inventor and businessman who developed many devices that greatly influenced life around the world, including the phonograph and the long-lasting, practical electric light bulb....
 moved his Edison Machine Works to Schenectady. In 1892, Schenectady became the headquarters of the General Electric Company. Interestingly, when 5-digit ZIP codes were introduced by the U.S. Postal Service in the 1960s, the GE campus was assigned 12345, in spite of the fact that all the zip codes surrounding GE begin with 1230_.

Schenectady is home to WGY
WGY

WGY is a 50,000 watt radio station licensed to Schenectady, New York, New York. It is one of the United States's oldest radio stations as well as the oldest in New York's Capital Region....
-AM, one of the first commercial radio stations in the United States. The station was named for its owner, General Electric (the G), and the city of Schenectady (the Y) . General Electric also generated the first regular television broadcasts in the United States in 1928, when experimental station W2XB began regular broadcasts on Thursday and Friday afternoons. This television station is now WRGB
WRGB

WRGB channel 6 is the CBS-affiliated television station for Albany, New York New York, licensed to Schenectady, New York. Its transmitter is on Mount Pinnacle in New Scotland, New York....
, for years the Capital District's NBC affiliate, but more recently its CBS
CBS

CBS Broadcasting Inc. is an American radio network and television network. The name is derived from the initials of Columbia Broadcasting System, its former legal name....
 affiliate.

Historic population of Schenectady: 13,655 in 1880; 31,682 in 1900; 92,061 in 1950.

The city was once known as "The City that Lights and Hauls the World" -- a reference to two prominent businesses in the city, the Edison Electric Company (now known as General Electric
General Electric

The General Electric Company, or GE is a multinational corporation United States technology and Service s conglomerate incorporated in the State of New York....
), and the American Locomotive Company
American Locomotive Company

The American Locomotive Company, often shortened to ALCO or Alco , was a builder of railroad locomotives in the United States....
 (ALCO). GE retains its administrative core in Schenectady, but many of manufacturing jobs relocated to the Sun Belt
Sun Belt

The Sun Belt is a region of the United States generally considered to stretch across Southern United States and Southwest United States . Another rough boundary of the region is the area south of the 37th or 38th parallels, north latitude....
 and abroad. ALCO's operations fizzled as the company went through acquisitions and restructuring in the late 1960s, and its Schenectady plant closed in 1969. In the late 20th century, the city experienced difficult financial times, as did many upstate New York cities. The loss of employment helped cause Schenectady's population to decline by nearly one-third since 1950. Nevertheless, Schenectady is part of a metropolitan area with better economic health.

Geography

Dsfc4300a
Schenectady, New York 1955 Yellow Book
Schenectady is located at (42.804076, -73.929289). The altitude above sea level is 211 to .

According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau

The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data....
, the city has a total area of 11.0 square miles (28.5 km˛), of which, 10.9 square miles (28.1 km˛) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.4 km˛) of it (1.27%) is water.

It is generally considered to be part of the Capital District
Capital District

The Capital District is an imprecise regional definition that generally refers to the four counties surrounding Albany, New York, the capital of New York: Albany County, New York, Schenectady County, Rensselaer County, New York, and Saratoga County ....
, the metropolitan area surrounding Albany
Albany, New York

Albany is the Capital of the state of New York and the county seat of Albany County, New York. Albany is roughly 136 miles north of the city of New York City, and slightly south of the confluence of the Mohawk River and Hudson Rivers....
, New York state's capital. Along with Albany and Troy
Troy, New York

Troy is a city in New York, United States, and the county seat of Rensselaer County, New York. As of the United States Census 2000, the population was 49,170....
, it is one of the three small, older industrial cities in the region.

Demographics


As of the census
Census

A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population....
 of 2000, there were 61,821 people, 26,265 households, and 14,051 families residing in the city. The population density
Population density

Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans....
 was 5,699.0 people per square mile (2,199.9/km˛). There were 30,272 housing units at an average density of 2,790.6/sq mi (1,077.2/km˛). The racial makeup of the city was 76.77% White, 14.77% African American, 0.36% Native American, 2.00% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 2.52% from other races
Race (United States Census)

Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the United States Census Bureau and the Federal Office of Management and Budget , are Self-concept data items in which residents choose the Race in the United States or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are of Hispanic or Latino origin ....
, and 3.53% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.88% of the population. There is a growing Guyanese
Guyana

Guyana , officially the Co-operative Republic of Guyana and previously known as British Guiana, is the only state of the Commonwealth of Nations on mainland South America....
 population in the area.

There were 26,264 households out of which 27.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 32.0% were married couples
Marriage

Marriage is a social, spirituality, or law union of individuals. This union may also be called matrimony, while the ceremony that marks its beginning is usually called a wedding and the married status created is sometimes called wedlock....
 living together, 16.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 46.5% were non-families. 38.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.23 and the average family size was 2.98.

In the city the population was spread out with 24.3% under the age of 18, 11.6% from 18 to 24, 29.7% from 25 to 44, 19.1% from 45 to 64, and 15.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 91.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.4 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $29,378, and the median income for a family was $36,458. Males had a median income of $30,869 versus $25,292 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income

Per capita income means how much each individual receives, in monetary terms, of the yearly income generated in the country. This is what each citizen is to receive if the yearly national income is divided equally among everyone....
 for the city was $17,076. About 16.8% of families and 20.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 30.5% of those under age 18 and 9.6% of those age 65 or over.

The mayor is Brian Stratton
Brian Stratton

Brian U. Stratton is the current mayor of Schenectady, New York, New York. He is a member of the Democratic Party .First elected in 2003, elected for a second term in 2007....
.

Rail transportation

Amtrak
Amtrak

The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak , is a government-owned corporation that was organized on May 1, 1971 to provide Inter-city rail train#Passenger trains service in the United States....
, the national passenger rail system, provides regular service to Schenectady. Schenectady also has freight rail service from Canadian Pacific Railway
Canadian Pacific Railway

The Canadian Pacific Railway , known as CP Rail between 1968 and 1996, is a Canada Class I railroad operated by Canadian Pacific Railway Limited....
 and CSX Transportation
CSX Transportation

CSX Transportation is a Class I railroad in the United States, owned by the CSX Corporation. It is one of the three Class I railroads serving most of the East Coast, the other two being the Norfolk Southern Railway and Canadian Pacific Railway....
.

Places of interest

Schenectadyny Stockadedistrict
*Proctor's Theatre
Proctor's Theatre

Proctors is a former vaudeville house located in the Capital District of the State of New York, in Schenectady, New York where many famous artists performed, notably Mariah Carey , Hal Holbrook, and George Burns, as well as many others. The theatre was opened on December 27, 1926....
 is an arts center. Built in 1926 as a vaudeville/movie theater, it has been refurbished. It is home to "Goldie," a Wurlitzer theater pipe organ. Proctor's was also the site of one of the first public demonstrations of television
Television

Television is a widely used telecommunication mass-media for transmitting and receiving moving , either monochrome or color, usually accompanied by sound....
, projecting an image from a studio at the GE plant a mile [2 km] away. Today, Proctors is home to 3 theaters including the historic Mainstage at Proctors, the GE Theatre at Proctors and 440 Upstairs at Proctors.
  • The , which features dozens of Dutch and English Colonial houses from the 18th and 19th centuries, is New York's first National Register historic district, designated in 1965. It is named after the stockade fence that originally surrounded the settlement.
  • The , located near Union College, was built by General Electric Company executives and features lovely 18th and early 19th century homes. The historic neighborhood is unique for its eclectic collection of grand homes in a variety of architectural styles, including Tudor, Dutch Colonial, Queen Anne, and Spanish Colonial. The Plot is home to the first all electric home in the United States, and is one of the first planned residential neighborhoods in the US. The Plot also hosts an annual House and Garden Tour.
  • Union College
    Union College

    Union College is a private, non-denominational Liberal arts colleges in the United States located in Schenectady, New York. In 1795, Union became the first college chartered by the Regents of the State of New York....
    , adjacent to the GE Realty Plot, is the oldest planned college campus in the United States. The Union campus features Jackson's Garden, with eight acres (32,000 m˛) of formal gardens and woodlands, and the unique 16-sided Nott Memorial
    Nott Memorial

    The Nott Memorial, also known as Nott Memorial Hall, is an elaborate 16-sided stone-masonry building which serves as both architectural and physical centerpiece of Union College in Schenectady, New York....
     building, built in 1875.
  • Central Park is the crown jewel of Schenectady's parks. Central Park is the highest elevation point in the city. The Common Council voted in 1913 to purchase the land for the present site of the park. The park features an acclaimed rose garden, Iroquois Lake, and a stadium tennis court which was the former home to the New York Buzz
    New York Buzz

    The New York Buzz is one of the 10 current teams competing in World Team Tennis. The team is based in Albany, New York, and plays home matches at SUNY Albany's SEFCU Arena, having recently moved from the Washington Avenue Armory....
     of the World Team Tennis
    World Team Tennis

    World TeamTennis is a tennis league playing a unique team format in the United States. The league has been opened for international teams....
     league (as of 2008).
  • The Schenectady Museum
    Schenectady Museum

    The Schenectady Museum & Suits-Bueche Planetarium is a museum and planetarium located in Schenectady, New York. Its mission is "to inspire a sense of wonder about extraordinary scientific and technological developments: past, present, and future." The museum's Executive Director is Kerry Orlyk....
     features exhibits on the development of science
    Science

    In its broadest sense, science refers to any systematic knowledge or practice. In its more usual restricted sense, science refers to a system of acquiring knowledge based on scientific method, as well as to the organized body of knowledge gained through such research....
     and technology
    Technology

    Technology is a broad concept that deals with an animal species' usage and knowledge of tools and crafts, and how it affects an animal species' ability to control and adapt to its Natural environment....
    . It contains the Suits-Bueche Planetarium.
  • Schenectady's City Hall is the focal point of government in the city. It was designed by McKim, Mead and White and built in 1933.
  • Located in Schenectady is its . It's an 18-hole championship facility sited among oaks and pines.
    The course was designed in 1935 by Jim Thompson under the Works Progress Administration
    Works Progress Administration

    The Works Progress Administration was the largest New Deal agency, employing millions of people and affecting almost every locality in the United States, especially rural and western mountain populations....
     (WPA) program. The Schenectady Municipal Golf Course stretches to 6,600 yards (6000 m) and features fast, undulating greens and tight fairways with grasses and native vegetation. The course was ranked by Golf Digest as a "Best Places to Play in 2004" and received a three-star rating.
  • Jay Street, located between Proctors and City Hall, is a short street closed to motor traffic. It features a number of small, independently operated businesses and eateries and is a popular destination.
  • Schenectady Light Opera Company (SLOC)
    Schenectady Light Opera Company (SLOC)

    Schenectady Light Opera Company is a nonprofit community theater organization in Schenectady, New York, established in 1926 . The current location of the 260-seat theater is at 826 State Street, in downtown Schenectady....
     is a small community theater on group on State Street in downtown Schenectady.
  • The Empire State Aerosciences Museum
    Empire State Aerosciences Museum

    The Empire State Aerosciences Museum is a non-profit museum which strives to "educate, entertain and excite with experiences in air and space.? Established in 1984 and chartered by the New York State Department of Education, the museum is located on of land on the western perimeter of the Schenectady County Airport in Glenville, New York, N...
    , in nearby Glenville, features extensive exhibits and materials on aviation.
  • The Edison Exploratorium, exhibits and promotes the physical development of engineering of technology that was developed or produced in Schenectady.


Trivia

  • Schenectady was terminal of first HVDC line in USA, the HVDC Mechanicville-Schenectady
    HVDC Mechanicville-Schenectady

    HVDC Mechanicville-Schenectaday was the first experimental HVDC transmission in USA. It used a 37 kilometres long overhead powerline from Mechanicville, New York, USA to Schenectady, New York, USA....
  • Schenectady is referenced or is the setting for many of Kurt Vonnegut
    Kurt Vonnegut

    Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. was a prolific and genre-bending American novelist known for works blending satire, black comedy and science fiction, such as Slaughterhouse-Five , Cat's Cradle , and Breakfast of Champions .He was also known for his Humanism beliefs and being honorary president of the American Humanist Association....
    's books, most notably Hocus Pocus
    Hocus Pocus (novel)

    Hocus Pocus is a 1990 novel by Kurt Vonnegut....
     and Player Piano.
  • Schenectady's General Electric
    General Electric

    The General Electric Company, or GE is a multinational corporation United States technology and Service s conglomerate incorporated in the State of New York....
     plant has the ZIP Code
    ZIP Code

    File:UseZipCode.JPGThe ZIP code is the system of postal codes used by the United States Postal Service . The letters ZIP, an acronym for Zone Improvement Plan, are properly written in capital letters and were chosen to suggest that the mail travels more efficiently, and therefore more quickly, when senders use the code....
     12345.
  • Schenectady is the former home of the Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame
    Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame

    The Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame is located in Amsterdam , New York and was previously located in Schenectady, New York. Its purpose is to "preserve and promote the dignified history of professional wrestling and to enshrine and pay tribute to professional wrestlers who have advanced this national pastime in terms of athletics and ent...
    . In 2005 the Hall moved to Amsterdam
    Amsterdam, New York

    Amsterdam, New York is the name of two locations in Montgomery County, New York:*Amsterdam , New York*Amsterdam , New York...
    , New York.
  • The world's first commercial TV station, WRGB
    WRGB

    WRGB channel 6 is the CBS-affiliated television station for Albany, New York New York, licensed to Schenectady, New York. Its transmitter is on Mount Pinnacle in New Scotland, New York....
     still broadcasts each day from its Balltown Road studios in Niskayuna, just outside the city line, but still in Schenectady County. WRGB also did the first color television broadcast, which gave the station its name ("RGB" stands for red, green, and blue).
  • The 2008 film Synecdoche, New York
    Synecdoche, New York

    Synecdoche, New York is a 2008 in film Cinema of the United States tragicomedy written and directed by Charlie Kaufman. It premiered in competition at the 2008 Cannes Film Festival on May 23, 2008 and went into limited theatrical release in the US on October 24, 2008....
     is partially set in and takes its name from Schenectady.
  • The official song of Schenectady, entitled "Our Schenectady," was composed by John Van Laak and was sung by Judi Merriam. It was adopted by the Schenectady City Council on January 30, 1995. Immediate protests and disagreements arose from the population for the contrived lyrics and style of the song as well as the heavy handed way the city council adopted it without input. Lyrics are:


In Schenectady
Our Schenectady
What a warm and friendly place it is to be
Nestled among plains and hills
With a beautiful river that always gives us thrills
And stores and shops with all that one might need or wish to see
And legends and tales and lots of history


Oh Schenectady
Our Schenectady
Let us now plan and help to make it grow


If we will all do our best
Then others can do the rest
For places to study and learn in
Places to work and earn in
Places to live in happiness
Source: Daily Gazette January 31, 1995 p. B1
  • The notable sleep-talker Dion McGregor
    Dion McGregor

    Dion McGregor was a New York City-born songwriter, whose main claim to fame is that he was a wikt:voluble dreamer, or somniloquy.As a songwriter, McGregor's biggest success came when his song "Where Is The Wonder" was recorded by Barbra Streisand on her hit album My Name Is Barbra ....
     had a dream (the audio recorded by his roommate) in which he was a member of a Dorothy Lamour
    Dorothy Lamour

    Dorothy Lamour was an United States film actor. She is probably best-remembered for appearing in the Road to... movies, a series of successful comedies co-starring Bob Hope and Bing Crosby....
     fanclub purchasing sixteen train tickets to Schenectady.


Notable residents

  • Grace Adler
    Grace Adler

    Grace Elizabeth Adler is a fictional character on the popular American sitcom Will & Grace, portrayed by Debra Messing. She is a Jewish interior designer , living in New York City with her gay best friend Will Truman ....
    , one of the lead characters on NBC's Will and Grace was from Schenectady.
  • Stephen Alexander
    Stephen Alexander (astronomer)

    Stephen Alexander was a noted astronomer and educator. He was born in Schenectady, New York.He graduated from Union College in 1824. He became a tutor in mathematics at Princeton University in 1832, where he would later become professor of astronomy and mathematics....
    , (1806-1883), noted astronomer, mathematician, and educator
  • Horatio Allen
    Horatio Allen

    Horatio Allen, LL.D was an American civil engineer and inventor.Born in Schenectady, New York, he graduated from Columbia University in 1823, and was appointed the Delaware and Hudson Canal Company chief engineer....
    , (1802-1889), born in Schenectady, noted railroad engineer and inventor
  • Ralph Alpher (1921-2007), a noted cosmologist who won the National Medal of Science
    National Medal of Science

    The National Medal of Science is an honor bestowed by the President of the United States to individuals in science and engineering who have made important contributions to the advancement of knowledge in the fields of behavioral science and social sciences, biology, chemistry, engineering, mathematics and physics....
     for his seminal work on the Big Bang Theory, worked in Schenectady for 50 years, first at General Electric and then at Union College.
  • President Chester Arthur lived in Schenectady while attending Union College
  • Jason Bittner
    Jason Bittner

    Jason Bittner is the drummer for the American Metal band Shadows Fall. One of the most popular and celebrated current drummers in metal, he has won numerous awards including Modern Drummer Reader's poll for #1 Up and Coming Drummer of 2004, and in 2005, #1 Best Recorded Performance for the Shadows Fall album The War Within, and #1 Metal...
    , drummer for Shadows Fall
    Shadows Fall

    Shadows Fall is an American Heavy metal music band formed in Springfield, Massachusetts, Massachusetts in late 1995. They are one of the few bands who take their lyrical influence from Buddhism....
  • Science fiction author Pat Cadigan
    Pat Cadigan

    Pat Cadigan is an American-born science fiction author, whose work is described as part of the cyberpunk movement. Her novels and stories all share a common theme, exploring the relationship between the human mind and technology....
     was born in Schenectady.
  • President Jimmy Carter
    Jimmy Carter

    James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. served as the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States from 1977 to 1981 and was the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize....
    , a US Navy lieutenant at the time, began graduate studies in nuclear physics at Union College
    Union College

    Union College is a private, non-denominational Liberal arts colleges in the United States located in Schenectady, New York. In 1795, Union became the first college chartered by the Regents of the State of New York....
     starting in March, 1953, but left in July, 1953 after his father's death to tend to the family peanut farm.
  • Ann B. Davis
    Ann B. Davis

    Ann Bradford Davis is an American television actress.Davis achieved prominence for her role in The Bob Cummings Show for which she twice won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress - Comedy Series....
     (Alice on The Brady Bunch
    The Brady Bunch

    The Brady Bunch is an United States television situation comedy based around a large stepfamily. The show originally aired from September 26, 1969, to March 8, 1974, on the American Broadcasting Company network and was subsequently television syndication around the world....
    ) was born in Schenectady
  • Prince John Owen Dominis
    John Owen Dominis

    John, Prince Consort of Hawaii was an United States-born statesman. He became Prince Consort of the Kingdom of Hawaii upon his marriage to the last reigning monarch, Liliuokalani....
    , the consort of Queen Liliuokalani of Hawaii
    Hawaii

    File:Pahoehoe and Aa flows at Hawaii.jpgThe State of Hawaii is a U.S. state in the United States, located on an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of Australia....
  • Jamie Dukes
    Jamie Dukes

    Jamie Donnell Dukes is a former American football offensive lineman who played for the Atlanta Falcons, the Green Bay Packers, and the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League....
    , an American football player born in Schenectady
  • Archbishop Harry J. Flynn, Seventh Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Minneapolis/St. Paul
    Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis

    The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis is an ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in the United States....
    , was born in Schenectady.
  • Actress Patricia Kalember
    Patricia Kalember

    Patricia Kathryn Kalember is an United States actress. She is best known for playing Georgie on the NBC television show Sisters from 1991 to 1996....
     was born in Schenectady.
  • Irving Langmuir
    Irving Langmuir

    Irving Langmuir was an United States chemistry and physics. His most noted publication was the famous 1919 article "The Arrangement of Electrons in Atoms and Molecules" in which, building on Gilbert N....
     Awarded the 1932 Nobel Prize for Chemistry.
  • Sir Charles Mackerras
    Charles Mackerras

    Sir Alan Charles Maclaurin Mackerras, Order of Australia, Companion of Honour, Order of the British Empire is an Australian conducting. He is a noted authority on the operas of Jan?cek and Mozart, and the comic operas of Gilbert and Sullivan....
    , the famous British conductor, was born in Schenectady while his father was taking an electrical-engineering course. See
  • Ray Nelson
    Ray Nelson

    Radell "Ray" Faraday Nelson is a science fiction author and cartoonist most famous for his 1963 short story "", which was later used by John Carpenter as the basis for his 1988 film They Live....
    , science fiction author and cartoonist was born in Schenectady
  • Director John Sayles
    John Sayles

    John Thomas Sayles is an United States independent film film director and screenwriter who frequently plays small roles in his own and other indie films....
     was born and raised in Schenectady; the Schenectady High school of fine arts is named after him.
  • Shirley Muldowney
    Shirley Muldowney

    Shirley Muldowney , the "First Lady of Drag racing" was the first woman to receive a licence to drive a top fuel dragster by the NHRA. She won the NHRA Top Fuel championship in 1977, 1980 and 1982....
    , the First Lady of Drag Racing was born and raised in Schenectady.
  • Basketball coach Pat Riley
    Pat Riley

    Patrick James Riley is a former American National Basketball Association player and is the current team president of the Miami Heat. Widely regarded as one of the greatest NBA coaches of all time, Riley has served as the head coach of five championship teams and an assistant coach to another....
     was born and raised in Schenectady. The Schenectady High School athletics wing was named after him after he donated a substantial amount of money for its creation.
  • Don Rittner
    Don Rittner

    Don Rittner is a historian, archeologist, environmental activist, educator, and author living in the Capital District, Schenectady County, New York; in December, 2004 he was named official Schenectady County Historian, responsible for providing guidance and support to municipal historians and serving as a conduit between the State Historian i...
     Author and historian lives in Schenectady
  • Presidential candidate William Seward
    William Seward

    William Seward can refer to:*William H. Seward, United States Secretary of State, 1861-1869*William H. Seward, Jr., his son, banker, Civil War general...
     attended Union College before losing the election against Abraham Lincoln
  • Ron Rivest
    Ron Rivest

    Ronald Linn Rivest is a cryptography. He is the Andrew and Erna Viterbi Professor of Computer Science at Massachusetts Institute of Technology's MIT School of Engineering#Electrical Engineering and Computer Science and a member of MIT's MIT Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory ....
    , Turing award winner, the "R" in RSA cryptography
  • Mickey Rourke
    Mickey Rourke

    Philip Andre "Mickey" Rourke, Jr. is an United States actor who has appeared primarily as a leading man in action, drama, and Thriller films....
     was born in Schenectady
  • Charles Proteus Steinmetz
    Charles Proteus Steinmetz

    Charles Proteus Steinmetz was a German-American mathematician and electrical engineer. He fostered the development of alternating current that made possible the expansion of the electric power industry in the United States, formulating mathematical theories for engineers....
    , a famous electrical engineer, built a home in the GE Realty Plot, which burnt to the ground. A monument to Steinmetz stands on the site.
  • Samuel S. Stratton
    Samuel S. Stratton

    Samuel Studdiford Stratton was a United States House of Representatives, representing New York for almost 30 years from 1959 to 1989....
    , a Congressman for 30 years after his tenure as mayor.
  • John Tudor, Major League Baseball pitcher
  • Deborah Van Valkenburgh
    Deborah Van Valkenburgh

    Deborah Gaye Van Valkenburgh is an United States actress. She played Ted Knight's daughter in the role of Jackie Rush on the American Broadcasting Company television situation comedy Too Close for Comfort , although she is arguably most well-known from her role in the cult film The Warriors ....
    , female co-star in the cult classic movie The Warriors
    The Warriors

    The Warriors is a 1979 in film cult film Action film/Thriller film directed by Walter Hill and based on the The Warriors by Sol Yurick. Much like the novel, the film borrows certain elements from the Anabasis by Xenophon....
     was born in Schenectady.
  • Kurt Vonnegut
    Kurt Vonnegut

    Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. was a prolific and genre-bending American novelist known for works blending satire, black comedy and science fiction, such as Slaughterhouse-Five , Cat's Cradle , and Breakfast of Champions .He was also known for his Humanism beliefs and being honorary president of the American Humanist Association....
    , the author, lived in Schenectady while working for GE in the early 1950s.
  • George H. Wells
    George H. Wells

    George H. Wells was a Northern-born officer in the Army of the Confederate States of America and an Lawyer and Democratic Party politician in Lake Charles, Louisiana....
     (1833-1905), though Northern-born was a Confederate States of America
    Confederate States of America

    The Confederate States of America formed as the government set up from 1861 to 1865 by eleven Southern United States U.S. state of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S....
     officer, attorney and member of the Louisiana State Senate
    Louisiana State Legislature

    The Louisiana State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is bicameral body, comprising the lower house, the Louisiana House of Representatives with 105 representatives, and the upper house, the Louisiana Senate with 39 senators....


Sister city

  • Nijkerk
    Nijkerk

    Media:Nl-Nijkerk.ogg is a municipality and a city in the middle of the Netherlands, in the province of Gelderland....
    , Netherlands
    Netherlands

    The Netherlands is a country that is part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It is a parliamentary democratic constitutional monarchy. The Netherlands is located in North-West Europe, and bordered by the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east....


External links