Glens Falls is a city in the southeastern corner of Warren County, surrounded by the town of Queensbury to the north, east, and west, and by the Hudson River and Saratoga County to the south. Glens Falls is known as "Hometown U.S.A.", a title Look magazine gave it in 1944. The city has also referred to itself as the "Empire City."[6]
History
"Glenn Falls", 1841Panoramic map with list of landmarks, 1884
The area is originally called Chepontuc ("difficult place to get around") in the Iroquoian languages of the area's Indigenous inhabitants. It also referred to as the "Great Carrying Place." Later, European-American settlers named the area "The Corners" in English.[6]
As a halfway point between Fort Edward and Fort William Henry, the falls was the site of several battles during the French and Indian War and the Revolutionary War. The then-hamlet was mostly destroyed by fire twice during the latter conflict, forcing the Quakers to abandon the settlement until the war ended in 1783. Fire also ravaged the village in 1864, 1884, and 1902.[6]
In 1766 it was renamed Wing's Falls for Abraham Wing – the leader of the group of Quakers who established the permanent settlement – and for the falls on the Hudson River. Wing's claim to the name of the falls and the hamlet was transferred to Colonel Johannes Glen of Schenectady in 1788, either on collection of a debt, as a result of a game of cards, or in exchange for hosting a party for mutual friends, depending on which local legend is believed.[5][6][7] Colonel Glen changed the name to "Glen's Falls," though it was often printed with varying spelling such as "Glenn's," or "Glens". The spelling "Glens Falls" came to be the common usage.[5]
A post office was established in 1808.[6] Glens Falls became an incorporated village in 1839,[6] and was re-incorporated in 1874 and 1887,[citation needed] expanding the village to what would become the city limits[8] when the state legislature granted the city charter in 1908,[8] at which time the city became independent from the town of Queensbury.
In 2003, with permission from Queensbury,[9] Glens Falls annexed approximately 49 acres (0.20km2) of the town. The land, known as Veterans Field[10] or the Northway Industrial Park, is on Veterans Road between Luzerne Road and Sherman Avenue[9] and is just east of I-87.[11] The land was vacant at the time.[9] A thin, 0.5 miles (0.80km) strip of Sherman Avenue[12] was part of this annexation,[10] to comply with state law on contiguity of annexed land. As a result, the city and town share co-own this stretch of highway.[12]
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has an area of 3.9 square miles (10km2), of which 3.8 square miles (9.8km2) is land and 0.1 square miles (0.26km2) (2.54%) is water.
↑ Mean monthly maxima and minima (i.e. the expected highest and lowest temperature readings at any point during the year or given month) calculated based on data at said location from 1991 to 2020.
As of the census of 2010, there were 14,707 people, 6,548 households, and 3,529 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,685.97 inhabitants per square mile (1,423.16/km2). There were 7,112 housing units at an average density of 1,782.46 per square mile (688.21/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 94.7% White, 1.8% African American, 0.3% Native American, 0.6% Asian, 0.4% from other races, and 2.3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 2.3% of the population.[4]
There were 6,548 households, out of which 26.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 34.0% were married couples living together, 14.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 46.1% were non-families. 36.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.22 and the average family size was 2.91.[4]
In the city, the population was spread out, with 24.3% under the age of 20, 6.8% from 20 to 24, 29.5% from 25 to 44, 27.1% from 45 to 64, and 12.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37.6 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.3 males. For every 100 females age 20 and over, there were 90.9 males.[4]
The median income for a household in the city was estimated for 2016 at $46,305, and the median income for a family at $60,545. Males had a median income of $41,993 versus $37,988 for females. About 12.6% of families and 16% of the population were below the poverty line, including 23.9% of those under age 18 and 8% of those age 65 or over.[4]
Economy
Glens Falls Hospital
The Glens Falls region is a major producer of medical devices. Glens Falls is home to Navilyst Medical, a medical device maker, previously a regional office of Pfizer and Boston Scientific Corporation.[17][18] Glens Falls is also a principal provider of medical services for a vast 2,600-square-mile (6,700km2) region from Saratoga County to the south, extending northward to the central Adirondacks. These services are centered around the Glens Falls Hospital, a 410-bed facility downtown.[19] Founded in the summer of 1897 by a group of twelve local physicians, the Glens Falls Hospital was meant to serve the entire Upper Hudson River Valley. Solomon A. Parks donated his home in Glens Falls for the original hospital. The present structure has been extensively modified, enlarged, and modernized several times to better serve the needs of the community, and it is the region's fast-response trauma center.[20] The hospital is now the area's biggest employer.[21] A VA outpatient facility serves veterans' medical needs.[22]
Danfloss Flomatic Corporation is headquartered on Pruyn's Island in Glens Falls. The company is a leading manufacturer of industrial and municipal valves. Also on Pruyn's Island is Umicore, a Belgium-based company manufacturing silver-based contact materials.[23]
Finch Paper LLC, headquartered at the base of Glen Street hill, is a major regional employer and a manufacturer of specialty paper and forest products. It is by far the largest taxpayer in the City of Glens Falls, owning property assessed at $60-million in 2006, according to city records. In mid-June 2007, Finch Pruyn & Company announced it had sold all of its assets, including 161,000 acres (652km2) of forestland in the Adirondacks, to Atlas Holdings of Greenwich, Conn. The Company name was then changed to Finch Paper LLC. Atlas then sold all of the forestland to The Nature Conservancy.
The Glens Falls Cement company, established 1893,[24] is now a part of Lehigh Northeast, itself a division of HeidelbergCement, one of the world's largest cement producers.
Glens Falls has an old and prevalent history in the region's finance sector. Arrow Financial Corporation, headquartered downtown, is a publicly traded multi-bank holding company for Glens Falls National Bank & Trust Company (1851) and Saratoga National Bank and Trust Company. Evergreen Bank, N.A., formerly the First National Bank of Glens Falls, originated in 1853, and is now owned by banking conglomerate TD Banknorth. Advantage Capital Partners, a venture capital firm, has its New York offices downtown.[25]
The World Awareness Children's Museum is a children's museum focused on cultural diversity.[citation needed]
Art in the Public Eye is a local non-profit arts organization.[31]
The Shirt Factory Arts and Healing Center is a historic shirt factory that now houses artists' studios, shops, galleries, healing arts and services. More than 50 artists and 13 shops and galleries are in this building.[32]
The Glens Falls September 11 Memorial is a tribute to the lives lost on that day, and the first responders. The memorial consists of 12 foot, solid granite towers resembling the trade center encompassed by granite walls to resemble the Pentagon. It also incorporates a piece of steel from the World Trade Center.[citation needed]
Historic sites
Civil War Monument
Glens Falls has two historic districts listed on the National Register of Historic Places and the equivalent New York State Register of Historic places. The Fredella Avenue historic district includes a series of concrete block structures, and the Three Squares Historic District makes up most of the Central Business District.[33]
Civil War Monument, a limestone obelisk dedicated in 1872 to honor the 644 men from Queensbury who served in the Civil War. Ninety-five names, those of the men who died, are engraved on the monument.[36]
Glens Falls Feeder Canal, a hydro-electric power-plant on the Hudson River at Glens Falls. The canal was created around 1820 to feed water into the Champlain Canal. During the early 19th century, the New York State Canal System was crucial to the development of the state's economy. Lime, marble, lumber, and agricultural commodities were shipped between Glens Falls and the docks at the base of Canal Street.
First Presbyterian Church, chartered in 1803; its fifth house of worship was constructed in 1929. It was designed by Ralph Adams Cram in his "presbyterian style" of neo-gothic architecture.[37]
Fort Amherst Road, the site of the former Fort Amherst. The fort constituted a block house marking the halfway point on the road between Fort Edward and Fort William Henry at the head of Lake George. This fort system, erected by the British, was built to secure the colony's northern territories from French incursions during the French and Indian War.
Glens Falls' East Field is home to the Glens Falls Greenjackets of the Empire Football League. The Greenjackets started in 1928 and is the second oldest-active semi-pro football team in the country. The Greenjackets are 2008 & 2009 NAFL Empire Division Champions (10–0) and the 2009 NAFL North Atlantic Region Champions (14–0), and finished the season at 14–1 as the NAFL Eastern Conference Runners-up, 2009 NAFL Elite 8.[46]
Glens Falls, since incorporation as a city in 1908, has had a strong mayor charter. The city's Common Council has six members; one is elected to represent the city at large while the other five are elected from wards. The city is represented on the Warren County Board of Supervisors by five supervisors; one supervisor is elected from each Common Council ward. Such "city ward supervisors" do not have any duties in city government but have all the rights and privileges as any other member of the County Board.
Departments of the City include: Cemetery, Community, Fire, Police, Public Works, Purchasing, Recreation, Controller, Assessment, Civil Service, Clerk, Water & Sewer, and Buildings and Codes.[53]
John "Jack" Diamond, May 10, 2008–2017 (Acting Mayor until election; elected Mayor November 4, 2008 for final year of term of Mayor Akins; reelected 2009 for a full term)[56][57]
The city falls within two school districts, both of which are independent of the city government.[59] The majority of the city falls within the Glens Falls City School District,[citation needed] which includes parts of the town of Queensbury.[60]
The Glens Falls City School District operates Glens Falls High School, a middle school and four neighborhood elementary schools (Sanford Street School, Big Cross School, Jackson Heights School and Kensington Road Elementary School).[61] Sanford Street School was closed at the end of the 2010–2011 school year.[62]
The Glens Falls Common School District operates an independent public elementary school, Abraham Wing Elementary School, named for a founder of Glens Falls.[63]Saint Mary's–Saint Alphonsus Regional Catholic School serves children in pre-kindergarten through grade eight as a regional parochial school.
Media
Print
This section needs to be updated. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information.(August 2022)
The Post-Star is a daily newspaper printed in Glens Falls with a daily circulation of approximately 27,000.[64] The paper covers Glens Falls and Saratoga as well as the surrounding towns and counties of Warren, Saratoga and Washington. Established in 1895, it has been published since 1909.[65] Writer Mark Mahoney won the 2009 Pulitzer Prize in Journalism (Editorial Writing) for his editorials on local government secrecy.[66][67]
The Chronicle is a free weekly newspaper with a summer distribution up to 37,000.[citation needed] It was founded in 1980.[68]
Carlyle Harris – convicted murderer; executed in 1893 for poisoning his wife
Lionel Hitchman – professional hockey player, 1929 Stanley Cup champion, died in Glens Falls[77]
Charles Evans Hughes – Governor of New York (1907–1910), presidential candidate (1916), and Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court (1930–1941); born in Glens Falls[78]
Warren County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 65,737. The county seat is Queensbury. The county was established in 1813 and is named in honor of General Joseph Warren, an American Revolutionary War hero of the Battle of Bunker Hill. The county is part of the Capital District region of the state.
Saratoga County is a county in the U.S. state of New York, and is the fastest-growing county in Upstate New York. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the county's population was enumerated at 235,509, its highest decennial count ever and a 7.2% increase from the 219,607 recorded at the 2010 census, representing one of the fastest growth rates in New York. The county seat is Ballston Spa. The county is part of the Capital District region of the state.
Interstate 87 (I-87) is a 333.49-mile-long (536.70 km) north–south Interstate Highway located entirely within the US state of New York. I-87 is the main highway that connects New York City and Montreal. The highway begins at exit 47 off I-278 in the New York City borough of the Bronx, just north of the Robert F. Kennedy Bridge and Grand Central Parkway. From there, the route runs northward through the Hudson Valley, the Capital District, and the easternmost part of the North Country to the Canada–United States border in the town of Champlain. At its north end, I-87 continues into Quebec as Autoroute 15 (A-15). I-87 connects with several regionally important roads: I-95 in New York City, New York State Route 17 near Harriman, I-84 near Newburgh, and I-90 in Albany. The highway is not contiguous with I-87 in North Carolina.
Lake Luzerne, formerly the Town of Fairfield and then Luzerne, is a town in southern Warren County, New York, United States. The town is located within the Adirondack Park. The town is part of the Glens Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area. Lake Luzerne is west of the city of Glens Falls. The town population was 3,079 at the 2020 census.
Queensbury is a town in Warren County, New York, United States. The population was 29,169 at the 2020 census.
The Capital District, also known as the Capital Region, is the metropolitan area surrounding Albany, the capital of the U.S. state of New York. The Capital District was first settled by the Dutch in the early 17th century and came under English control in 1664. Albany has been the permanent capital of the state of New York since 1797. The Capital District is notable for many historical events that predate the independence of the United States, including the Albany Plan of Union and the Battles of Saratoga.
Gerald Brooks Hunt Solomon was an American businessman and politician most notable for his long service as a member of the United States House of Representatives in New York.
The Cool Insuring Arena is a 4,794-seat multi-purpose arena located in downtown Glens Falls, New York, that is the home of the Adirondack Thunder of the ECHL. Built in 1979, it was originally the home of the Adirondack Red Wings, AHL affiliate of the Detroit Red Wings.
New York State Route 9L (NY 9L) is a state highway in Warren County, New York, in the United States. The road is 18.58 miles (29.90 km) long and is a suffixed highway of U.S. Route 9 (US 9). NY 9L goes through three municipalities in Warren County: the city of Glens Falls, the town of Queensbury and the town of Lake George. It starts at an intersection with US 9 and NY 32 in Glens Falls and ends at a junction with US 9 and NY 9N in Lake George. NY 9L is a scenic route for people traveling to Lake George as the road provides many views of the lake. The route was assigned as part of the 1930 renumbering of state highways in New York along the path of an old military road originally built during the American Revolution.
New York State Route 149 (NY 149) is an east–west state highway that runs for 32.20 miles (51.82 km) through the Capital District of New York in the United States. It begins at exit 20 on the Adirondack Northway in the Warren County town of Queensbury and intersects U.S. Route 9 (US 9), US 4, and NY 22, among other routes, as it progresses eastward to its eastern end at the Vermont state line in the Washington County village of Granville. Here, the highway becomes Vermont Route 149 (VT 149) and continues for an additional 1.302 miles (2.095 km) to an intersection with VT 30 in Rutland County. Both NY 149 and VT 149 traverse mostly rural areas.
Floyd Bennett Memorial Airport is a county-owned, public-use airport in Warren County, New York, United States. It is located three nautical miles (6 km) northeast of the central business district of Glens Falls, in the town of Queensbury. This airport is included in the National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2011–2015, which categorized it as a general aviation facility.
Elizabeth O'Connor Little is a former New York State Senator. A member of the Republican Party, she was first elected in 2002. She served in the 45th Senate District, which includes all or part of Clinton, Essex, Franklin, Hamilton, Warren and Washington Counties.
New York State Route 254 (NY 254) is a state highway that extends for 6.01 miles (9.67 km) through Warren and Washington counties in the Capital District of New York in the United States. The route runs from exit 19 along the Adirondack Northway in Queensbury and follows Aviation Road, Quaker Road, and Lower Warren Street through Queensbury to Hudson Falls, where it terminates at an intersection with U.S. Route 4 (US 4) in the center of the village.
New York State Route 32B (NY 32B) was a state highway in the Capital District region of New York, in the United States. The western terminus of the route was at an intersection with NY 32 in Queensbury. Its eastern terminus was at a junction with U.S. Route 4 (US 4) in Hudson Falls. NY 32B, named Warren Street in Queensbury and River Street in Hudson Falls, ran along the banks of the Hudson River as it went from Glens Falls to Hudson Falls. It crossed over the Glens Falls Feeder Canal near its junction with NY 32 in Queensbury.
Centennial Circle is a five leg roundabout in downtown Glens Falls, a city in Warren County, New York. The circle is at the intersection of U.S. Route 9, New York State Route 32, NY 9L and Hudson Street. Centennial Circle is the site of a formerly signalized intersection, which was replaced with the current layout in 2007.
Glens Falls Hospital is a 410-bed not-for-profit community hospital located in Glens Falls, New York. It serves the communities in Warren, Washington, Hamilton, Essex and northern Saratoga and Rensselaer counties. The hospital operates 28 off-campus health care facilities throughout the region. The hospital is the largest employer in the region with over 3,000 employees.
Daniel George Stec is an American politician serving as a member of the New York State Senate for the 45th district. He represents all of Clinton, Essex, Franklin, and Warren Counties, and parts of St. Lawrence County and Washington County. He previously represented the 114th district of the New York State Assembly.
The Glens Falls Greenjackets are a semi-professional American football team in Glens Falls, NY. The Greenjackets compete in the New England Football League. They were founded in 1928 as the Hudson Falls Greenjackets, making them the second oldest semi-pro team in the United States. Home games are played at local highschools in the Glens Falls, NY area. Preseason games are played at Putt LaMay Memorial Field.
Matt Simpson is an American politician. A Republican, he is currently serving in the New York State Assembly, representing the 114th district, which encompasses all of Essex and Warren counties, and portions of Saratoga and Washington counties. He assumed office on January 6, 2021.
1 2 3 4 5 6 Glens Falls Historical Association (1978). Bridging The Years: Glens Falls, New York 1763–1978. Glens Falls, NY: Glens Falls Historical Association. ISBN0-8081-3885-5.
1 2 "Time Line". Chapman Historical Museum Education Department. January 8, 2004. Archived from the original on February 3, 2010. Retrieved July 26, 2009.
↑ School Districts(PDF) (Map). Cartography by Queensbury Community Development Department. Town of Queensbury. Archived from the original(PDF) on June 9, 2011. Retrieved March 21, 2011.
↑ "The post-star. [volume]". loc.gov. National Endowment for the Humanities. Archived from the original on December 22, 2019. Retrieved December 22, 2019– via chroniclingamerica.loc.gov.
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