Hudson Falls, New York
Encyclopedia
Hudson Falls is a village located in Washington County, New York
, USA. The village is in the southwest part of the town of Kingsbury
, on US Route 4. Hudson Falls is part of the Glens Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2000 census, the village had a population of 6,927. It was the county seat
of Washington County
until 1994, when the county seat was moved to Fort Edward
.
as a village, keeping the name Sandy Hill. Its boundaries expanded to their current limits in the 1840s. In 1910, the village's name was changed to Hudson Falls.
Stone quarried in Hudson Falls was used to construct the Bennington Battle Monument
and the Brooklyn Bridge
; the site of the quarry is now occupied by the Washington-Saratoga-Warren-Hamilton-Essex Board of Cooperative Educational Services
. The Glens Falls Feeder Canal
runs though the village.
, the village has a total area of 1.9 square miles (4.9 km²), of which 1.8 square miles (4.7 km²) of it is land and 0.04 square mile (0.1035995244 km²) of it is water. The total area is 2.13% water.
The village is on the east bank of the Hudson River
at the west border of Washington County, New York
. A village green
lies in the center of the commercial district.
NY Route 196
(Maple Street) and NY Route 254
(River Street) intersect US Route 4 in Hudson Falls.
of 2000, there were 6,927 people, 2,876 households, and 1,760 families residing in the village. The population density
was 3,763.5 people per square mile (1,453.5/km²). There were 3,120 housing units at an average density of 1,695.1 per square mile (654.7/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 97.91% White, 0.45% African American, 0.22% Native American, 0.25% Asian, 0.00% Pacific Islander, 0.16% from other races, and 1.02% from two or more races. 0.68% of the population is Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 2,876 households out of which 31.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.7% were married couples
living together, 15.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.8% were non-families. 32.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 2.95.
In the village the population was spread out with 25.2% under the age of 18, 8.9% from 18 to 24, 30.6% from 25 to 44, 20.6% from 45 to 64, and 14.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 88.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.8 males.
The median income for a household in the village was $31,516, and the median income for a family was $37,628. Males had a median income of $31,107 versus $21,215 for females. The per capita income
for the village was $17,575. 17.2% of the population and 12.8% of families were below the poverty line. 30.3% of those under the age of 18 and 6.3% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.
, the national passenger rail system, provides service to Hudson Falls at the station in nearby Fort Edward, operating its Adirondack
daily in both directions between Montreal and New York City. Amtrak has designated the stop as Fort Edward-Glens Falls
.
Freight rail service is provided along a spur line extending from Fort Edward to Glens Falls that runs through the village.
's mystery novels is loosely based on Hudson Falls.
Washington County, New York
Washington County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. It is part of the Glens Falls, New York, Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2010 census, the population was 63,216. It was named for the Revolutionary War general George Washington...
, USA. The village is in the southwest part of the town of Kingsbury
Kingsbury, New York
Kingsbury is a town in western Washington County, New York, United States. It is part of the Glens Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area. The town population was 11,171 at the 2000 census.- History :...
, on US Route 4. Hudson Falls is part of the Glens Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2000 census, the village had a population of 6,927. It was the county seat
County seat
A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....
of Washington County
Washington County, New York
Washington County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. It is part of the Glens Falls, New York, Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2010 census, the population was 63,216. It was named for the Revolutionary War general George Washington...
until 1994, when the county seat was moved to Fort Edward
Fort Edward (town), New York
Fort Edward is a town in and the county seat of Washington County, New York, United States. It is part of the Glens Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area. The town population was 5,892 at the 2000 census....
.
History
In 1764, Albert Baker built Kingsbury's first sawmill near what is known today as Baker's Falls. As early as 1792, the area of Kingsbury near Baker's Falls was referred to as Sandy Hill. In 1810, the hamlet incorporatedMunicipal corporation
A municipal corporation is the legal term for a local governing body, including cities, counties, towns, townships, charter townships, villages, and boroughs. Municipal incorporation occurs when such municipalities become self-governing entities under the laws of the state or province in which...
as a village, keeping the name Sandy Hill. Its boundaries expanded to their current limits in the 1840s. In 1910, the village's name was changed to Hudson Falls.
Stone quarried in Hudson Falls was used to construct the Bennington Battle Monument
Bennington Battle Monument
The Bennington Battle Monument is a 306 ft stone obelisk located at 15 Monument Circle, in Bennington, Vermont. The monument commemorates the Battle of Bennington during the Revolutionary War....
and the Brooklyn Bridge
Brooklyn Bridge
The Brooklyn Bridge is one of the oldest suspension bridges in the United States. Completed in 1883, it connects the New York City boroughs of Manhattan and Brooklyn by spanning the East River...
; the site of the quarry is now occupied by the Washington-Saratoga-Warren-Hamilton-Essex Board of Cooperative Educational Services
Board of Cooperative Educational Services
In 1948, the New York State Legislature created the Boards of Cooperative Educational Services to provide school districts with a program of shared educational services.-History:...
. The Glens Falls Feeder Canal
Glens Falls Feeder Canal
The Glens Falls Feeder Canal is a canal from Glens Falls, New York, United States through Hudson Falls and into Fort Edward. It is seven miles long and delivers water from above Glen's Falls on the Hudson River to the highest point of the Champlain Canal...
runs though the village.
Notable people from Hudson Falls
- William BronkWilliam BronkWilliam Bronk was an American poet. He won the National Book Award in 1982.-Life and work:William Bronk was born in a house on Lower Main Street in Fort Edward, New York. He had an older brother Sherman who died young and two older sisters, Jane and Betty...
grew up in Hudson Falls; as an adult, he managed a lumber business there and wrote various literary works, winning the National Book AwardNational Book AwardThe National Book Awards are a set of American literary awards. Started in 1950, the Awards are presented annually to American authors for literature published in the current year. In 1989 the National Book Foundation, a nonprofit organization which now oversees and manages the National Book...
in 1982. - Townsend HarrisTownsend HarrisTownsend Harris was a successful New York City merchant and minor politician, and the first United States Consul General to Japan...
, the United States' first consul-general to JapanJapanJapan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, was born in Hudson Falls. - Mintus Northup, father of Solomon NorthupSolomon NorthupSolomon Northup was a free-born African-American mulatto. He was born in Minerva, Essex County, New York. He disappeared in 1863.-Family history:...
is buried in this village. Solomon Northup authored "Twelve Years A Slave" published in 1854, a first person account of his kidnapping in 1841 and subsequent rescue from a plantation in 1853. - Henry C. MartindaleHenry C. MartindaleHenry Clinton Martindale was an American lawyer and politician from New York.-Life:...
(1780–1860) - Attorney and Member of Congress
Current events related to the past
In the first week of September around Friday-Saturday, every year there is a carnival (celebration) to remember the old village name. The carnival is referred to as "Sandy Hill Days" and is hosted at the Hudson Falls Kindergarten Center near the KoC (Knights Of Columbus) where there is also a flea market.Geography
According to the United States Census BureauUnited 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 village has a total area of 1.9 square miles (4.9 km²), of which 1.8 square miles (4.7 km²) of it is land and 0.04 square mile (0.1035995244 km²) of it is water. The total area is 2.13% water.
The village is on the east bank of the Hudson River
Hudson River
The Hudson is a river that flows from north to south through eastern New York. The highest official source is at Lake Tear of the Clouds, on the slopes of Mount Marcy in the Adirondack Mountains. The river itself officially begins in Henderson Lake in Newcomb, New York...
at the west border of Washington County, New York
Washington County, New York
Washington County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. It is part of the Glens Falls, New York, Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2010 census, the population was 63,216. It was named for the Revolutionary War general George Washington...
. A village green
Village green
A village green is a common open area which is a part of a settlement. Traditionally, such an area was often common grass land at the centre of a small agricultural settlement, used for grazing and sometimes for community events...
lies in the center of the commercial district.
NY Route 196
New York State Route 196
New York State Route 196 is a state route in New York, running from the village of Hudson Falls east to the hamlet of South Hartford in Hartford, Washington County....
(Maple Street) and NY Route 254
New York State Route 254
New York State Route 254 is a state highway that extends for through Warren and Washington Counties in the Capital District of New York, United States...
(River Street) intersect US Route 4 in Hudson Falls.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
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. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 6,927 people, 2,876 households, and 1,760 families residing in the village. 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 3,763.5 people per square mile (1,453.5/km²). There were 3,120 housing units at an average density of 1,695.1 per square mile (654.7/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 97.91% White, 0.45% African American, 0.22% Native American, 0.25% Asian, 0.00% Pacific Islander, 0.16% from other races, and 1.02% from two or more races. 0.68% of the population is Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 2,876 households out of which 31.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.7% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 15.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.8% were non-families. 32.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 2.95.
In the village the population was spread out with 25.2% under the age of 18, 8.9% from 18 to 24, 30.6% from 25 to 44, 20.6% from 45 to 64, and 14.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 88.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.8 males.
The median income for a household in the village was $31,516, and the median income for a family was $37,628. Males had a median income of $31,107 versus $21,215 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the village was $17,575. 17.2% of the population and 12.8% of families were below the poverty line. 30.3% of those under the age of 18 and 6.3% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.
Rail transportation
AmtrakAmtrak
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak , is a government-owned corporation that was organized on May 1, 1971, to provide intercity passenger train service in the United States. "Amtrak" is a portmanteau of the words "America" and "track". It is headquartered at Union...
, the national passenger rail system, provides service to Hudson Falls at the station in nearby Fort Edward, operating its Adirondack
Adirondack (Amtrak)
The Adirondack is a passenger train operated daily by Amtrak between New York City and Montreal. The trip takes approximately 11 hours to cover a published distance of , traveling through the scenic Hudson Valley and the Adirondack Mountains...
daily in both directions between Montreal and New York City. Amtrak has designated the stop as Fort Edward-Glens Falls
Fort Edward-Glens Falls (Amtrak station)
The Fort Edward-Glens Falls Station is a train station in Fort Edward, New York. It was originally built as a Delaware and Hudson Railroad depot in 1900, as a replacement for two earlier stations. The first was built in 1840 but was later converted into a store in 1880, the same year it was...
.
Freight rail service is provided along a spur line extending from Fort Edward to Glens Falls that runs through the village.
Literary references
The fictional town of Millers Kill, NY, in Julia Spencer-FlemingJulia Spencer-Fleming
Julia Spencer-Fleming is an American novelist.She lives in Maine with her husband, 3 children, a dog, and two cats.-Rev. Clare Fergusson/Russ Van Alstyne series :...
's mystery novels is loosely based on Hudson Falls.