Saranac Lake, New York
Encyclopedia
Saranac Lake is a village
located in the state of New York
, United States
. As of the 2010 census, the population was 5,406. The village is named after Upper
, Middle
, and Lower Saranac Lake
s, which are nearby.
The Village of Saranac Lake covers parts of three towns (Harrietstown
, St. Armand
, and North Elba
) and two counties, Franklin
and Essex
. The village boundaries do not touch the shores of any of the three Saranac Lakes; Lower Saranac Lake is a half mile west of the village. The northern reaches of Lake Flower
, which is part of the Saranac River
, lie within the village. The town of Saranac
is an entirely separate entity, 33 miles (53.1 km) to the northeast.
The village lies within the boundaries of the Adirondack Park, about seven miles (11 km) from Lake Placid
. These two villages, along with nearby Tupper Lake, comprise what is known as the Tri-Lakes region.
Saranac Lake was named the best small town in New York State and ranked 11th in the United States in The 100 Best Small Towns in America. In 1998 the National Civic League
named Saranac Lake an All-America City
and in 2006 the village was named as one of the "Dozen Distinctive Destinations" by the National Trust for Historic Preservation
. The village has 186 buildings that are listed on the National Register of Historic Places
.
. Later settlers Pliny Miller and Alric Bushnell established a logging facility with a dam and sawmill in 1827, forming the basis for the village. The first school was built in 1838, and in 1849, William F. Martin built one of the first hotels in the Adirondacks— the "Saranac Lake House", known simply as "Martin's"— on the southeast shore of Lower Saranac Lake. Martin's would soon become a favorite place for hunters, woodsmen, and socialites to meet and interact.
In 1876 Dr. Edward Livingston Trudeau
arrived to treat his own tuberculosis
; in 1884 he founded his Adirondack Cottage Sanitarium
, starting with a small cottage, called "Little Red", where two tubercular sisters from New York City became the first patients. Little Red, the first "cure cottage
", was built on a small patch of land on the backside of Mount Pisgah which was purchased for Trudeau by several of his hunting guides. As more and more patients visited the region, including author Robert Louis Stevenson
in 1887, Trudeau's fame grew. Soon, the sanitarium had grown so that it was entitled to its own post office
, which would sort and deliver mail to its many patients. The Trudeau Institute
, an independent medical research center, evolved from the Trudeau's work for the sanitarium. In 1964, the Trudeau Institute began researching the functions of the immune system and how it guards against many infectious diseases, including tuberculosis.
Telephone service was introduced in 1884, and the Chateaugay Railroad reached Saranac Lake from Plattsburgh
in 1887.
The village was incorporated on June 16, 1892, and Dr. Trudeau was elected the first village president soon thereafter. Electricity was introduced on September 20, 1894, by installing water wheels on the former site of Pliny Miller's mill. Paul Smith
, an important figure in the history of the village, purchased the Saranac Lake Electricity Co. in 1907, forming the Paul Smith's Electric Light and Power and Railroad Company, which eventually became part of Niagara-Mohawk. At the same time, the village began to stabilize, with public schools, fire and police
departments, and other municipal facilities forming.
Starting in the 1890s and for the next 60 years, "Saranac Lake was the Western Hemisphere's foremost center for the treatment of pulmonary tuberculosis." An effective antibiotic was first used on human TB patients in 1921, but only after World War II did it begin to be widely used in the US. Thereafter, sanatorium treatment began to lose its importance, being phased out completely by 1954, when the sanatorium's last patient, Larry Doyle
, left. Among the last of the prominent patients that sought treatment for Tuberculosis was Manuel Luis Quezon y Molina
, the first Filipino president of the Commonwealth of the Philippines
, who died in Saranac Lake of tuberculosis, August 1, 1944.
But the village's preeminence in tuberculosis care had lasting consequences beyond the many large, handsome private cure cottages that were left vacant after the patients were gone. The effect of the hundreds of patients and doctors from all over the world who came to live in the village, many of them prominent in business, literature, science or another field, many of whom stayed for years, cannot be overestimated. Combined with the area's popularity with the power elite, who built their Great Camps
on the nearby Saranac and Saint Regis Lakes, the effect was to change the sleepy village of 300 of the 1880s into the vibrant "little city" of 8,000, as the village has referred to itself for many years.
Mark Twain
vacationed on Lake Flower in 1901 at the height of his fame. While there, he wrote a Conan Doyle
spoof, "A Double-Barreled Detective Story".
Saranac Lake became an especially busy town in the 1920s, with the construction of the Hotel Saranac and several new, permanent buildings after multiple fires destroyed a large part of downtown. Bootlegging
was common in the village. Legs Diamond
visited his brother Eddy, who had tuberculosis and attempted a cure at a local cottage sanatorium. During the 20s, entertainer Al Jolson
and president Calvin Coolidge
were semi-frequent visitors to the village— Jolson once performed a solo for three hours at the Pontiac Theater on Broadway.
Beginning in 1936, Albert Einstein
had a summer home in Saranac Lake, renting the cottage of local architect William L. Distin
; he could often be seen sailing with his wife on Lake Flower. He was a frequent summer house guest at Louis Marshall's cottage at Knollwood Club
on Lower Saranac Lake during World War II, and it was there on August 6, 1945 that he heard on the radio that that atom bomb had been dropped on Hiroshima
; he gave his first interview after the event at Knollwood, on August 11.
In 1954, Saranac Lake hosted the world premiere of the Biblical epic film The Silver Chalice
, Paul Newman
's film debut. Several of the stars, including Virginia Mayo
visited the village and participated in the winter carnival
parade.
In recent years, Saranac Lake has become a more conventional tourist destination. New York's governor, Andrew Cuomo
, has been coming there ever since he was a teenager and regularly vacations there with his family. The Hotel Saranac, is a memorable early 20th century Deco structure. The former sanatorium
is now the corporate call center for the American Management Association
.
Many tourists come to the village, which is very picturesque owing to its setting and the preservation of unique older architecture. Much of the village fronts on Lake Flower
, which was created by a dam in the Saranac River
and named after Governor Roswell P. Flower
.
Summer visitors enjoy canoeing and other forms of boating, hiking in the forest, climbing in the nearby mountains, and visiting the local shops and restaurants. In the summer the Village of Saranac Lake offers free concerts in Riverside Park on Lake Flower and the Berkley Green Park. Camping is also a popular pastime in the Saranac Lake region (List of area's state campgrounds).
During winters, cross-country
and downhill
skiing
, snowshoeing, ice skating
, snowmobiling are popular activities. There is also an annual one week-long winter carnival
, an event that has brought people together in celebration of winter since 1898. Each year the carnival is given a theme - 2011's theme will be "Medieval Times." The Winter Carnival parade reflects the theme, and Garry Trudeau
, the creator of the comic strip Doonesbury
who grew up in the town, creates artwork with characters from his comic strip doing things related to the theme for a button that can be purchased each winter. The carnival's main attraction is the ice palace
, which is made with blocks of ice taken from Lake Flower and illuminated with colored lights, along with various winter activities and competitions. These include a parade, which normally has several Bagpipe and drum marching band
s and the always favorite Lawn Chair Ladies, along with more usual floats and local school bands. Each year a Winter Carnival King and Queen, who preside over carnival activities, are selected from village residents based upon their contribution to Saranac Lake, while the prince and princess are from the two local colleges, North Country Community College and Paul Smith's College. There is also a winter rugby
game.
A non-profit Village Improvement Society, dating from 1910, currently owns and maintains eight parks. The extensive parkland along the lakefront, now owned by the village, is the result of the Society's earlier efforts.
Every year the popular Can Am Rugby Tournament, the largest such tournament in the Western Hemisphere, is held in the village.
spent summers in Saranac Lake and wrote some of his best-known works there. The writer Robert Louis Stevenson
had a cottage in Saranac Lake, which still stands along with a museum dedicated to him.
The cartoonist Garry Trudeau
, who draws the Doonesbury
comic strip, was raised in Saranac Lake. He is the great-grandson of Edward Trudeau, described above. Garry Trudeau has maintained his connections to Saranac Lake.
for staples, the town was approached by Walmart which offered to build a 250,000 square foot supercenter, but it was felt by the community that Walmart would negatively impact local business and increase traffic. As an alternative a community-owned store
was organized and shares were sold to community residents. $500,000 was raised by about 600 residents who made an average investment of $800. goal last spring. The store, Saranac Lake Community Store, opened in October 29, 2011 in remodeled facilities in downtown Saranac Lake.
The Adirondack Regional Airport
is 8 miles (12.9 km) northwest of the village.
Adirondack Trailways serves Saranac Lake, and is part of the Greyhound Lines
bus system.
Saranac Lake is located at 44°19′34"N 74°7′51"W (44.325988, -74.130944).
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the village has a total area of 3.0 square miles (7.8 km²), of which, 2.8 square miles (7.2 km²) of it is land and 0.2 square miles (0.6 km²) of it (7.33%) is water.
The village is located at the junction of the Towns of North Elba
and St.Armand
in Essex County
, and Harrietstown
in Franklin County
.
The village is at the intersection of New York State Route 3
and New York State Route 86
. Essex County Road 33 enters the village from the southeast, and Franklin County Road 47 joins NY-86 immediately north of the village.
The closest major metropolitan city is Montreal
, Canada
, 112 miles (180.2 km) to the north. Plattsburgh, New York is 50 miles (80.5 km) to the northeast, Burlington, Vermont
is 64 miles (103 km) to the east and Albany, New York
is 149 miles (239.8 km) to the south.
of 2000, there were 5,041 people, 2,369 households, and 1,182 families residing in the village. The population density
was 1,812.0 people per square mile (700.1/km²). There were 2,854 housing units at an average density of 1,025.9 per square mile (396.4/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 96.87% White, 0.75% African American, 0.32% Native American, 0.48% Asian, 0.26% from other races
, and 1.33% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.07% of the population.
There were 2,369 households out of which 25.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 35.2% were married couples
living together, 10.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 50.1% were non-families. 40.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.09 and the average family size was 2.88.
In the village the population was spread out with 22.2% under the age of 18, 11.4% from 18 to 24, 28.3% from 25 to 44, 23.1% from 45 to 64, and 15.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 93.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.8 males.
The median income for a household in the village was $29,754, and the median income for a family was $42,153. Males had a median income of $32,188 versus $24,759 for females. The per capita income
for the village was $17,590. About 8.5% of families and 13.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.5% of those under age 18 and 17.6% of those age 65 or over.
, France
Sainte-Agathe-des-Monts, Quebec
, Canada
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
located in the state of New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. As of the 2010 census, the population was 5,406. The village is named after Upper
Upper Saranac Lake
Upper Saranac Lake is one of three connected lakes, part of the Saranac River, in the towns of Santa Clara and Harrietstown, near the village of Saranac Lake in the Adirondacks in northern New York. Upper Saranac Lake is the sixth largest lake in the Adirondacks. With Middle Saranac Lake and...
, Middle
Middle Saranac Lake
Middle Saranac Lake, also called Round Lake, is the smallest of three connected lakes, part of the Saranac River, near the village of Saranac Lake in the Adirondacks in northern New York. Two-thirds of its shoreline is state-owned...
, and Lower Saranac Lake
Lower Saranac Lake
Lower Saranac Lake is one of three connected lakes, part of the Saranac River, near the village of Saranac Lake in the Adirondacks in northern New York. With Middle Saranac Lake and Upper Saranac Lake, a paddle with only one portage is possible. The Saranac Lake Islands Public Campground provides...
s, which are nearby.
The Village of Saranac Lake covers parts of three towns (Harrietstown
Harrietstown, New York
Harrietstown is a town in Franklin County, New York, United States. The population was 5,575 at the 2000 census, much of it concentrated in the village of Saranac Lake....
, St. Armand
St. Armand, New York
St. Armand is a town in Essex County, New York, United States. The population was 1,321 at the 2000 census. The town was named by an early settler for Saint-Armand, Quebec in Canada....
, and North Elba
North Elba, New York
North Elba is a town in Essex County, New York, United States. The population was 8,661 at the 2000 census. The town is named after the island of Elba.North Elba is on the western edge of the county...
) and two counties, Franklin
Franklin County, New York
Franklin County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2010 census, the population was 51,599. It is named in honor of American Founding Father Benjamin Franklin...
and Essex
Essex County, New York
Essex County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2010 census, the population was 39,370. Its name is from the English county of Essex. Its county seat is Elizabethtown...
. The village boundaries do not touch the shores of any of the three Saranac Lakes; Lower Saranac Lake is a half mile west of the village. The northern reaches of Lake Flower
Lake Flower
Lake Flower is a lake in Franklin County and Essex County in the Adirondacks; it was created by damming the Saranac River in 1827. It was originally called Newell's Pond, but was later named for New York governor Roswell P. Flower. It is the only lake within the village of Saranac Lake. The...
, which is part of the Saranac River
Saranac River
Saranac River is an river in the U.S. state of New York. In its upper reaches is a region of mostly flat water and lakes. The river has more than three dozen source lakes and ponds north of Upper Saranac Lake; the highest is Mountain Pond on Long Pond Mountain...
, lie within the village. The town of Saranac
Saranac, New York
Saranac is a town in Clinton County, New York, United States. The town is on the western border of the county, west of the City of Plattsburgh and is within the Adirondack Park. The population was 4,007 at the 2010 census. The town is named for the Saranac River that flows past the town.- History...
is an entirely separate entity, 33 miles (53.1 km) to the northeast.
The village lies within the boundaries of the Adirondack Park, about seven miles (11 km) from Lake Placid
Lake Placid, New York
Lake Placid is a village in the Adirondack Mountains in Essex County, New York, United States. As of the 2000 census, the village had a population of 2,638....
. These two villages, along with nearby Tupper Lake, comprise what is known as the Tri-Lakes region.
Saranac Lake was named the best small town in New York State and ranked 11th in the United States in The 100 Best Small Towns in America. In 1998 the National Civic League
National Civic League
The National Civic League is an American non-profit organization that advocates for transparency, effectiveness, and openness in local government...
named Saranac Lake an All-America City
All-America City Award
The All-America City Award is given by the National Civic League annually to ten cities in the United States.The oldest community recognition program in the nation, the award recognizes communities whose citizens work together to identify and tackle community-wide challenges and achieve uncommon...
and in 2006 the village was named as one of the "Dozen Distinctive Destinations" by the National Trust for Historic Preservation
National Trust for Historic Preservation
The National Trust for Historic Preservation is an American member-supported organization that was founded in 1949 by congressional charter to support preservation of historic buildings and neighborhoods through a range of programs and activities, including the publication of Preservation...
. The village has 186 buildings that are listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
.
History
The area was first settled in 1819 by the Jacob Smith Moody family, from Keene, New HampshireKeene, New Hampshire
Keene is a city in Cheshire County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 23,409 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Cheshire County.Keene is home to Keene State College and Antioch University New England, and hosts the annual Pumpkin Fest...
. Later settlers Pliny Miller and Alric Bushnell established a logging facility with a dam and sawmill in 1827, forming the basis for the village. The first school was built in 1838, and in 1849, William F. Martin built one of the first hotels in the Adirondacks— the "Saranac Lake House", known simply as "Martin's"— on the southeast shore of Lower Saranac Lake. Martin's would soon become a favorite place for hunters, woodsmen, and socialites to meet and interact.
In 1876 Dr. Edward Livingston Trudeau
Edward Livingston Trudeau
Edward Livingston Trudeau, M.D., M.S., D. Hon., was an American physician who established the Adirondack Cottage Sanitarium at Saranac Lake for treatment of tuberculosis.-Biography:...
arrived to treat his own tuberculosis
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
; in 1884 he founded his Adirondack Cottage Sanitarium
Adirondack Cottage Sanitarium
The Adirondack Cottage Sanitarium was a tuberculosis sanatorium established in Saranac Lake, New York in 1885 by Dr. Edward Livingston Trudeau. After Trudeau's death in 1915, the institution's name was changed to the Trudeau Sanatorium, following changes in conventional usage...
, starting with a small cottage, called "Little Red", where two tubercular sisters from New York City became the first patients. Little Red, the first "cure cottage
Cure Cottages of Saranac Lake
Between 1873 and 1945, Saranac Lake, New York became a world renowned center for the treatment of tuberculosis, using a treatment that involved exposing patients to as much fresh air as possible under conditions of complete bed-rest...
", was built on a small patch of land on the backside of Mount Pisgah which was purchased for Trudeau by several of his hunting guides. As more and more patients visited the region, including author Robert Louis Stevenson
Robert Louis Stevenson
Robert Louis Balfour Stevenson was a Scottish novelist, poet, essayist and travel writer. His best-known books include Treasure Island, Kidnapped, and Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde....
in 1887, Trudeau's fame grew. Soon, the sanitarium had grown so that it was entitled to its own post office
Post office
A post office is a facility forming part of a postal system for the posting, receipt, sorting, handling, transmission or delivery of mail.Post offices offer mail-related services such as post office boxes, postage and packaging supplies...
, which would sort and deliver mail to its many patients. The Trudeau Institute
Trudeau Institute
The Trudeau Institute is an independent, not-for-profit, biomedical research center located in the Village of Saranac Lake, New York, whose scientific mission is to make breakthrough discoveries that lead to improved human health....
, an independent medical research center, evolved from the Trudeau's work for the sanitarium. In 1964, the Trudeau Institute began researching the functions of the immune system and how it guards against many infectious diseases, including tuberculosis.
Plattsburgh (city), New York
Plattsburgh is a city in and county seat of Clinton County, New York, United States. The population was 19,989 at the 2010 census. The population of the unincorporated areas within the Town of Plattsburgh was 11,870 as of the 2010 census; making the population for the immediate, urban Plattsburgh,...
in 1887.
The village was incorporated on June 16, 1892, and Dr. Trudeau was elected the first village president soon thereafter. Electricity was introduced on September 20, 1894, by installing water wheels on the former site of Pliny Miller's mill. Paul Smith
Apollos Smith
Apollos Smith founded the Saint Regis House in the town of Brighton, known universally as Paul Smith's Hotel, one of the first wilderness resorts in Adirondacks...
, an important figure in the history of the village, purchased the Saranac Lake Electricity Co. in 1907, forming the Paul Smith's Electric Light and Power and Railroad Company, which eventually became part of Niagara-Mohawk. At the same time, the village began to stabilize, with public schools, fire and police
Police
The police is a personification of the state designated to put in practice the enforced law, protect property and reduce civil disorder in civilian matters. Their powers include the legitimized use of force...
departments, and other municipal facilities forming.
Larry Doyle (baseball player)
Lawrence Joseph Doyle , nicknamed "Laughing Larry," was an American second baseman in Major League Baseball from 1907 to 1920 who played almost his entire career for the New York Giants...
, left. Among the last of the prominent patients that sought treatment for Tuberculosis was Manuel Luis Quezon y Molina
Manuel L. Quezon
Manuel Luis Quezón y Molina served as president of the Commonwealth of the Philippines from 1935 to 1944. He was the first Filipino to head a government of the Philippines...
, the first Filipino president of the Commonwealth of the Philippines
Commonwealth of the Philippines
The Commonwealth of the Philippines was a designation of the Philippines from 1935 to 1946 when the country was a commonwealth of the United States. The Commonwealth was created by the Tydings-McDuffie Act, which was passed by the U.S. Congress in 1934. When Manuel L...
, who died in Saranac Lake of tuberculosis, August 1, 1944.
But the village's preeminence in tuberculosis care had lasting consequences beyond the many large, handsome private cure cottages that were left vacant after the patients were gone. The effect of the hundreds of patients and doctors from all over the world who came to live in the village, many of them prominent in business, literature, science or another field, many of whom stayed for years, cannot be overestimated. Combined with the area's popularity with the power elite, who built their Great Camps
Great Camps
Great camps refer to the grandiose family compounds of cabins that were built in the latter half of the nineteenth century on lakes in the Adirondacks such as Spitfire Lake and Rainbow Lake. The camps were summer homes for the wealthy, where they could relax, host or attend parties, and enjoy the...
on the nearby Saranac and Saint Regis Lakes, the effect was to change the sleepy village of 300 of the 1880s into the vibrant "little city" of 8,000, as the village has referred to itself for many years.
Mark Twain
Mark Twain
Samuel Langhorne Clemens , better known by his pen name Mark Twain, was an American author and humorist...
vacationed on Lake Flower in 1901 at the height of his fame. While there, he wrote a Conan Doyle
Conan Doyle
Conan Doyle is a rugby player. His club is Garryowen. His usual position is inside centre, but he also plays out-half. He has made two appearances for Munster Rugby in the Magners League, but was released by Munster at the end of the 2008/2009 season. While at Munster he was selected for the...
spoof, "A Double-Barreled Detective Story".
Saranac Lake became an especially busy town in the 1920s, with the construction of the Hotel Saranac and several new, permanent buildings after multiple fires destroyed a large part of downtown. Bootlegging
Rum-running
Rum-running, also known as bootlegging, is the illegal business of transporting alcoholic beverages where such transportation is forbidden by law...
was common in the village. Legs Diamond
Legs Diamond
Legs Diamond can refer to:*Jack Diamond , the alias of Philadelphia/New York gangster Jack Moran*Legs Diamond , an American rock and roll band*Legs Diamond , a musical written by Peter Allen...
visited his brother Eddy, who had tuberculosis and attempted a cure at a local cottage sanatorium. During the 20s, entertainer Al Jolson
Al Jolson
Al Jolson was an American singer, comedian and actor. In his heyday, he was dubbed "The World's Greatest Entertainer"....
and president Calvin Coolidge
Calvin Coolidge
John Calvin Coolidge, Jr. was the 30th President of the United States . A Republican lawyer from Vermont, Coolidge worked his way up the ladder of Massachusetts state politics, eventually becoming governor of that state...
were semi-frequent visitors to the village— Jolson once performed a solo for three hours at the Pontiac Theater on Broadway.
Beginning in 1936, Albert Einstein
Albert Einstein
Albert Einstein was a German-born theoretical physicist who developed the theory of general relativity, effecting a revolution in physics. For this achievement, Einstein is often regarded as the father of modern physics and one of the most prolific intellects in human history...
had a summer home in Saranac Lake, renting the cottage of local architect William L. Distin
William L. Distin
William L. Distin was a Canadian municipal politician. He was mayor of Hamilton, Ontario in 1849.Born in England, little is known of the life of William L. Distin. He first appears as an active member of the Hamilton community in 1849, when he was elected mayor and served on the building...
; he could often be seen sailing with his wife on Lake Flower. He was a frequent summer house guest at Louis Marshall's cottage at Knollwood Club
Knollwood Club
Knollwood Club is an Adirondack Great Camp on Shingle Bay, Lower Saranac Lake, near the village of Saranac Lake, New York. It was built in 1899–1900 by William L. Coulter, who had previously created a major addition to Alfred G. Vanderbilt's Sagamore Camp...
on Lower Saranac Lake during World War II, and it was there on August 6, 1945 that he heard on the radio that that atom bomb had been dropped on Hiroshima
Hiroshima
is the capital of Hiroshima Prefecture, and the largest city in the Chūgoku region of western Honshu, the largest island of Japan. It became best known as the first city in history to be destroyed by a nuclear weapon when the United States Army Air Forces dropped an atomic bomb on it at 8:15 A.M...
; he gave his first interview after the event at Knollwood, on August 11.
In 1954, Saranac Lake hosted the world premiere of the Biblical epic film The Silver Chalice
The Silver Chalice (film)
The Silver Chalice is a 1954 historical epic film from Warner Bros., based on Thomas B. Costain's 1952 novel of the same name.-Plot:A Greek artisan is commissioned to cast the cup of Christ in silver and sculpt around its rim the faces of the disciples and Jesus himself. He travels to Jerusalem and...
, Paul Newman
Paul Newman
Paul Leonard Newman was an American actor, film director, entrepreneur, humanitarian, professional racing driver and auto racing enthusiast...
's film debut. Several of the stars, including Virginia Mayo
Virginia Mayo
Virginia Mayo was an American film actress.After a short career in vaudeville, Mayo progressed to films and during the 1940s established herself as a supporting player in such films as The Best Years of Our Lives and White Heat .Mayo remained an A-list actress into the mid-'50s, but then went...
visited the village and participated in the winter carnival
Winter carnival
A Winter carnival is an outdoor celebration that occurs in wintertime.Winter carnivals, or festivals, are popular in places where winter is particularly long or severe, such as Scandinavia, Canada and the northern United States...
parade.
In recent years, Saranac Lake has become a more conventional tourist destination. New York's governor, Andrew Cuomo
Andrew Cuomo
Andrew Mark Cuomo is the 56th and current Governor of New York, having assumed office on January 1, 2011. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the 64th New York State Attorney General, and was the 11th United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development...
, has been coming there ever since he was a teenager and regularly vacations there with his family. The Hotel Saranac, is a memorable early 20th century Deco structure. The former sanatorium
Sanatorium
A sanatorium is a medical facility for long-term illness, most typically associated with treatment of tuberculosis before antibiotics...
is now the corporate call center for the American Management Association
American Management Association
The American Management Association , based in New York City, is a corporate training and consulting group that provides a variety of educational and management development services to businesses, government agencies and individuals. The non-profit membership organization offers business courses in...
.
Culture
Lake Flower
Lake Flower is a lake in Franklin County and Essex County in the Adirondacks; it was created by damming the Saranac River in 1827. It was originally called Newell's Pond, but was later named for New York governor Roswell P. Flower. It is the only lake within the village of Saranac Lake. The...
, which was created by a dam in the Saranac River
Saranac River
Saranac River is an river in the U.S. state of New York. In its upper reaches is a region of mostly flat water and lakes. The river has more than three dozen source lakes and ponds north of Upper Saranac Lake; the highest is Mountain Pond on Long Pond Mountain...
and named after Governor Roswell P. Flower
Roswell P. Flower
Roswell Pettibone Flower was Governor of New York from 1892 to 1894.-Biography:He was a son of Nathan Monroe Flower and Mary Ann Flower, the sixth of nine children....
.
Summer visitors enjoy canoeing and other forms of boating, hiking in the forest, climbing in the nearby mountains, and visiting the local shops and restaurants. In the summer the Village of Saranac Lake offers free concerts in Riverside Park on Lake Flower and the Berkley Green Park. Camping is also a popular pastime in the Saranac Lake region (List of area's state campgrounds).
During winters, cross-country
Cross-country skiing
Cross-country skiing is a winter sport in which participants propel themselves across snow-covered terrain using skis and poles...
and downhill
Downhill
Downhill is an alpine skiing discipline. The rules for the Downhill were originally developed by Sir Arnold Lunn for the 1921 British National Ski Championships....
skiing
Skiing
Skiing is a recreational activity using skis as equipment for traveling over snow. Skis are used in conjunction with boots that connect to the ski with use of a binding....
, snowshoeing, ice skating
Ice skating
Ice skating is moving on ice by using ice skates. It can be done for a variety of reasons, including leisure, traveling, and various sports. Ice skating occurs both on specially prepared indoor and outdoor tracks, as well as on naturally occurring bodies of frozen water, such as lakes and...
, snowmobiling are popular activities. There is also an annual one week-long winter carnival
Winter carnival
A Winter carnival is an outdoor celebration that occurs in wintertime.Winter carnivals, or festivals, are popular in places where winter is particularly long or severe, such as Scandinavia, Canada and the northern United States...
, an event that has brought people together in celebration of winter since 1898. Each year the carnival is given a theme - 2011's theme will be "Medieval Times." The Winter Carnival parade reflects the theme, and Garry Trudeau
Garry Trudeau
Garretson Beekman "Garry" Trudeau is an American cartoonist, best known for the Doonesbury comic strip.-Background and education:...
, the creator of the comic strip Doonesbury
Doonesbury
Doonesbury is a comic strip by American cartoonist Garry Trudeau, that chronicles the adventures and lives of an array of characters of various ages, professions, and backgrounds, from the President of the United States to the title character, Michael Doonesbury, who has progressed from a college...
who grew up in the town, creates artwork with characters from his comic strip doing things related to the theme for a button that can be purchased each winter. The carnival's main attraction is the ice palace
Ice palace
An ice palace or ice castle is a castle-like structure made of blocks of ice. These blocks are usually harvested from nearby rivers or lakes when they become frozen in winter. The first known ice palace appeared in St...
, which is made with blocks of ice taken from Lake Flower and illuminated with colored lights, along with various winter activities and competitions. These include a parade, which normally has several Bagpipe and drum marching band
Marching band
Marching band is a physical activity in which a group of instrumental musicians generally perform outdoors and incorporate some type of marching with their musical performance. Instrumentation typically includes brass, woodwinds, and percussion instruments...
s and the always favorite Lawn Chair Ladies, along with more usual floats and local school bands. Each year a Winter Carnival King and Queen, who preside over carnival activities, are selected from village residents based upon their contribution to Saranac Lake, while the prince and princess are from the two local colleges, North Country Community College and Paul Smith's College. There is also a winter rugby
Rugby football
Rugby football is a style of football named after Rugby School in the United Kingdom. It is seen most prominently in two current sports, rugby league and rugby union.-History:...
game.
A non-profit Village Improvement Society, dating from 1910, currently owns and maintains eight parks. The extensive parkland along the lakefront, now owned by the village, is the result of the Society's earlier efforts.
Every year the popular Can Am Rugby Tournament, the largest such tournament in the Western Hemisphere, is held in the village.
Artists' residences
The composer Béla BartókBéla Bartók
Béla Viktor János Bartók was a Hungarian composer and pianist. He is considered one of the most important composers of the 20th century and is regarded, along with Liszt, as Hungary's greatest composer...
spent summers in Saranac Lake and wrote some of his best-known works there. The writer Robert Louis Stevenson
Robert Louis Stevenson
Robert Louis Balfour Stevenson was a Scottish novelist, poet, essayist and travel writer. His best-known books include Treasure Island, Kidnapped, and Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde....
had a cottage in Saranac Lake, which still stands along with a museum dedicated to him.
The cartoonist Garry Trudeau
Garry Trudeau
Garretson Beekman "Garry" Trudeau is an American cartoonist, best known for the Doonesbury comic strip.-Background and education:...
, who draws the Doonesbury
Doonesbury
Doonesbury is a comic strip by American cartoonist Garry Trudeau, that chronicles the adventures and lives of an array of characters of various ages, professions, and backgrounds, from the President of the United States to the title character, Michael Doonesbury, who has progressed from a college...
comic strip, was raised in Saranac Lake. He is the great-grandson of Edward Trudeau, described above. Garry Trudeau has maintained his connections to Saranac Lake.
Economy
After the local Ames Department Store closed due to bankruptcy and residents were forced to travel 50 miles to PlattsburghPlattsburgh (city), New York
Plattsburgh is a city in and county seat of Clinton County, New York, United States. The population was 19,989 at the 2010 census. The population of the unincorporated areas within the Town of Plattsburgh was 11,870 as of the 2010 census; making the population for the immediate, urban Plattsburgh,...
for staples, the town was approached by Walmart which offered to build a 250,000 square foot supercenter, but it was felt by the community that Walmart would negatively impact local business and increase traffic. As an alternative a community-owned store
Community ownership
Community owned assets or organisations are those that are owned and controlled through some representative mechanism that allows a community to influence their operation or use and to enjoy the benefits arising....
was organized and shares were sold to community residents. $500,000 was raised by about 600 residents who made an average investment of $800. goal last spring. The store, Saranac Lake Community Store, opened in October 29, 2011 in remodeled facilities in downtown Saranac Lake.
Transportation
Adirondack Regional Airport
Adirondack Regional Airport is a public use airport located four nautical miles northwest of the central business district of Saranac Lake, in Franklin County, New York, United States. The airport is owned by the Town of Harrietstown...
is 8 miles (12.9 km) northwest of the village.
Adirondack Trailways serves Saranac Lake, and is part of the Greyhound Lines
Greyhound Lines
Greyhound Lines, Inc., based in Dallas, Texas, is an intercity common carrier of passengers by bus serving over 3,700 destinations in the United States, Canada and Mexico, operating under the well-known logo of a leaping greyhound. It was founded in Hibbing, Minnesota, USA, in 1914 and...
bus system.
- There is also local bus service from Franklin County Public Transportation and local taxi services.
- The Adirondack Scenic RailroadAdirondack Scenic RailroadThe Adirondack Scenic Railroad is a tourist railway located in Adirondack Park that runs during the summer months from Utica to Thendara, and from Saranac Lake to Lake Placid...
(a seasonal tourist attraction) to Lake Placid originates from the village train depot. The route will eventually be expanded to Tupper Lake. - All three of the major highways that go through Saranac Lake are also bicycle routes.
Geography
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 village has a total area of 3.0 square miles (7.8 km²), of which, 2.8 square miles (7.2 km²) of it is land and 0.2 square miles (0.6 km²) of it (7.33%) is water.
The village is located at the junction of the Towns of North Elba
North Elba, New York
North Elba is a town in Essex County, New York, United States. The population was 8,661 at the 2000 census. The town is named after the island of Elba.North Elba is on the western edge of the county...
and St.Armand
St. Armand, New York
St. Armand is a town in Essex County, New York, United States. The population was 1,321 at the 2000 census. The town was named by an early settler for Saint-Armand, Quebec in Canada....
in Essex County
Essex County, New York
Essex County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2010 census, the population was 39,370. Its name is from the English county of Essex. Its county seat is Elizabethtown...
, and Harrietstown
Harrietstown, New York
Harrietstown is a town in Franklin County, New York, United States. The population was 5,575 at the 2000 census, much of it concentrated in the village of Saranac Lake....
in Franklin County
Franklin County, New York
Franklin County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2010 census, the population was 51,599. It is named in honor of American Founding Father Benjamin Franklin...
.
The village is at the intersection of New York State Route 3
New York State Route 3
New York State Route 3 is a major east–west state highway in New York, United States, that connects central New York to the North Country region near the Canadian border via Adirondack Park. The route extends for between its western terminus at an intersection with NY 104A in the Cayuga...
and New York State Route 86
New York State Route 86
New York State Route 86 is a long state highway located within Adirondack Park in northern New York, United States, linking Franklin County to Essex County. The western terminus of the route is at NY 30 in the hamlet of Paul Smiths. The eastern terminus is at NY 9N in Jay...
. Essex County Road 33 enters the village from the southeast, and Franklin County Road 47 joins NY-86 immediately north of the village.
The closest major metropolitan city is Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, 112 miles (180.2 km) to the north. Plattsburgh, New York is 50 miles (80.5 km) to the northeast, Burlington, Vermont
Burlington, Vermont
Burlington is the largest city in the U.S. state of Vermont and the shire town of Chittenden County. Burlington lies south of the U.S.-Canadian border and some south of Montreal....
is 64 miles (103 km) to the east and Albany, New York
Albany, New York
Albany is the capital city of the U.S. state of New York, the seat of Albany County, and the central city of New York's Capital District. Roughly north of New York City, Albany sits on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River...
is 149 miles (239.8 km) to the south.
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 5,041 people, 2,369 households, and 1,182 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 1,812.0 people per square mile (700.1/km²). There were 2,854 housing units at an average density of 1,025.9 per square mile (396.4/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 96.87% White, 0.75% African American, 0.32% Native American, 0.48% Asian, 0.26% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 1.33% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.07% of the population.
There were 2,369 households out of which 25.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 35.2% 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, 10.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 50.1% were non-families. 40.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.09 and the average family size was 2.88.
In the village the population was spread out with 22.2% under the age of 18, 11.4% from 18 to 24, 28.3% from 25 to 44, 23.1% from 45 to 64, and 15.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 93.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.8 males.
The median income for a household in the village was $29,754, and the median income for a family was $42,153. Males had a median income of $32,188 versus $24,759 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 $17,590. About 8.5% of families and 13.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.5% of those under age 18 and 17.6% of those age 65 or over.
Climate
While the region's cool, clear air was part of what made Saranac Lake famous, it can be a challenge. Winters are quite cold and it is not uncommon for the village to be the coldest place in the continental United States. Spring is late and cool, summer short with cool evenings, and fall is early and crisp. The weather is famously changeable, and even short-range weather forecasts are often proven wrong. Lake-effect snow is common, and the town gets a substantial amount of it in the late fall and early winter. Sometimes the town can be buried in as much as 2 feet of lake-effect snow in December.Sister cities
Saranac Lake has two sister cities: Entrains-sur-NohainEntrains-sur-Nohain
Entrains-sur-Nohain is a commune in the Nièvre department in central France.-Demographics:At the 1999 census, the population was 975. On 1 January 2007, the estimate was 900.-References:*...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
Sainte-Agathe-des-Monts, Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
See also
- Adirondack Canoe ClassicAdirondack Canoe Classic__notoc__The Adirondack Canoe Classic, also known as the 90-miler, is a three-day, canoe race from Old Forge to Saranac Lake in the Adirondacks of New York, USA. The race has drawn as many as 500 competitors from California to Florida, New Zealand and Canada paddling 250 canoes, kayaks and...
- Church Street Historic DistrictChurch Street Historic District (Saranac Lake, New York)The Church Street Historic District is a national historic district located in Saranac Lake in Franklin County, New York. It extends roughly along Church Street from Main Street to St. Bernard Street...
- William L. CoulterWilliam L. CoulterWilliam Lincoln Coulter was an architect who came to Saranac Lake, New York in the spring of 1896 in an effort to cure his tuberculosis, and stayed to design some of the finest Adirondack Great Camps and Cure Cottages in the area...
- Cure Cottages of Saranac LakeCure Cottages of Saranac LakeBetween 1873 and 1945, Saranac Lake, New York became a world renowned center for the treatment of tuberculosis, using a treatment that involved exposing patients to as much fresh air as possible under conditions of complete bed-rest...
- William G. DistinWilliam G. DistinWilliam G. Distin , an architect of Saranac Lake, New York, was an early associate of Great Camp designer William L. Coulter who went on to design a number of Adirondack Great Camps....
- Historic Saranac LakeHistoric Saranac LakeHistoric Saranac Lake is a non-profit, membership organization dedicated to the preservation of the history and architectural heritage of the Saranac Lake area of New York State in the Adirondacks. -History:...
- Martha RebenMartha RebenMartha Reben was an author who wrote The Healing Woods , The Way of the Wilderness , and A Sharing of Joy memoirs of her experiences camping on the shore of Weller Pond eight miles from Saranac Lake, New York in the Adirondacks in 1931 in an attempt to cure herself of tuberculosis.Reben grew up...
- North Country Community CollegeNorth Country Community CollegeNorth Country Community College, founded in 1967, is a community college of the State University of New York located in Upstate New York. The main campus is in Saranac Lake, New York, and serves Franklin and Essex Counties; enrollment is approximately 2300 students. It employs 143 permanent and 300...
- Saranac Lake High SchoolSaranac Lake High SchoolSaranac Lake High School is located in the village of Saranac Lake, New York, USA. There are approximately 640 students in grades 9 through 12. It is administered by the Saranac Lake Central School District. The school is housed in a building, completed in 1968. The school colors are red and...
External links
- Adirondack Daily Enterprise newspaper
- Saranac Lake History - Historic Saranac Lake
- Saranac Lake Chamber of Commerce
- Saranac Lake Winter Carnival
- Adirondack Scenic Railroad
- The National Trust for Historic Preservation designation of Saranac Lake as one of the "Distinctive Dozen Destinations"
- North Country Community College
- WBNZ News, "SL Named a Top Destination by the NY Times"
- The Trudeau Institute
- A directory of merchants in Saranac Lake, Lake Placid, and Tupper Lake, NY.
- An Adirondack Chronology by The Adirondack Research Library (pdf)
- Historic Saranac Lake