Slingerlands, New York
Encyclopedia
Slingerlands is a hamlet in the town of Bethlehem
, Albany County
, New York
. It is located immediately west of Delmar
and near the New Scotland
town-line and south of the Albany
city-limits. It is a suburb of Albany. The Slingerlands ZIP Code
(12159) includes parts of the town of New Scotland.
from Albany through Slingerlands, to Gallupville in Schoharie County
. In 1854 the state authorized the company to abandon or sell portions and to turn other sections (including that part in Slingerlands) into a turnpike
and charge tolls. The post office
was originally called Normanskill and was built in 1852 with William H. Slingerland as the first post master. In 1863 the Albany and Susquehanna Railroad
was built through Slingerlands with a station established here as well. William H. Slingerland was the surveyor of the road, and since his route came in $600,000 less than a previous survey the company named the station here Slingerlands in his honor. In 1870 the post office also took the name Slingerlands. After having been in the rear of a grocery store for a hundred years it moved to the Tollgate Building in 1953, until the 1990s when a newer larger location was built near the Price Chopper Plaza. In 1989 the New Scotland post office was closed and the 400 residents it served were transferred to Slingerlands' ZIP Code
.
New Scotland Road through Slingerlands was labeled as part of New York State Route 85
in the 1930 renumbering of state highways. In 1968 the Slingerlands Bypass was constructed as a two-lane extension of the Crosstown Connection, a limited-access highway in the city of Albany; Route 85 was then routed onto this highway. The original plan was to connect with the Delmar Bypass near New York State Route 85A
, thereby bypassing Slingerlands, it and the Delmar Bypass were never finished due to a lack of funding. In 1987 the developer of the Juniper Fields sub-division agreed to build for the town a 1,700 foot extension of the Delmar Bypass to Van Dyke Avenue, and the developer of Delmar Village agreed to build a 2,750 foot extension of Fisher Boulevard to Delaware Avenue, this then left only a 6,000 foot extension of the Delmar Bypass to complete a full loop around Delmar and Slingerlands. At the time it was still the long-term goal of the town to extend both bypasses themselves to their original meeting point near Route 85A. In 2007 the existing Slingerlands Bypass was reconstructed from two to four lanes and the highway was extended behind the Price Chopper Plaza to meet New Scotland Road over Le Grange Road opposite Cherry Avenue Extension. Each intersection, four in all, were converted to two-lane roundabout
s.
The Slingerlands Homeowners Association was founded in 1972 and is the oldest neighborhood association in the town of Bethlehem. The neighborhood group had become moribund by the late 1980s, but was reactivated by controversy over a new shopping center and succeeded in having the shopping center, today the Price Chopper Plaza, scaled back by almost half.
In 1987 Slingerlands was the site of filming for some scenes in the movie Ironweed
starring Jack Nicholson
, based on the book of the same name written by William Kennedy. Scenes were filmed of a recreated 1930s era steam locomotive and the Dillenbeck House at 1511 New Scotland Road (built in 1876).
) from the Albany city-limits south and west to Fisher Boulevard near the New Scotland town-line; and along Kenwood Avenue east from NY 85 to Adrianca Lane.
Much of the newer residential construction has been built in a style to imitate that of the historic house-styles, such as Greek Revival, Federal, Victorian, and Colonial. A house in Slingerlands built in 1922 was once the official residence for the president of the University at Albany, SUNY
. Among the relatively new, yet still historic, is a 1929 cottage built from a kit bought from the Sears, Roebuck catalogue.
(BCS) and the children attend Slingerlands Elementary School
for kindergarten through fifth grade; and Bethlehem Central Middle School
and Bethlehem Central High School
for sixth through twelfth.
Bethlehem, New York
Bethlehem is a town in Albany County, New York, USA. The population was 33,656 at the 2010 census. The town is south of Albany. Bethlehem includes the following hamlets: Delmar, Elsmere, Slingerlands, Glenmont, Selkirk, South and North Bethlehem. U.S. Route 9W passes through the town...
, Albany County
Albany County, New York
Albany County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York, and is part of the Albany-Schenectady-Troy Metropolitan Statistical Area. The name is from the title of the Duke of York and Albany, who became James II of England . As of the 2010 census, the population was 304,204...
, 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...
. It is located immediately west of Delmar
Delmar, New York
Delmar is a hamlet in the town of Bethlehem, Albany County, New York. A census-designated place has been established since 1980 by the US Bureau of Census for tabulating the population of what the census has defined as the boundaries of the urbanized area in and around Delmar. The population was...
and near the New Scotland
New Scotland, New York
New Scotland is a town in Albany County, New York, United States. The population was 8,648 at the 2010 census.The town is southwest of Albany, New York, the state capital. New Scotland is centrally located in the county.-History:...
town-line and south of the Albany
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...
city-limits. It is a suburb of Albany. The Slingerlands ZIP Code
ZIP Code
ZIP codes are a system of postal codes used by the United States Postal Service since 1963. The term ZIP, an acronym for Zone Improvement Plan, is properly written in capital letters and was chosen to suggest that the mail travels more efficiently, and therefore more quickly, when senders use the...
(12159) includes parts of the town of New Scotland.
History
The history of Slingerlands begins in 1850 when the Albany, Rensselaerville, and Schoharie Plank Road Company was established by the state to construct a plank roadPlank road
A plank road or puncheon is a dirt path or road covered with a series of planks, similar to the wooden sidewalks one would see in a Western movie. Plank roads were very popular in Ontario, the U.S. Northeast and U.S. Midwest in the first half of the 19th century...
from Albany through Slingerlands, to Gallupville in Schoharie County
Schoharie County, New York
As of the census of 2000, there were 31,582 people, 11,991 households and 8,177 families residing in the county. The population density was 51 people per square mile . There were 15,915 housing units at an average density of 26 per square mile...
. In 1854 the state authorized the company to abandon or sell portions and to turn other sections (including that part in Slingerlands) into a turnpike
Toll road
A toll road is a privately or publicly built road for which a driver pays a toll for use. Structures for which tolls are charged include toll bridges and toll tunnels. Non-toll roads are financed using other sources of revenue, most typically fuel tax or general tax funds...
and charge tolls. The 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...
was originally called Normanskill and was built in 1852 with William H. Slingerland as the first post master. In 1863 the Albany and Susquehanna Railroad
Albany and Susquehanna Railroad
The Albany and Susquehanna Railroad was a railroad running from Albany to Binghamton, operating 1851 to 1870-History:Construction began on April 19, 1851 from Albany to Schoharie Junction, New York, a distance of 35 miles . This phase was completed in 1863...
was built through Slingerlands with a station established here as well. William H. Slingerland was the surveyor of the road, and since his route came in $600,000 less than a previous survey the company named the station here Slingerlands in his honor. In 1870 the post office also took the name Slingerlands. After having been in the rear of a grocery store for a hundred years it moved to the Tollgate Building in 1953, until the 1990s when a newer larger location was built near the Price Chopper Plaza. In 1989 the New Scotland post office was closed and the 400 residents it served were transferred to Slingerlands' ZIP Code
ZIP Code
ZIP codes are a system of postal codes used by the United States Postal Service since 1963. The term ZIP, an acronym for Zone Improvement Plan, is properly written in capital letters and was chosen to suggest that the mail travels more efficiently, and therefore more quickly, when senders use the...
.
New York State Route 85
New York State Route 85 is a state highway in Albany County, New York, in the United States. It is long and runs from County Route 351 and CR 353 in Rensselaerville to Interstate 90 exit 4 in Albany. It also has a loop route, NY 85A, which connects NY 85 to...
in the 1930 renumbering of state highways. In 1968 the Slingerlands Bypass was constructed as a two-lane extension of the Crosstown Connection, a limited-access highway in the city of Albany; Route 85 was then routed onto this highway. The original plan was to connect with the Delmar Bypass near New York State Route 85A
New York State Route 85A
New York State Route 85A is an east–west state highway in Albany County, New York, in the United States. It serves as a , two-lane alternate route of NY 85 through the town of New Scotland, running from the hamlet of New Salem to the hamlet of New Scotland...
, thereby bypassing Slingerlands, it and the Delmar Bypass were never finished due to a lack of funding. In 1987 the developer of the Juniper Fields sub-division agreed to build for the town a 1,700 foot extension of the Delmar Bypass to Van Dyke Avenue, and the developer of Delmar Village agreed to build a 2,750 foot extension of Fisher Boulevard to Delaware Avenue, this then left only a 6,000 foot extension of the Delmar Bypass to complete a full loop around Delmar and Slingerlands. At the time it was still the long-term goal of the town to extend both bypasses themselves to their original meeting point near Route 85A. In 2007 the existing Slingerlands Bypass was reconstructed from two to four lanes and the highway was extended behind the Price Chopper Plaza to meet New Scotland Road over Le Grange Road opposite Cherry Avenue Extension. Each intersection, four in all, were converted to two-lane roundabout
Roundabout
A roundabout is the name for a road junction in which traffic moves in one direction around a central island. The word dates from the early 20th century. Roundabouts are common in many countries around the world...
s.
The Slingerlands Homeowners Association was founded in 1972 and is the oldest neighborhood association in the town of Bethlehem. The neighborhood group had become moribund by the late 1980s, but was reactivated by controversy over a new shopping center and succeeded in having the shopping center, today the Price Chopper Plaza, scaled back by almost half.
In 1987 Slingerlands was the site of filming for some scenes in the movie Ironweed
Ironweed (film)
Ironweed is a 1987 film directed by Argentine-born Brazilian Héctor Babenco.The picture is based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel of the same title by William Kennedy and concerns the relationship of a homeless couple: Francis, an alcoholic, and Helen, a terminally ill woman during the Great...
starring Jack Nicholson
Jack Nicholson
John Joseph "Jack" Nicholson is an American actor, film director, producer and writer. He is renowned for his often dark portrayals of neurotic characters. Nicholson has been nominated for an Academy Award twelve times, and has won the Academy Award for Best Actor twice: for One Flew Over the...
, based on the book of the same name written by William Kennedy. Scenes were filmed of a recreated 1930s era steam locomotive and the Dillenbeck House at 1511 New Scotland Road (built in 1876).
Geography
Slingerlands is situated along New Scotland Road (New York State Route 85New York State Route 85
New York State Route 85 is a state highway in Albany County, New York, in the United States. It is long and runs from County Route 351 and CR 353 in Rensselaerville to Interstate 90 exit 4 in Albany. It also has a loop route, NY 85A, which connects NY 85 to...
) from the Albany city-limits south and west to Fisher Boulevard near the New Scotland town-line; and along Kenwood Avenue east from NY 85 to Adrianca Lane.
Location
Demographics
The population of Slingerlands ZIP code, which is larger geographically than the hamlet itself is 7,646.Architecture
Slingerlands is predominately residential, with commercial properties mostly along New Scotland Road from the Albany city-line south to the intersection with Kenwood Avenue. Many historic homes and buildings from the 1800s still stand in the heart of the hamlet, many of which are associated with the founding family of the Slingerland's, such as the Dillenback House built by Albert Slingerland. The oldest house in the hamlet is that of John Albert Slingerland, and Albert I. Slingerland built the Slingerlands Community Methodist Church in 1872. The Old Slingerlands Schoolhouse built in 1908 has been converted into apartments.Much of the newer residential construction has been built in a style to imitate that of the historic house-styles, such as Greek Revival, Federal, Victorian, and Colonial. A house in Slingerlands built in 1922 was once the official residence for the president of the University at Albany, SUNY
University at Albany, SUNY
The State University of New York at Albany, also known as University at Albany, State University of New York, SUNY Albany or simply UAlbany, is a public university located in Albany, Guilderland, and East Greenbush, New York, United States; is the senior campus of the State University of New York ...
. Among the relatively new, yet still historic, is a 1929 cottage built from a kit bought from the Sears, Roebuck catalogue.
Education
Slingerlands is a part of the Bethlehem Central School DistrictBethlehem Central School District
The Bethlehem Central School District is a public school district in New York State, serving approximately 5100 students just south of Albany in the towns of Bethlehem and New Scotland in Albany County with a staff of 400 and a budget of $72 million....
(BCS) and the children attend Slingerlands Elementary School
Slingerlands Elementary School
Slingerlands Elementary School is an elementary school located in Slingerlands, New York.External linkshttp://bcsd.k12.ny.us/slingerlands/slingerlands.htm...
for kindergarten through fifth grade; and Bethlehem Central Middle School
Bethlehem Central Middle School
Bethlehem Central Middle School is a school in the Bethlehem Central School District. The town that this school is located in is Bethlehem, New York. The school holds 6th, 7th, and 8th graders. It was formerly the district's high school from 1932 to 1952...
and Bethlehem Central High School
Bethlehem Central High School
Bethlehem Central High School is a high school in Delmar, New York, just south of Albany. Located at 700 Delaware Avenue, the school serves students in grades 9-12 from the towns of Bethlehem and New Scotland. The school was ranked 1048 on Newsweek's 2010 " Top US High Schools."The high school was...
for sixth through twelfth.