Glens Falls

Glens Falls is a City located in Warren County, New York , USA . As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 14,354. The name is derived from the large waterfall in the Hudson River at the southern base of the city.

The City of Glens Falls is in the southern part of Warren County. The city has referred to itself as the "Empire City." Glens Falls is also known as "Hometown U.S.A.", a title given to it by Look Magazine in 1944. The city is located in the southeast corner of the county, surrounded by the Town Of Queensbury to the North, East, and West, and by the Hudson River and Saratoga County to the South.

HISTORY

The area was originally called Chepontuc, but was renamed '''The Corners'''. In 1766 it was renamed Wings Falls for Abraham Wing, who established a permanent settlement. After title was granted to Colonel Johannes Glen, the name was changed to Glens Falls.

Glens Falls became an incorporated village in 1837 , but was re-incorporated in 1874 and 1887. The city charter was granted in 1907 at which time, the city became a separate entity from the Town of Queensbury into which it had formerly been incorporated as its largest village.

Historic and Noteworthy Sites in Glens Falls

The Oldest Building in Glens Falls.

The oldest building in Glens Falls, located in the downtown area, is one of the few buildings in the city that predates 1864 . The stone and brick structure at the bottom of the hill was erected circa 1815 and served as Calvin Robbin's Blacksmith Shop. In 1864 there was a massive fire that destroyed most of buildings in the central business district.

The Feeder Canal
Across from this historic Canal is a hydro-electric power-plant on Glens Falls. The canal was created circa 1820 to feed water into the Champlain Canal . During the Early 19th Century the New York State Canal System served a crucial portion of the state's economy. In Glens Falls, Lime, Marble, Lumber, and agricultural products were shipped from the docks at the base of Canal Street.

Fort Amherst Road
Located near this road is the location where Fort Amherst once was. The fort is no longer extant, however portions of the wood foundations were known as late as 1880. The fort constituted a block house marking the half-way point on the road between Fort Ann and Fort William Henry at the head of Lake George . This Fort system, erected by the British, was built to secure the northern territories of the colony from incursions from the French during the French And Indian War .

Civil War Monument
A limestone Obelisk located in the intersection of Glen, South, and Bay streets, only solders from the Civil War are listed on the monument. Many battles of the war are listed.

Quaker Meeting House
The Quaker Meeting House, an Italianate edifice on Ridge St. was built in 1875, and originally contained no heating system.

DeLong House
Presently the home of the Glens Falls/Queensbury Historical Association and the Chapman Historical Museum . A Greek Revival and Second Empire edifice on the corner of Glen and Bacon Streets. A Queen Anne style Carriage Barn also sits on the property.

Glens Falls Hospital
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 generously donated his home in Glens Falls for the Hospital. The present structure has been modified and enlarged several times to better serve the needs of the community.

Charles R. Wood Theater
This theater opened in 2003 on Glen Street, in the heart of Glens Falls. A former Woolworth store for years, it is now the home of the Adirondack Theatre Festival during the summer months, and introduces culture and theatre into the surrounding community.

Hyde Museum
The center among a triplet of revival type residences constructed for the daughters of Samuel Pruyn, the Hyde is today a world class museum of european, american, and contemporary art. The principle collection is presented in it's original domestic context as a private collection.

First Presbyterian Church
The fifth house of worship of this Congregation chartered in 1803 was constructed in 1929. A Gothic Revival design by Ralph Adams Cram , is among the most outstanding buildings in Glens Falls. Cram was also contracted subsequently by St. Mary's Parish to design the Academy building of the same name on Warren Street.

MAYORS OF GLENS FALLS

Charles W. Cool 1908-10
Samuel D. Kendrick 1910-11
W. Irving Griffing 1912-15
Edward Reed 1916-20 (died in office)
Julius Jacobson 1920
W. Irving Griffing 1920-21
Charles W. Cool 1922-24
Charles H. Hitchcock 1924-25
Orville C. Smith 1926-31
Earle H. Stickney 1932-33
W. Irving Griffing 1934-35
Earle H. Stickney 1936-39
John Bazinet 1940-49
Milton G. Tibbitts 1950-51
J. Ward Russell 1952-53
Milton G. Tibbitts 1954-57
J. Ward Russell 1958-61
Harry Helm 1962-63
James E. Wallace 1964-65
James Donnelly 1966-69
Robert J. Cronin 1970-77
Edward M. Bartholomew 1978-85
Francis X. O'Keefe 1986-93
Vincent J. DeSantis 1994-97
Robert A. Regan 1998-2005
Roy Akins 2006-

INDUSTRY

NOTEWORTHY PERSONS

Having been born or residing in Glens Falls:

Charles Evans Hughes Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court

Governor John A. Dix Governor of State of New York

Henry Crandall Philanthropist

Charles R. Wood Theme Park Visionary

Seneca Ray Stoddard Photographer and Cartographer.

Joseph Bruno New York State Senate Majority Leader

Dave LaPoint retired Major League Baseball pitcher and 1982 World Series Champion

Louis Fiske Hyde Businessman, Art Collector

Edward C. Prescott 2004 Nobel Prize in Economics, Glens Falls High School class of 1958

Orange Ferriss (1814-1894)MC

Phil Morse Co-Owner of MLB Boston Red Sox Baseball Team

Barry Melrose ESPN Hockey Anchor and Co-owner of Adirondack Frostbite UHL Hockey Team

Hank Pelton Owner of Big Uglies a trophy business, A Minor Legend in High School football due to his coaching ability. Also Famous for his stories.

'Hacksaw' Jim Duggan Legendary Professional Wrestler of Mid-South , WWF & WCW fame.

GEOGRAPHY

Glens Falls is located at 43°18'44" North, 73°38'54" West (43.312104, -73.648250).

According to the United States Census Bureau , the city has a total area of 10.2 Km&² (3.9 Mi&² ). 9.9 km&² (3.8 mi&²) of it is land and 0.3 km&² (0.1 mi&²) of it is water. The total area is 2.54% water.

The city is located on the Hudson River , in the Adirondack foothills, at the border of Saratoga County, New York .

DEMOGRAPHICS

As of the Census of 2000, there were 14,354 people, 6,267 households, and 3,415 families residing in the city. The Population Density was 1,447.0/km&² (3,752.2/mi&²). There were 6,811 housing units at an average density of 686.6/km&² (1,780.4/mi&²). The racial makeup of the city was 96.54% White , 1.30% African American , 0.15% Native American , 0.42% Asian , 0.01% Pacific Islander , 0.33% from Other Races , and 1.24% from two or more races. 1.39% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 6,267 households out of which 29.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 36.3% were Married Couples living together, 13.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 45.5% were non-families. 36.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.25 and the average family size was 2.98.

In the city the population was spread out with 24.4% under the age of 18, 9.0% from 18 to 24, 31.9% from 25 to 44, 21.0% from 45 to 64, and 13.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 92.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.4 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $30,222, and the median income for a family was $42,266. Males had a median income of $29,283 versus $21,606 for females. The Per Capita Income for the city was $18,137. 14.8% of the population and 12.0% of families were below the Poverty Line . 21.7% of those under the age of 18 and 9.4% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.

RAIL TRANSPORTATION

Amtrak , the national passenger rail system, provides service to Glens 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.

SCHOOLS

Glens Falls High School is located at 10 Quade Street near Sherman Avenue in Glens Falls, New York. The school has been recently renovated and modernized with a new 3rd floor addition, new rooms, and new computers. It features a Spanish and French department, a science department (Biology, Chemistry, Forensics, Earth Science, Physics, etc.), a History and Social Sciences department (Global Studies, World War II, AP European History, etc.), Business (Keyboarding, Business Law, Accounting), and an Art and Music department.

The Glens Falls City High School has a variety of athletic activities, most notable of which are the basketball, lacrosse, soccer, ice hockey, football, and field hockey teams. Other programs include track & field, tennis, bowling, swimming & diving, alpine skiing, nordic skiing,softball and baseball.

All GFHS Athletic teams carry the name "Indians." (Glens Falls Indians)

Adirondack Community College

As part of the State University of New York, Adirondack Community College (ACC) is a two-year college accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools. ACC offers extensive Associate degrees and Certificate programs and practices transfer agreements with numerous Colleges and Universities.

REGIONAL EVENTS

Glens Falls Snow Sculpture Contest
Crowds gathered in City Park late January 2004 to see the completion and judging of the New York State Snow Sculpting Championships. In this competition professional snow-sculpters were given a large block of Snow and carved it into an incredible Sculpture . The artists worked night and day in bitter cold conditions to complete their sculptures before January 24 , 2004 when a panel of judges decided the first, second, and third place winners. The sculptures were judged based on intricacy and creativeness. Third Place and the People's Choice Award went to "Spring", a sculpture featuring kittens and daffodils. Winning Second Place was "Incepience". And the First Place Winner was "Winding up Ahead of Evolution", a design featuring a human head with gears winding up in the back. There were many other great sculptures with everything from seahorses to dragons.

The Adirondack Balloon Festival
Each year, a balloon festival is held near Glens Falls at the Warren County Floyd Bennet Memorial Airport . The weather for the 2004 balloon festival was great. Many balloons went up, including the Old Mcdonald's barn balloon, the Little Bees balloons, the American eagle balloon, the Chief Rocky balloon, the Octopus Garden balloon, and the Purple People Eater balloon. The MegaRay, the world's largest kite, was also scheduled to fly.

CIVIC FACILITIES

The Glens Falls Civic Center opened in 1979 and hosts sports and entertainment events in downtown Glens Falls. This versatile multi-purpose complex includes an arena for sporting events, concerts, family activities, dance, theater and trade shows as well as banquet facilities. The Civic Center includes 4,806 permanent arena seats focused on an ice hockey/basketball-type aren and the ability to accommodate an audience of up to 7,800 people for concerts and other events. The Civic Center is home to the Adirondack Frostbite, of the UHL, the Adirondack Wildcats of the USBL, the New York State Boys Public High School Basketball Tournament and the Federation Basketball Tournament of Champions as well as The Adirondack Stampede, a rodeo.

The Glens Falls YMCA features many different recreational activities for people of all ages. The YMCA is currently undergoing construction and renovations to make it better than ever. Plans have been made for the addition of an indoor running track, a new swimming pool for non-competitive swimmers, a youth fitness center, and more.
The expansion will be done in three phases. The first phase includes an arts and crafts room, youth fitness center, and group exercise and family activity rooms. Phase two is the construction of the indoor track, and phase three the new Lifetime Pool, which will have shallower, warmer water for the elderly and small children.
The YMCA has received about 250 grants from individuals, foundations, and companies to cover the cost of the expansion.

EXTERNAL LINKS

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Glens Falls