Albany, New York Location of Albany in New York State Albany is the capital of the state of New York in the United States of America. As of the 2000 census, it has a population of 95,658. It is the county seat of Albany County. The City of Albany lies 145 miles (233 kilometers) north of and slightly east from New York City, and slightly to the south of the juncture of the Mohawk and Hudson Rivers. History New York State Capitol Building, completed in 1899 at a cost of $25 million was the most expensive government building of its time. Three teams of architects labored on it. Albany was the second settlement in the 13 original American colonies, after Jamestown, Virginia. The Dutch who built a fort there in 1614 called the place New Orange, after the Prince of Orange. When the land was taken by the British in 1664, the name was changed to Albany, in honor of the Duke of York and Albany, who later became James VII of Scotland and II of England. The Duke of Albany is a Scottish title given since 1398, generally to a younger son of the Scottish King. The name is derived from Alba; the Gaelic name for Scotland. Albany was made the state capital in 1797. PBS report on the State Capitol Geography Albany is located at 42°39'35" North, 73°46'53" West (42.659829, -73.781339)1. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 21.8 mi² (56.6 km²). 21.4 mi² (55.4 km²) of it is land and 0.5 mi² (1.2 km²) of it is water. The total area is 2.15% water. Demographics As of the census2 of 2000, there are 95,658 people, 40,709 households, and 18,400 families residing in the city. The population density is 4,474.6/mi² (1,727.5/km².) There are 45,288 housing units at an average density of 2,118.4/mi² (817.9/km².) The racial makeup of the city is 63.12% White, 28.14% Black or African American, 0.31% Native American, 3.26% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 2.15% from other races, and 2.98% from two or more races. 5.59% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race. There are 40,709 households out of which 22.0% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 25.3% are married couples living together, 16.1% have a female householder with no husband present, and 54.8% are non-families. 41.9% of all households are made up of individuals and 11.5% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.11 and the average family size is 2.95. In the city the population is spread out with 20.0% under the age of 18, 19.3% from 18 to 24, 29.2% from 25 to 44, 18.1% from 45 to 64, and 13.4% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 31 years. For every 100 females there are 90.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 86.5 males. The median income for a household in the city is $30,041, and the median income for a family is $39,932. Males have a median income of $31,535 versus $27,112 for females. The per capita income for the city is $18,281. 21.7% of the population and 16.0% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 28.8% of those under the age of 18 and 12.5% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line. Education In addition to the state government, Albany is the home of the University at Albany, a university center of the State University of New York. Several other colleges are located in Albany, including the College of Saint Rose, Excelsior College, Albany Law School, Albany Medical College, and the Albany College of Pharmacy. Additional facts about Albany On the southern section of Albany's downtown lies the Empire State Plaza. The Erastus Corning Tower stands 589 feet (180 meters) high, the tallest building in New York State outside of New York City. Several US Navy ships have been named Albany. William Alexander, a general in the Revolutionary War died there in 1783. Noted industrialist and founder of the New York Central Railroad Erastus Corning called Albany home and served as its mayor from 1834 to 1837. His great-grandson, Erastus Corning II, served as mayor of Albany from 1941 until 1983, one of the longest single mayoral terms of any major city in the United States. See also Albany International Airport External links City of Albany Movies of the Albany fire department, circa 1901 NYCD blue (index) Albany Times Union Albany's daily newspaper FAVORITE ARTICLES: History of the World    History of the United States    History of Europe    Ancient History    History    Military History    World War I    Bombing of Dresden    California    US Constitution    Frank Sinatra    Boston    Marbury v. Madison This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License at http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html You may copy and modify it as long as the entire work (including additions) remains under this license. You must provide a link to http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html To view or edit this article at Wikipedia go to http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albany,_New_York