Portal:Capital District

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The Capital District is a region in upstate New York that generally refers to the four counties surrounding Albany, the capital of the state: Albany County, Schenectady County, Rensselaer County, and Saratoga County. Often the other counties of the Albany-Schenectady-Amsterdam Combined Statistical Area and Greene County are included, especially for economic and demographic compilations and regional planning. The Capital District is notable for many historical and industrial events. The Battle of Saratoga and the Albany Plan of Union are two historical events from before American independence which are now considered of national and sometimes also of international importance. Many multinational corporations were founded in the Capital District including New York Central Railroad, American Express, General Electric, American Locomotive Company, and International Paper. The Capital District was first settled by the Dutch in the early 1600s and came under British control in 1664. Albany has been the permanent capital of the state of New York since 1797. Read more... Error creating thumbnail: File missing The Port of Albany–Rensselaer, widely known as the Port of Albany, is a major port operating year-round on both sides of the Hudson River within Albany and Rensselaer, New York. The name Port of Albany-Rensselaer came into use in 1925, though separate private and public port facilities have existed in both cities since the 17th century. The Albany Basin and Erie Canal were both constructed with public funds in 1825 leading to a huge boost in the shipping industry. The current port location was constructed in 1932 under Governor Franklin D. Roosevelt. Public and private facilities not owned by the Port of Albany continue to exist in both cities, though they tend to be recreational and non-commercial. The Port of Albany consists of roughly 236 acres (96 ha), of which approximately 202 acres (82 ha) are in Albany and 34 acres (14 ha) in Rensselaer. It is 124 nautical miles (230 km) north of New York Harbor. From New York Harbor to the Federal Dam three miles (5 km) north of Albany, the Hudson River is an estuary of the Atlantic Ocean. The Hudson has a deep water shipping channel 400 feet (120 m) across, and at Albany the river is 700 feet (210 m) across with a maximum 31 feet (9.4 m) saltwater draft and a mean range of tides of 4.7 feet (1.4 m). The port is at sea level. Since the founding of Albany in 1624 as a trading post, shipping has been important to its growth and prosperity. Furs (especially beaver), timber, and farm produce were important exports while European people and goods were shipped in. The Dongan Charter, which established Albany as a city, made Albany the exclusive market town in the upper Hudson River Valley. From its beginning the port consisted of hastily-built docks built every spring and destroyed every winter by erosion, flooding, ice, and tidal action. Three city-owned docks were established in 1766, the northern and southern ones later being expanded into wharves. Canfield Casino and Congress Park in Saratoga Springs, New York Canfield Casino and Congress Park in Saratoga Springs, New York WikiProjects are organized groups of editors working towards improving articles on a particular topic. General: Capital District • New York • New York State Routes • Hudson Valley Template:/box-header {{Wikipedia:WikiProject Capital District/Goals}} Template:/box-footer Kiliaen van Rensselaer (before 1596 – after 1642) was a Dutch diamond and pearl merchant from Amsterdam who was one of the founders and directors of the Dutch West India Company and was instrumental in the establishment of New Netherland. He became one of the first patroons and ended up being the only successful one, having founded the Manor of Rensselaerswyck in what is now mainly New York's Capital District. His estate lasted as a legal entity until the 1840s, having lived through Dutch and British colonial times, the American Revolution, and eventually coming to an end during the Anti-Rent War. Van Rensselaer was born in the province of Gelderland to a soldier and a homemaker. To keep him from risking his life in the army like his father, he apprenticed under his uncle, a successful Amsterdam jeweler. He too became a successful jeweler and was one of the first subscribers to the Dutch West India Company upon its conception. He may very well be the source of the idea of patroonships and was probably the leading proponent of the Charter of Freedoms and Exemptions. His patroonship became the most successful to exist, with van Rensselaer making full use of his business tactics and advantages, such as his connection to the Director of New Netherland, his confidantes at the West India Company, and his extended family members that were more than happy to emigrate to a better place to farm. He was married twice and had at least eleven children, two of whom succeeded him as patroons of Rensselaerswyck. Van Rensselaer died sometime after 1642. Van Rensselaer's effect on the history of the United States cannot be underestimated: the American van Rensselaers all descend from Kiliaen's son Jeremias and the subsequent family is noted for being a very powerful and wealthy influence in the history of New York and the Northeastern United States producing multiple State Legislators, Congressmen, and two Lieutenant Governors in New York. New York New York City Finger Lakes Hudson Valley ▼ Capital District, New York ► Albany County, New York ► Columbia County, New York ► Education in New York's Capital District ► Fulton County, New York ► Greene County, New York ► Montgomery County, New York ► People from Capital District, New York ► Rensselaer County, New York ► Saratoga County, New York ► Schenectady County, New York ► Schoharie County, New York ► Transportation in New York's Capital District ► Warren County, New York ► Washington County, New York Featured content Fort Ticonderoga • New York's 20th congressional district special election, 2009 • New York State Route 22 • New York State Route 28 • New York State Route 28N • New York State Route 32 • Oakwood Cemetery (Troy, New York) • List of highways in Warren County, New York Good articles 1989 Northeastern United States tornado outbreak • Albany, New York • Albany City Hall • Albany Pine Bush • Battle of Bennington • Battles of Saratoga • Central Troy Historic District • Coat of arms of Albany, New York • Dongan Charter • Joseph H. Allen • Kiliaen van Rensselaer (Dutch merchant) • New York State Route 8 • New York State Route 9L • New York State Route 9N • New York State Route 32B • New York State Route 149 • New York State Route 254 • New York State Route 418 • Port of Albany-Rensselaer • Saratoga campaign • U.S. Route 4 in New York • Washington Park Historic District (Albany, New York) Looking upstream along the Hudson River at the Collar City Bridge in Troy, New York Looking upstream along the Hudson River at the Collar City Bridge in Troy, New York Nassau, Bahamas Nijmegen, Netherlands Quebec City, Canada Tula, Russia Verona, Italy Saga City, Japan Chekhov, Russia Vichy, France Nijkerk, Netherlands x75px Sister cities of Albany Sister city of Glens Falls Sister cities of Saratoga Springs Sister city of Schenectady Template:/box-header The following Wikimedia sister projects provide more on this subject: What are portals? List of portals Featured portals