Saratoga County, New York | |
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 Flag  Seal | |
 Location within the U.S. state ofNew York | |
| Coordinates:43°07′N73°52′W / 43.11°N 73.87°W /43.11; -73.87 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  New York |
| Founded | February 7, 1791; 235 years ago (1791-02-07)[a] |
| Named after | Iroquoissah-rah-ka,"the hill beside the river" |
| Seat | Ballston Spa |
| Largest city | Clifton Park, New York |
| Area | |
• Total | 844 sq mi (2,190 km2) |
| • Land | 810 sq mi (2,100 km2) |
| • Water | 34 sq mi (88 km2) 4.0% |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 235,509[1][2] |
| • Density | 290.8/sq mi (112.3/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) |
| Congressional districts | 20th,21st |
| Website | saratogacountyny |
| Highest elevation: 2,759 ft (841 m) (Tenant Mountain),[3] in theAdirondack Mountains. Lowest elevation: 69 ft (21 m), at the confluence of theHudson River and theMohawk River. | |
Saratoga County is acounty in theU.S. state ofNew York, and is the fastest-growing county inUpstate New York.[4] As of the2020 United States census, the county's population was enumerated at 235,509,[1] its highestdecennial count ever and a 7.2% increase from the 219,607 recorded at the2010 census,[5] representing one of the fastest growth rates in New York. Thecounty seat isBallston Spa.[6] The county is part of theCapital District region of the state.
Saratoga County's name was derived from theIroquois wordsah-rah-ka orsarach-togue, meaning "the hill beside the river", referring to theHudson River bordering the county on its eastern flank and theMohawk River delineating its southern border. Saratoga County, bisected by thetoll-free, six-laneAdirondack Northway, serves as anoutdoor recreational haven and as the gateway to theAdirondack Mountains and State Park for the populations of theAlbany andNew York Citymetropolitan areas. The county is also home to the internationally renownedSaratoga Race Course,[7] one of the oldest venues inhorse racing.
Saratoga County lies in the heart of eastern New York State's recognizedTech Valley, a growing center for thecomputer hardware side of thehigh-technology industry and its concomitantventure capital investment, with great strides in thenanotechnology sector,digital electronics design, and water- and electricity-dependentintegrated microchip circuit manufacturing, and more recently,artificial intelligence, involving companies includingIBM,GlobalFoundries,Samsung, andTaiwan Semiconductor, among others.[8][9][10] In April 2021,GlobalFoundries, a company specializing in thesemiconductor industry, moved its headquarters fromSilicon Valley, California to its most advancedsemiconductor-chip manufacturing facility in Saratoga County near a section of the Adirondack Northway, inMalta, New York.[11]
The county is also frequently recognized for its highstandard of living andquality of life. Saratoga County touts its strongly academic schools, clean environment and relatively cool climate, abundance of clean water and electricity, natural beauty and recreational opportunities, low county tax rates, and availability of new housing in its approach to robust growth in the county's high-tech workforce.
When counties were established in theProvince of New York in 1683, the present Saratoga County was part ofAlbany County. This was an enormous county, including the northern part of New York, as well as all of the present state ofVermont and, in theory, extending westward to thePacific Ocean. This large county was progressively reduced in size by the separation of several counties until 1791, when Saratoga County andRensselaer County were split off from Albany County. TheBattles of Saratoga (September 19 and October 7, 1777) marked the climax of theSaratoga campaign, giving a decisive victory to the Americans over the British in theAmerican Revolutionary War, which convincedFrance that theThirteen Colonies could win the war. The government of Louis XVI began lending military and financial aid to the American Patriot cause.
During the 19th century, Saratoga County was an important industrial center. Its location 30 miles north of Albany on theDelaware and Hudson Railway, as well as its proximity to water power from the Hudson River and theKayaderosseras Creek, led to rapid industrial development beginning in the early 19th century. Some of the most important industrial employers were paper mills, tanneries,foundries, and textile mills.[12]
Since the construction of the Adirondack Northway in the 1960s, Saratoga County has consistently been the fastest-growing county in theCapital District and indeed, in Upstate New York, and one of the fastest-growing in theNortheastern United States. The county has historically maintained a low county tax rate; according to its official website, Saratoga County levies one of the lowest county tax rates in New York.[13]
Saratoga County is situated in the eastern portion of New York State, north of the state capital city ofAlbany, northwest ofTroy, and east ofUtica. According to theU.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 844 square miles (2,190 km2), of which 810 square miles (2,100 km2) are land and 34 square miles (88 km2) (4.0%) are covered by water.[14] The Hudson River forms the eastern border of the county, while theMohawk River demarcates its southern border. The highest elevation in Saratoga County is at the peak of Tenant Mountain in theAdirondack Mountains, at 2,759 ft (841 m),[3] while the lowest elevation is 69 ft (21 m), at the waterfront of theVillage of Waterford, at the confluence of the Mohawk and Hudson Rivers.
Saratoga County is bordered by eight counties. Listedclockwise, they are:
Places adjacent to Saratoga County, New York | |
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| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1800 | 24,483 | — | |
| 1810 | 33,147 | 35.4% | |
| 1820 | 36,052 | 8.8% | |
| 1830 | 38,679 | 7.3% | |
| 1840 | 40,553 | 4.8% | |
| 1850 | 45,646 | 12.6% | |
| 1860 | 51,729 | 13.3% | |
| 1870 | 51,529 | −0.4% | |
| 1880 | 55,156 | 7.0% | |
| 1890 | 57,663 | 4.5% | |
| 1900 | 61,089 | 5.9% | |
| 1910 | 61,917 | 1.4% | |
| 1920 | 60,029 | −3.0% | |
| 1930 | 63,314 | 5.5% | |
| 1940 | 65,606 | 3.6% | |
| 1950 | 74,869 | 14.1% | |
| 1960 | 89,096 | 19.0% | |
| 1970 | 121,679 | 36.6% | |
| 1980 | 153,759 | 26.4% | |
| 1990 | 181,276 | 17.9% | |
| 2000 | 200,635 | 10.7% | |
| 2010 | 219,607 | 9.5% | |
| 2020 | 235,509 | 7.2% | |
| 2023 (est.) | 238,711 | 1.4% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census[15] 1790-1960[16] 1900-1990[17] 1990-2000[18] 2010, 2020, and 2023[1] | |||
In 1960, Saratoga County had a population of only 89,000, less than half of its population noted at the2020 United States census, enumerated at 235,509.[1][19] Saratoga County has continued its robust growth in the 2020s, in spite of theCOVID-19 pandemic.
| Race / Ethnicity(NH = Non-Hispanic) | Pop 1980[20] | Pop 1990[21] | Pop 2000[22] | Pop 2010[23] | Pop 2020[24] | % 1980 | % 1990 | % 2000 | % 2010 | % 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| White alone (NH) | 150,452 | 175,536 | 190,840 | 203,647 | 203,781 | 97.85% | 96.83% | 95.12% | 92.73% | 86.53% |
| Black or African American alone (NH) | 1,363 | 2,131 | 2,628 | 3,053 | 3,752 | 0.89% | 1.18% | 1.31% | 1.39% | 1.59% |
| Native American orAlaska Native alone (NH) | 184 | 253 | 326 | 325 | 301 | 0.12% | 0.14% | 0.16% | 0.15% | 0.13% |
| Asian alone (NH) | 576 | 1,321 | 2,064 | 3,880 | 7,444 | 0.37% | 0.73% | 1.03% | 1.77% | 3.16% |
| Native Hawaiian orPacific Islander alone (NH) | x[25] | x[26] | 32 | 35 | 60 | x | x | 0.02% | 0.02% | 0.03% |
| Other race alone (NH) | 182 | 84 | 165 | 227 | 833 | 0.12% | 0.05% | 0.08% | 0.10% | 0.35% |
| Mixed race or Multiracial (NH) | x[27] | x[28] | 1,746 | 3,161 | 10,671 | x | x | 0.87% | 1.44% | 4.53% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 1,002 | 1,951 | 2,834 | 5,279 | 8,667 | 0.65% | 1.08% | 1.41% | 2.40% | 3.68% |
| Total | 153,759 | 181,276 | 200,635 | 219,607 | 235,509 | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% |
As of the2010 U.S. census,[29] there were 219,607 people, 88,296 households, and 58,814 families residing in Saratoga County. The population density was 271 inhabitants per square mile (105/km2). There were 98,656 housing units at an average density of 122 units per square mile (47/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 94.3%White, 1.8%Asian, 1.5%Black orAfrican American, 0.2%Native American, 0.0%Pacific Islander, 0.5% fromother races, and 1.7% from two or more races. 2.4% of the population wereHispanic orLatino of any race.
There were 88,296 households, out of which 29.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.3% weremarried couples living together, 9.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.4% were non-families. 26.1% of all households were made up of individuals, 31.5% of households had individuals under 18 years, and 9.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 2.96.
Of Saratoga County's population in 2010, 6.3% were between ages of 5 and 9 years, 6.7% between 10 and 14 years, 6.5% between 15 and 19 years, 5.5% between 20 and 24 years, 5.5% between 25 and 29 years, 5.8% between 30 and 34 years, 6.6% between 35 and 39 years, 7.9% between 40 and 44 years, 8.5% between 45 and 49 years, 8.0% between 50 and 54 years, 7.0% between 55 and 59 years, 6.4% between 60 and 64 years, and 13.7% of age 65 years and over. 22.7% of the county's population was under age 18. The median age was 40.9 years.
According to the 2009-2013American Community Survey, the median income for a household in Saratoga County was $69,826, and the median income for a family was $87,058. Males had a median income of $59,636 versus $44,743 for females. Theper capita income for the county was $35,176. About 4.0% of families and 6.5% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 7.4% of those under age 18 and 6.1% of those age 65 or over.[30]
The toll-free, six-laneAdirondack Northway bisects Saratoga County, running in a south–north direction. The highway, designatedInterstate 87, is the primary conduit connecting thecapital of New York, Albany, northward across theThaddeus Kosciusko Bridge into and through Saratoga County, then pastLake George in theAdirondack Park, through theAdirondack Mountains, and eventually to theCanada–United States border, where it continues seamlessly asQuebec Autoroute 15 toMontreal. Thefreeway has been a major catalyst for the growth of population and commerce in Saratoga County.
TheSaratoga and North Creek Railway was aheritage railway that operated from 2011 to 2018 between theSaratoga Springs Amtrak station at its southern terminus andNorth Creek in the Adirondack Park at its northern terminus. Its commercial operations were originally built by theAdirondack Railway (succeeded by theDelaware and Hudson).Amtrak'sEthan Allen Express andAdirondack services remain at Saratoga Springs.
These public-use airports are located in Saratoga County:[31]
Since the 2000s, the economy of Saratoga County and the surrounding Capital District has been redirected towardhigh technology.Tech Valley is a marketing name for the eastern part of New York, encompassing Saratoga County, the Capital District, and theHudson Valley.[32] Originated in 1998 to promote the greater Albany area as a high-tech competitor to regions such asSilicon Valley andBoston, it has since grown to represent the counties in the Capital District and extending toIBM'sWestchester County plants in the south and theCanada–US border to the north. The area'shigh-technology ecosystem is supported by technologically focusedacademic institutions includingRensselaer Polytechnic Institute and theState University of New York Polytechnic Institute.[10] Tech Valley encompasses 19 counties straddling both sides of the Adirondack Northway and theNew York Thruway,[32] and with heavystate taxpayer subsidy, has experienced significant growth in thecomputer hardware side of the high-technology industry, with great strides in thenanotechnology sector,digital electronics design, and water- and electricity-dependentintegrated microchip circuit manufacturing, and more recently,artificial intelligence,[8] involving companies includingGlobalFoundries inMalta and others.[9][10][33] Saratoga County touts its highstandard of living andquality of life, strongly academic schools, clean environment and relatively cool climate, abundance of clean water and electricity, natural beauty and recreational opportunities, low county rax rates, and availability of new housing in its approach to robust growth in the county's high-tech workforce.
Adirondack Trust Company is the largest independent communitybank in Saratoga County. Adirondack Trust's 167 full-time employees own the company, which offers banking, loans and investment services, along with insurance through its Amsure subsidiary.[34] As of December 2020, the bank reported almost $1.5 billion in assets, and over $1.3 billion in deposits, across 13 branches.[34]
Saratoga County is extremely popular between late July and early September each year due to the Saratoga Race Course being open. This world-famous track dates back to 1863, when it was founded by John Morrissey.[35]Thoroughbred horse racing in the United States has its ownHall of Fame inSaratoga Springs, which honors remarkable horses,jockeys, owners, and trainers. Horse-racing fans come from all over to watch the races.[36]
TheSaratoga National Historical Park is located along the Hudson River in Stillwater, and features a drive-around trail where one can drive up to each station. The park is also famous for its outstanding views of the area's natural scenery and Vermont'sGreen Mountains in the distance.
TheSaratoga Spa State Park capitalizes on the culture and themineral springs that once drove Saratoga County. This is a large state park and includes a hotel, two pool complexes, mineral baths,Saratoga Performing Arts Center, picnic areas, hiking trails, and numerous mineral springs.
Saratoga County serves as the southern gateway to theAdirondack Park, the largest park in the contiguous United States, covering about 6.1 million acres (2.5×10^6 ha), a land area roughly the size ofVermont and greater than the areas of theNational Parks ofYellowstone,Grand Canyon,Glacier, andGreat Smoky Mountains combined.[37] A portion of northwestern Saratoga County lies within the boundaries of the Adirondack Park and includes Hadley Mountain.
School districts include:[38]
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 1884 | 8,190 | 56.28% | 5,846 | 40.17% | 517 | 3.55% |
| 1888 | 8,594 | 54.36% | 6,570 | 41.56% | 646 | 4.09% |
| 1892 | 7,383 | 51.83% | 5,755 | 40.40% | 1,106 | 7.76% |
| 1896 | 9,638 | 63.57% | 4,987 | 32.89% | 536 | 3.54% |
| 1900 | 9,602 | 59.79% | 5,916 | 36.84% | 541 | 3.37% |
| 1904 | 9,546 | 58.46% | 6,149 | 37.66% | 634 | 3.88% |
| 1908 | 8,706 | 54.49% | 6,518 | 40.80% | 752 | 4.71% |
| 1912 | 6,401 | 43.71% | 5,296 | 36.16% | 2,947 | 20.12% |
| 1916 | 8,062 | 53.00% | 6,711 | 44.12% | 438 | 2.88% |
| 1920 | 16,222 | 67.99% | 6,905 | 28.94% | 731 | 3.06% |
| 1924 | 17,682 | 65.84% | 7,026 | 26.16% | 2,148 | 8.00% |
| 1928 | 19,183 | 59.60% | 12,247 | 38.05% | 757 | 2.35% |
| 1932 | 17,990 | 56.97% | 13,053 | 41.34% | 535 | 1.69% |
| 1936 | 19,153 | 55.90% | 14,619 | 42.66% | 494 | 1.44% |
| 1940 | 21,298 | 58.46% | 15,037 | 41.27% | 98 | 0.27% |
| 1944 | 20,197 | 59.26% | 13,788 | 40.45% | 98 | 0.29% |
| 1948 | 20,706 | 61.50% | 11,457 | 34.03% | 1,503 | 4.46% |
| 1952 | 29,712 | 72.17% | 11,413 | 27.72% | 43 | 0.10% |
| 1956 | 32,522 | 77.69% | 9,338 | 22.31% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1960 | 25,035 | 57.88% | 18,179 | 42.03% | 36 | 0.08% |
| 1964 | 13,364 | 31.32% | 29,264 | 68.57% | 47 | 0.11% |
| 1968 | 25,658 | 55.87% | 17,766 | 38.69% | 2,498 | 5.44% |
| 1972 | 40,582 | 69.22% | 17,899 | 30.53% | 150 | 0.26% |
| 1976 | 38,296 | 61.29% | 23,768 | 38.04% | 422 | 0.68% |
| 1980 | 34,184 | 52.30% | 23,641 | 36.17% | 7,537 | 11.53% |
| 1984 | 47,394 | 67.91% | 22,166 | 31.76% | 228 | 0.33% |
| 1988 | 43,498 | 57.39% | 31,684 | 41.81% | 606 | 0.80% |
| 1992 | 36,917 | 41.10% | 33,011 | 36.76% | 19,884 | 22.14% |
| 1996 | 34,337 | 40.08% | 39,832 | 46.50% | 11,496 | 13.42% |
| 2000 | 46,623 | 49.05% | 43,359 | 45.61% | 5,075 | 5.34% |
| 2004 | 56,158 | 52.55% | 48,730 | 45.60% | 1,985 | 1.86% |
| 2008 | 52,855 | 47.45% | 56,645 | 50.85% | 1,887 | 1.69% |
| 2012 | 50,382 | 47.75% | 52,957 | 50.19% | 2,171 | 2.06% |
| 2016 | 54,575 | 47.83% | 50,913 | 44.62% | 8,606 | 7.54% |
| 2020 | 61,305 | 46.21% | 68,471 | 51.62% | 2,879 | 2.17% |
| 2024 | 63,940 | 48.88% | 66,321 | 50.70% | 551 | 0.42% |
Saratoga County is governed by a Board Of Supervisors, with each town Supervisor acting as the representative from that community. The City of Saratoga Springs elects two Supervisors and the City of Mechanicville elects one supervisor to sit on the Board of Supervisors, but have no power in their respective city governments. The Town of Clifton Park also elects two Supervisors, one being the elected Town Supervisor, and one having only County duties. Voting is by weighted vote of each of the communities based on population, which is the reason why Saratoga Springs and Clifton Park, the two largest communities in Saratoga County, elect two Supervisors. The political makeup of the 2016-17 Board consists of 21Republicans, and twoDemocrats. By long-standing tradition, whoever serves as chairman of the Board of Supervisor's powerful Law and Finance Committee one year serves as chairman of the full Board the following year—a tradition that has been broken only three times in Saratoga County's history. Under this custom, current Law and Finance Committee Chairman Arthur "Mo" Wright, the Supervisor of the Town of Hadley, is slated to become chairman of the full Board in 2016. Republicans hold the county-wide offices ofsheriff,district attorney, county clerk,treasurer, and judges of the county, family, and the surrogate courts.
On the presidential level, like most of the Hudson Valley, Saratoga County was historically powerfully Republican. It only supported a Democrat for president twice in the 20th century, in 1964 and 1996. The Republican edge narrowed somewhat in the 1990s and since then Saratoga County has been a Republican-leaning swing county.George W. Bush won the county narrowly in 2004 with 53% of the vote, whileBarack Obama slightly edged outJohn McCain andMitt Romney in both 2008 and 2012, becoming the first Democrat to win a majority in the county since 1964. In 2016, Saratoga County flipped back to the Republicans, withDonald Trump capturing a narrow plurality of the vote overHillary Clinton. The flip proved to be temporary, with Democratic candidateJoe Biden winning the county in 2020.[40]
The county is represented in theU.S. Congress by RepublicanElise Stefanik and DemocratPaul Tonko. In the State Senate, the county is divided between RepublicansDaphne Jordan andJim Tedisco, while in the State Assembly DemocratsJohn T. McDonald III andCarrie Woerner, along with RepublicansMary Beth Walsh andDan Stec, each represent portions of the county.
James A. Murphy III, a Republican, is the County Court Judge and a former District Attorney. James A. Bowen had been the dean of NYS Sheriffs, having served as Sheriff since 1972, when he was appointed by Governor Nelson A. Rockefeller. Bowen won election in his own right in 1973 and had been elected every four years up until his retirement at the end of his tenth term in office in 2013. Michael H. Zurlo is the current Sheriff, winning the election to succeed Bowen in 2013. Democratic strength is best shown in the City ofSaratoga Springs, which has voted Democratic in every presidential election since 1988. Republican strength is concentrated in the western part of the county, which is mostlyrural orexurban. In 2005, the Democrats gained a majority on the Saratoga Springs City Council after decades of Republican dominance. The Republicans, however, reclaimed the council majority in the 2007 General Elections due to a split Democratic Party in the mayor's race. In 2009, the Republicans reclaimed their supermajority (4-1) on the City Council, by winning every contested election (Mayor, Finance, Public Safety, and Public Works). In 2011, Democrats reclaimed the Majority on the City Council, while Republican Scott Johnson was reelected as Mayor. The Current City Council (2016-2017) is 4-1 Democratic led by Mayor Meg Kelly. At the Saratoga County Board of Supervisors, the city is split, with one Republican and one Democrat holding the two Supervisor seats.
Municipalities and communities ofSaratoga County, New York,United States | ||
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| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
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