Troy

Troy is a city in the U.S. state of New York and the county seat of Rensselaer County. The city is one of the three major centers for the Albany metropolitan statistical area, which has a population of 1,170,483. The area had long been occupied by the Mahican Indian tribe, but Dutch settlement began in the mid-17th century. In 1789, Troy adopted its present name following a vote of the people. In 1816, Troy became a city and in 1900, Lansingburgh became part of Troy. Troy is home to the world-renowned Troy Music Hall, which dates from the 1870s and is said to have superb acoustics in a combination of restored and well-preserved performance space. Troy's motto is Ilium fuit, Troja est, which means "Ilium was, Troy is". It is also home to Emma Willard School, an all-girls high school started by women's education activist, who sought to create a school for girls equal to their male counterparts. In the post-Revolutionary War years, Troy was first settled, as central New York was a strong trend to classical names, and Troy's naming fits the same pattern as the New York cities of Syracuse, Utica, Rome, and Utica Utica. The name Troy (after Troy, the legendary city of Iliad) had been known as Ashley's Ferry, before it was adopted in 1789. Troy was incorporated as a town two years later and extended east across the county to the Vermont line, including Petersburgh.

History

Troy was named after the legendary city of Troy, made famous in Homer's Iliad. The site of the city was a part of Rensselaerswyck, a patroonship created by Kiliaen van Rensselsaer. In the 1800s, Troy was the transshipment point for meat and vegetables sent to New York City by the Erie Canal. The Great Fire of 1862 burnt down the W. Gurley & Gurley Building, now a National Historic Landmark. Troy is home to the oldest technological university in the English-speaking world, RPI, which was founded in 1824. Troy was a theater of the War of 1812, and militia and regular army forces were led by Stephen Van Renssellaer of Troy. A local butcher and meatpacker named Samuel Wilson supplied the military, and according to an unprovable legend, barrels stamped "The U.S." were jokingly taken by the troops to stand for "Uncle Sam" meaning Wilson. Troy has since claimed to be the historical home of Uncle Sam. The name Troy was adopted in 1789, before which it had been known as Ashley's Ferry, and the region was formed into the Town of Troy in 1791. Troy became a village in 1801 and was chartered as a city in 1816. In 1916, one of the first modern locks along the present-day canal system was opened as one of its terminus. The Champlain Canal, with its eastern terminus directly across the Hudson River, was constructed in 1825.

Geography

Troy is located several miles north of Albany near the junction of the Erie and Champlain canals, via the Hudson River. The city is longer than it is wide, with the southern part wider than the northern section of the city. Several kills (Dutch for creek) pass through Troy and empty into the Hudson. Several lakes and reservoirs are within the city, including Ida Lake, Burden Pond, Lansingburgh Reservoir, Bradley Lake, Smarts Pond, and Wright Lake. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 11.0 square miles (28 km²), of which 0.6 square mile (1.6 km²) (5.44%) is covered by water. It is on the central part of the western border of Rensselaer County and the county's border with Albany County. The average elevation is 50 feet (15 meters) with the highest elevation being 500 feet (16 meters) in the eastern part of Troy. The Hudson River makes up the western Border of the City and the County's Border with Albany. The Poesten Kill and Wynants Kill are the two largest, and both have several small lakes and waterfalls along their routes in the City. The City is the distributing center for a large area, and is the terminus of the New York Barge Canal. It has a population of 6,000 (as of the 2010 U.S. Census), making it one of the largest cities in New York state.

Demographics

At the 2010 census, 50,129 people, 20,121 households and 10,947 families were residing in the city. The majority of Troy's population consists of women (51.4%) whereas males makeup the remaining 48.6%. The city is also home to numerous churches (Orthodox, Catholic, and Protestant), three synagogues, and one mosque. The median household income in 2013 was $37,805 (NY average of $57,369), and the median family income was $47,827 (NYS average of$70,485) About 27.3% of the population were living in poverty as of 2013. At the 2020 census, the city's Median household income had increased to $45,728 per family, with each family reporting to have 2.25 persons residing in them. The population of veterans in 2020 was 1,907 Troy locals, which coincided with those who had disabilities. The number of foreign born persons, between 2015 and 2019, was 8.0%. The education rate of Troy locals with a high school graduate or higher is 86.8% whereas the amount of persons with a bachelor's degree or more is 26.8%. Additionally, due to the increasing age of the internet, the percentage of households with a computer from 2015 to 2019 has increased to 88.5% and those with a broadband Internet subscription lies at 81.5%. The per capita income in past 12 months (in 2019 dollars), taken 2015-2019 was $25,689. The poverty rate overall has decreased 3.3%. since 2013.

Economy

Troy is known as the "Collar City" due to its history in shirt, collar, and other textile production. Until the early 1990s, Troy was home to several textile manufacturers, including Cluett, Peabody, a subsidiary of the nation's largest publicly held textile manufacturer West Point-Pepperell Inc. The detachable collar was first established in Troy in 1820 by a Mrs. Montague. This industry also gave rise to the laundry industry, when the first laundry store Troy Laundry was opened at 66 North Second St (Fifth Avenue today) Troy was also the second-largest producer of iron in the country, surpassed only by the city of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The industry had mostly died out by the 1960s, when most business had either gone out of business or moved south for cheaper land and labor costs. The presence of RPI is helping Troy develop a small high-technology sector, particularly in video game development. Uncle Sam Atrium is an enclosed urban shopping mall, office space, and parking garage in downtown Troy. The city's largest private employer is RPI, which is located in the downtown core of the city. It is also the birthplace of the "white collar" social class, which was a more upscale working class community and the "blue collar"Social class, consisted of mostly factory workers. At one point, Troy had a population of more than 100,000, making it one of the largest cities in the U.S.

Arts and culture

Troy is home to Victorian and Belle Époque architecture. The Hart-Cluett Mansion displays a Federal facade executed in white marble, quarried in Tuckahoe, New York. There is a rich collection of Colonial, Federal, Italianate, Second Empire, Greek Revival, Egyptian Revival, Gothic Revival and other Romantic period townhouses surrounding the immediate downtown. Several city blocks in downtown Troy were razed during the 1970s as a part of an attempted urban renewal plan, which was never successfully executed. There are many buildings in a state of disrepair, but community groups and investors are restoring many of them. The city hosts many free shows during the summer, on River Street, in parks, and in cafes and coffee shops. The Troy River Fest arts, crafts and music festival held every June in the downtown district. The Victorian Stroll held annually in December is the oldest arts and culture festival in the Capital City. The oldest Steampunk festival in Troy is the Enchanted City Steampunk Festival in June. The annual Troy Turkey Trot is held on Thanksgiving Day run; the oldest race in the capital city is the Downtown Night of the Streets' race. The U.S. Open tennis tournament is held in Troy every year; the U.N. World Series of Tennis is held every year in New York City, and the World Cup of Tennis takes place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The New York Yankees hold their opening game in Troy on September 1.

Government

The mayor is responsible for the proper administration of all city affairs placed in his/her charge as empowered by the city charter. The mayor's term of office is four years, and an incumbent is prohibited from serving for more than two consecutive terms (eight years) The current mayor of Troy is Patrick Madden (D), who is serving his second term, having been re-elected on November 5, 2019. The legislative branch consists of a city council composed of seven elected members: one at-large member who represents the entire city and acts as City Council President, and six district members who represent each of the six districts of Troy. The council meets on the first Thursday of every month at 7:00 pm in the City Hall council chambers. The city is divided into thirty (30) election districts, also known as EDs. An ED is the finest granularity political district that can be used, from which all other political districts are formed. The 30 EDs are grouped into six Council Districts, as follows: ED1ED6, ED7ED10, ED11ED15, ED18ED18, ED19ED19, ED20ED20, ED21ED21, ED22ED22, ED23ED23, ED24ED24, ED25ED25, ED26ED26, ED27ED27, ED28ED28, ED29ED28. The City of Troy has a mayor who exercises control over all executive departments of the city government, including the Departments of Finance, Law, Public Safety, Public Works, Public Utilities and Parks and Recreation.

Education

The Rensselaer School, which later became RPI, was founded in 1824. Emma Willard founded the Troy Female Seminary in 1821. Troy is home to the 10,000-student Hudson Valley Community College. It also has three private high schools: La Salle Institute (Catholic military-style), Emma willard School, Catholic Central High School. Troy Prep is a K-12 charter school system, based in the city's Lansingburgh section. The city also has two public school districts (Troy and Lansingburgh) and one public high school (Lansingburgh). The city is located on the Hudson River, which runs through the center of the city. It is the birthplace of the U.S. state of New York, which was established in 1788. It was the site of the first recorded European settlement, in 1799. The town's name is derived from the name of its patroon, Kiliaen, who was the first European to arrive in the area. The current mayor of Troy is Michael Scanlon, who is also the mayor of the town's largest city, Troy, New York. He was elected to a second term in 2008. He served as mayor from 2007 to 2010. The mayor was re-elected to a third term in 2010. He is currently serving as mayor of Lansingburgh, which is in the state's eastern portion. He has been mayor since 2008. The last time he was in Troy was in 2010, when he was elected mayor of Latham.

Infrastructure

Troy is located in New York State. US 4 runs northsouth through the city. Amtrak serves Albany-Rensselaer station, 8.5 miles to the south of Troy. The city is home to two large hospitals (Samaritan Hospital and St. Mary's Hospital) The last Boston and Maine passenger train arrived from Boston, Massachusetts in 1958, and Troy Union Station closed and was demolished later that year. The Troy Fire Department's 119 uniformed personnel operate out of six fire stations located throughout the city and operate five engine companies, a rescue-engine company, two truck companies, three ambulances, a Hazardous Material response unit (Troy Fire Department is the hazardous material response unit for Renssel Albany County) and two rescue boats. The New York Central Railroad, Delaware and Hudson Railroad, Rutland Railroad and Boston & Maine Railroad provided passenger rail service to Troy. By the late 1950s, only the Boston &aine passenger service remained. The last Amtrak station in Troy was opened in 1971, and it is now served by the Capital District Transportation Authority, which also runs the city's inter-city buses. The City of Troy is located on the Hudson River, which runs through the center of the city, with a bridge across the river to the East River. The Hudson River runs north-south through Troy, and runs east-west through the east side of the town. The East River runs west-south, and the West River runs south-east through the west side. The West River passes through the north-west part of Troy, running east-south.

Air Quality, Water Quality, Superfund Sites & UV Index

The Air Quality index is in Troy, Albany County, New York = 43.5. These Air Quality index is based on annual reports from the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The number of ozone alert days is used as an indicator of air quality, as are the amounts of seven pollutants including particulates, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, lead, and volatile organic chemicals. The Water Quality Index is 40. A measure of the quality of an area’s water supply as rated by the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The EPA has a complex method of measuring the watershed quality, using 15 indicators such as pollutants, turbidity, sediments, and toxic discharges. The Superfund Sites Index is 96. Higher is better (100=best). Based upon the number and impact of EPA Superfund pollution sites in the county, including spending on the cleanup efforts. The UV Index in Troy = 3.3 and is a measure of an area's exposure to the sun's ultraviolet rays. This is most often a combination of sunny weather, altitude, and latitude. The UV Index has been defined by the WHO (www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/radiation-the-ultraviolet-(uv)-index) and is uniform worldwide.

Employed

The most recent city population of 51,401 individuals with a median age of 33.5 age the population dropped by -3.23% in Troy, Albany County, New York population since 2000 and are distributed over a density of 4,962.92 residents per square mile of area (1,916.11/km²). There are average 2.22 people per household in the 19,665 households with an average household income of $34,122 a year. The unemployment rate in Alabama is 6.80% of the available work force and has dropped -3.77% over the most recent 12-month period and the projected change in job supply over the next decade based on migration patterns, economic growth, and other factors will increase by 23.26%. The number of physicians in Troy per 100,000 population = 148.5.

Weather

The annual rainfall in Troy = 36.6 inches and the annual snowfall = 46.5 inches. The annual number of days with measurable precipitation (over .01 inch) = 122. The average number of days per year that are predominantly sunny = 183. 84 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily high temperature for the month of July and 12.8 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily low temperature for the month of January. The Comfort Index (higher=better) is 51, where higher values mean a more pleasant climate. The Comfort Index measure recognizes that humidity by itself isn't the problem. (Have you noticed nobody ever complains about the weather being 'cold and humid?) It's in the summertime that we notice the humidity the most, when it's hot and muggy. Our Comfort Index uses a combination of afternoon summer temperature and humidity to closely predict the effect that the humidity will have on people.

Median Home Cost

The percentage of housing units in Troy, Albany County, New York which are owned by the occupant = 34.70%. A housing unit is a house, apartment, mobile home, or room occupied as separate living quarters. The average age of homes = 25.7 years with median home cost = $142,360 and home appreciation of 2.29%. This is the value of the years most recent home sales data. Its important to note that this is not the average (or arithmetic mean). The median home price is the middle value when you arrange all the sales prices of homes from lowest to highest. This is a better indicator than the average, because the median is not changed as much by a few unusually high or low values. The property tax rate of $24.71 shown here is the rate per $1,000 of home value. If for simplification for example the tax rate is $14.00 and the home value is $250,000, the property tax would be $14.00 x ($250,000/1000), or $3500. This is the 'effective' tax rate.

Study

The local school district spends $8,761 per student. There are 13.8 students for each teacher in the school, 721 students for each Librarian and 553 students for each Counselor. 9.05% of the area’s population over the age of 25 with an Associate Degree or other 2-year college degree, 11.36% with a master’s degree, Ph.D. or other advanced college degree and 8.49% with high school diplomas or high school equivalency degrees (GEDs).