Saratoga Springs, New York

Saratoga Springs, New York
Saratoga Springs is a city in Saratoga County, New York, United States. The population was 28,491 at the 2020 census. The name reflects the presence of mineral springs in the area, which has made Saratoga a popular resort destination for over 200 years. It is home to the Saratoga Race Course, a thoroughbred horse racing track, and Saratoga Performing Arts Center, a music and dance venue. The city's official slogan is "Health, History, and Horses".
History
The Mohawk Indigenous people used the area that is now Saratoga Springs as prime hunting ground, and some thought of the mineral springs as a gift from Manitou.
The British built Fort Saratoga in 1691 on the west bank of the Hudson River. During the early part of the 1700s, settlers from Europe began to develop the area. Shortly thereafter, British colonists settled the current village of Schuylerville approximately one mile south; it was known as Saratoga until 1831.
In 1767, William Johnson, a colonial British officer who was a hero of the French and Indian War, was brought by Native American friends to the spring to treat his war wounds. (In 1756, Johnson had been appointed British Superintendent of Indian Affairs in the Northeast region due to his success in building alliances with the Mohawk and other Iroquois tribes. He had learned the language and created many trading relationships. He achieved great wealth from trading and landholdings, and was knighted for his service to the Crown with the Iroquois.)
The first permanent European-American settler built a dwelling in the area circa 1776. The springs attracted tourists, and Gideon Putnam built the first hotel for travelers. Putnam also laid out the roads and donated land for use as public spaces.
The Battle of Saratoga, the turning point of the Revolutionary War, did not take place in Saratoga Springs. Rather, the battlefield is to the southeast, in the Town of Stillwater. A museum dedicated to the two battles sits on the former battlefields. The British encampment before the surrender at Saratoga took place east of the city, in Schuylerville, where several historical markers delineate points of interest. The surrender of the sword of battle took place where Fort Saratoga had been, south of Schuylerville.
Saratoga Springs was established as a settlement in 1819 from a western portion of the Town of Saratoga. Its principal community was incorporated as a village in 1826, and the entire region became a city in 1915. Tourism was greatly aided by the 1832 arrival of the Saratoga and Schenectady Railroad, which brought thousands of travelers to the famous mineral springs. Resort hotels developed to accommodate them. Patronage of the railroad increased after the Delaware and Hudson Canal Company assumed control in 1870 and began running the Empire State Express directly between New York City and the resort.
In the 19th century, doctor Simon Baruch encouraged the development of European-style spas in the United States as centers for health. Due to the presence of mineral waters Saratoga Springs was developed as a spa, generating the development of several hotels, including the United States Hotel and the Grand Union Hotel. The latter was, in its day, the largest hotel in the world.
In 1863, Saratoga Race Course opened, moving to its current location the following year. Horse racing and its associated betting increased tourism at a time when horse racing was a popular national spectator sport. In addition, the Saratoga Springs area was known for its gambling, which after the first years of the 20th century was illegal, but still widespread. Most gambling facilities were located on Saratoga Lake, on the southeast side of the city.
By 1870, it was considered a top upscale resort relying on natural mineral springs, horse racing, gambling, and luxury hotels. World War II imposed travel restrictions which impacted the tourist industry. During the 1950s, the state and city closed the gambling houses in a crackdown on illegal gambling. The closing and demolition in the 1950s of some hotels, including the Grand Union and the United States hurt tourism.
The city became more accessible with the completion of the Adirondack Northway (Interstate 87), which allowed visitors easier access from the north and south. In addition, cultural resources such as classical and popular music and dance, flourished.
Mineral springs
The mineral springs occur along the east side of the Saratoga Fault which allows water trapped in subsurface shale layers to reach the surface. The fault displacement can be seen on the east side of Broadway with the best view of the fault at the High Rock Park cliff.
The Mohawk Indigenous peoples who inhabited this area used the springs for several hundred years before the arrival of European settlers. Later drilling technology was employed by settlers to tap into the spring sources, and by 1900, 203 springs were flowing, some of which were tapped for carbon dioxide extraction, as well as mineral water. This proved to be unsustainable, and by 1908, New York State passed restrictions on use to allow the aquifer to recharge. As of 2019, there are only 17 productive springs.
Toward the end of the 19th century, excessive pumping for commercial bottling was threatening to deplete the springs. In 1911, the New York State Reservation, now the Spa State Park, was created to protect the springs, and the Lincoln and Roosevelt bath houses were built. Currently, visitors can soak in the mineral waters at the historic Roosevelt Bath house, which also provides spa treatments.
The water from the springs is high in mineral contents, inclucing iron, magnesium, calcium, lithium, iodine, chromium, sodium, zinc, barium, and with 9 of the springs reporting radium content.
Believed to have healing powers, springs can be found in multiple places around the town. Others, including scientists, dispute any medicinal properties from consuming the water due to the high levels of sodium and radium in some of the spring sources.
Most of the springs are covered by small pavilions and marked by plaques. Others are less conspicuous, sometimes just a spigot in a rock. The springs are famous for their varied and distinct tastes: some are clear freshwater, others are saltier, and some taste strongly of a certain mineral such as sodium bicarbonate or sodium chloride. There is a sulfurous odor, but mineral analysis of the water consistently shows almost no presence of dissolved sulfur. The sulfur is in the form of the gas hydrogen sulfide, which degasses from the water very quickly. Visitors are welcome to bottle the spring water for personal consumption.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and (2.17%) is water.
The Adirondack Northway of New York (Interstate 87) and US Route 9 pass alongside and through the city, respectively. New York State Route 29, New York State Route 50, New York State Route 9N, and New York State Route 9P lead into Saratoga Springs. NY 9N has its southern terminus and NY 9P has its northern terminus in the city. US 9 and NY 50 overlap in the city, joined briefly by NY 29.
Saratoga Lake is slightly south of the city.
Climate
Demographics
2012
According to the 2010 U.S. Census Bureau:
92.5% White
1.7% Black
0.1% Native American
2.01% Asian
0.0% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander
3.1% Two or more races
0.64% Other races
4.0% Hispanic or Latino (of any race)
As of the census of 2012, there were 26,711 people, 11,312 households, and 5,923 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 11,584 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 92.5% White, 1.7% African American, 0.1% Native American, 2.01% Asian, 0.00% Pacific Islander, 0.64% from other races, and 3.1% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.0% of the population.
There were 11,312 households, out of which 25.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.1% were married couples living together, 9.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 44.5% were non-families. 35.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.21 and the average family size was 2.88.
In the city, the age distribution of the population shows 19.4% under the age of 18, 15.5% from 18 to 24, 27.5% from 25 to 44, 23.4% from 45 to 64, and 14.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 90.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.1 males.
In 2012, the median income for a household was $91,392, while the median income for a family was $114,560. Males had a median income of $61,582 versus $47,759 for females. About 3.0% of families and 7.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.3% of those under age 18 and 6.3% of those age 65 or over.
Economy
Saratoga Springs regards tourism as an industry during the warmer climate weather which becomes heightened around the season that the Saratoga Race Course becomes open to the general population.
The Saratoga Spring Water Co. (a division of Anheuser-Busch) is located on Geyser Road. Operating since 1872, this sparkling water has also been served at multiple presidential inaugurations in Washington, D.C., most recently for Barack Obama's second inauguration in 2013.
Arts and culture
The Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC) is a covered outdoor amphitheater located on the grounds of the Saratoga Spa State Park, with a capacity of 5,000 in reserved seating and 20,000+ on its general admission lawn area. SPAC is the summer home of the Philadelphia Orchestra and the New York City Ballet, and has hosted a weekend-long jazz festival since 1978. Since 2006, the Saratoga Native American Festival has been held on SPAC grounds each fall.
Museums in the area include the National Museum of Dance and Hall of Fame, the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame, the Tang Teaching Museum and the Saratoga Automobile Museum.The singer Don McLean was a frequent performer there early in his career.
Saratoga Springs is home to Yaddo, a artists' community, founded by Wall Street financier Spencer Trask and his wife, author Katrina Trask. Since its inception in 1900, Yaddo has hosted 68 authors who later won the Pulitzer Prize and one Nobel Prize winner, Saul Bellow. Leonard Bernstein, Truman Capote, Aaron Copland, Sylvia Plath, and David Sedaris have all been artists-in-residence.
Over Presidents' Day weekend in February, Saratoga Springs draws more than 5000 attendees for the annual Flurry Festival, which features folk dance and music, including one of the largest contra dances in the United States.
Saratoga's New Year's celebration First Night Saratoga is the largest New Year's Eve event in New York outside of New York City.
Museums
The Frances Young Tang Teaching Museum and Art Gallery at Skidmore College
Schick Art Gallery, Skidmore College
National Museum Of Dance And Hall Of Fame
National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame
New York State Military Museum And Veterans Research Center
Saratoga Automobile Museum
Saratoga Springs History Museum
Children's Museum of Saratoga
Saratoga Arts Center
Live performance
Theater – Home Made Theater- A not-for-profit theater company located in the Spa Little Theater of Saratoga Spa State Park; Saratoga Shakespeare Company - the capital region's only professional classical theater company, established 2001
Ballet – New York City Ballet at Saratoga Performing Arts Center, Saratoga City Ballet
Opera – Opera Saratoga
Music – Caffe Lena, Saratoga Performing Arts Center, Saratoga Music Hall, Universal Preservation Hall
National Register of Historic Places listings
Saratoga Springs has sixteen places listed in the National Register of Historic Places:
Arrowhead Casino Prehistoric Site
Broadway Historic District
Canfield Casino and Congress Park
The Drinkhall
East Side Historic District
Franklin Square Historic District
Gideon Putnam Burying Ground
Petrified Sea Gardens
Pure Oil Gas Station
Saratoga Gas, Electric Light and Power Company Complex
Saratoga Spa State Park District
Hiram Charles Todd House
Union Avenue Historic District
US Post Office-Saratoga Springs
West Side Historic District
Yaddo
Parks and recreation
Thoroughbred racing
Saratoga Race Course opened on August 3, 1863. The first track was located on East Avenue (at the present Oklahoma Training Track location) which is perpendicular to the present Saratoga Race Course, which opened the following year, founded by John Hunter and William R. Travers.
Harness racing
Saratoga Casino and Raceway, a harness (Standardbred) racetrack that includes a hotel, video gaming facility, nightclub, restaurants, racing casino, and a horse betting simulcast room.
Golf
There are three public golf courses in Saratoga Springs: Saratoga National Golf, Saratoga Spa Golf -Located in Saratoga Spa State Park, and Airway Meadows Golf Club, and one private golf course, the Saratoga Golf and Polo Club.
Saratoga Spa State Park
The Saratoga Spa State Park features the culture and mineral springs of Saratoga Springs. The park and includes hiking trails, picnic areas, pools, former and current historic bathhouses and mineral springs. The Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC), Hall of Springs, National Museum of Dance and Hall of Fame, the Saratoga Automobile Museum, the Lincoln Mineral Bathhouse building, Roosevelt Mineral Baths and Spa, and the Gideon Putnam Resort are also located in the park.
Skateboard Park
The Saratoga Skatepark was built in 1989, and is located in the East Side Recreation area. It was New York State's first municipal skatepark. It includes a concrete skateboard "bowl" and cement ramps. In 2010 the city filled the pool with dirt, citing problems with graffiti, vandalism and "structural gaps" affecting the skating surface. In addition, the city said that it lacked funds to staff guards at the park and claimed it had spent nearly $200,000 on the park since it opened in 1989. A group of skateboarders lobbied for the park, and as of 2023, the redesigned skate park was open.
Government
The Saratoga Springs charter specifies a "commission" form of city government. Recent efforts to amend the charter have not been successful. The most recent charter change proposal appeared on the ballot in the November 2020 election and was overwhelmingly defeated. Prior attempts have netted mixed results with the closest margin of votes in 2017 where a difference of 10 votes upheld the current system of government.
Education
Empire State College and Skidmore College are both located in Saratoga Springs; Verrazzano College (1969–1975) was also located there. During the summer, Skidmore is one of several hosts for the Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth. Eastern Nazarene College, located in Quincy, Massachusetts, was founded in Saratoga Springs as the Pentecostal Collegiate Institute and Biblical Seminary at the turn of the 20th century.
The Saratoga Springs City School District is made up of:
Six elementary schools (kindergarten through grade five) – Lake Avenue, Caroline Street, Division Street and Geyser Road in the City of Saratoga Springs; Greenfield in the Town of Greenfield; and Dorothy Nolan in the Town of Wilton
One middle school (grades six through eight) – Maple Avenue Middle School in the Town of Wilton
One high school (grades nine through twelve) – Saratoga Springs High School located on the West side on Blue Streak Boulevard in the City of Saratoga Springs.
Private schools in Saratoga Springs include Saratoga Central Catholic High School, St. Clement's Regional Catholic School, The Waldorf School of Saratoga Springs, and Saratoga Independent School. Alternatively, some local children commute to Albany area schools such as The Emma Willard School, The Albany Academies, Doane Stuart School and La Salle Institute.
Media
Grid (formerly Saratoga Wire) daily online newspaper
The Saratogian newspaper (daily)
Saratoga TODAY newspaper (weekly)
Saratoga Business Journal newspaper (bi-weekly)
The Spotlight newspaper (weekly)
Eco Local magazine (monthly)
Saratoga Seasons magazine
Saratoga Living magazine (quarterly)
Simply Saratoga magazine (by-monthly)
The Skidmore News
Skidmore Unofficial
Saratoga.com
Saratogabusiness.net
Look TV television station
Infrastructure
Transportation
A general aviation facility, Saratoga County Airport, is located west of the city in Milton.
Amtrak provides daily rail service to Saratoga Springs, operating the Adirondack between Montreal and New York City, and the Ethan Allen Express between Rutland, Vermont, and New York City.
Bus service includes Greyhound Bus Lines, Adirondack Trailways, Capital District Transportation Authority, and Megabus.
Interstate 87 passes through the city.
In popular culture
Saratoga Springs, Saratoga Race Course, and Saratoga society are frequently featured on-screen and mentioned in films and television.
Films featuring Saratoga Springs
12 Years a Slave (2013) – Chiwetel Ejiofor, Lupita Nyong'o, Michael Fassbender, Benedict Cumberbatch
A Dog Year (2009) – Jeff Bridges, Lauren Ambrose
Aftermath (2008) – Chris Penn's last film
Ass Backwards (2013) – Casey Wilson, June Diane Raphael, Alicia Silverstone, Jon Cryer
Billy Bathgate (1991) – Dustin Hoffman, Nicole Kidman; the Kidman dancing scene was shot at the Hall of Springs.
Feast of Friends (1970) – The Doors' self-produced documentary; features lengthy concert footage at SPAC (on 9/1/68) and Jim Morrison reciting poetry backstage.
Ghost Story (1981) – Fred Astaire, John Houseman; houses on North Broadway were used as homes in this film. Cast included Fred Astaire, John Houseman, and Douglas Fairbanks, Jr.
The Homestretch (1947) – Maureen O'Hara, Cornel Wilde
Lolita (1962) – James Mason, Shelley Winters
My Old Man (1979) – Kristy McNichol, Warren Oates, Eileen Brennan; made-for-TV movie, based on an Ernest Hemingway story, was filmed at Saratoga Race Course, various locations in Saratoga Springs, and throughout Saratoga County.
Nobody's Fool (1994) – Paul Newman, Bruce Willis
Paul's Case (1980) – Eric Roberts, Lindsay Crouse
Saratoga (1937) – Clark Gable, Lionel Barrymore, Jean Harlow; notable for being Harlow's last film, as she collapsed on set during filming and died. Multiple scenes shot at Saratoga. Filmed on location at the Saratoga Race Course.
Saratoga Trunk (1945) – Gary Cooper, Ingrid Bergman
Seabiscuit (2003) – Tobey Maguire, Jeff Bridges; scenes filmed inside and out front of the Canfield Casino, racing scenes shot at the Saratoga Race Course in November 2002.
The Horse Whisperer (1998) – Robert Redford, Scarlett Johansson; special effects for the horse and rider accident were shot on location at the southern end of Saratoga Spa State Park. Also, a room at the Gideon Putnam Hotel was made into a shoddier motel room.
The Skeptic (2009) – Tom Arnold, Zoe Saldana
The Time Machine (2002) – Guy Pearce, Samantha Mumba
The Way We Were (1973) – Robert Redford, Barbra Streisand
Virgin Alexander (2012) – Rick Faugno, Paige Howard, Bronson Pinchot
Radio
Saratoga Springs was the setting for a radio soap opera by the same name, created by ZBS Foundation and written by Meatball Fulton. The 1989 series was produced as 90 four-minute daily episodes for National Public Radio. The story incorporates Saratoga Springs historical facts and utilizes local actors as well as ZBS regulars. Lena Spencer of Caffe Lena is listed as playing herself. A "Best of Saratoga Springs" compilation can be purchased from ZBS (www.zbs.org). During spring and early summer, 2007, the original four-minute episodes were podcast by ZBS.
Television
In the Western series Maverick, Saratoga Springs serves as the primary setting of the season 3 episode "Maverick Springs" in which Bret Maverick, played by James Garner, is hired to convince a wealthy rancher's brother to return home.
In the pilot episode of the 1960s sitcom Green Acres, it was noted that Eddie Albert's character of Oliver Wendell Douglas was born in Saratoga Springs.
In the sci-fi series, The Orville, Saratoga Springs is featured in the 11th episode of season 2, "Lasting Impressions", which first aired on March 21, 2019. A time capsule from 2015 is unearthed out of Saratoga Springs approximately 400 years in the future by the ship's crew. One of the items contributed is a smartphone by a young woman who is a native of the city named Laura Huggins, played by Leighton Meester, who wanted future discoverers to know about her and her life. She becomes the object of infatuation by the ship's helmsman, Gordon Malloy, played by Scott Grimes. Gordon uploads the phone's data to the ship's computer and requests a simulation of Laura's environment and life in Saratoga Springs.
Music
In the song "Adelaide's Lament" in the 1950 Broadway musical Guys and Dolls, Adelaide, who has an eternal cold caused by her fiancé's refusal to finally marry, sings "When they get on that train to Niagara / She can hear church bells chime / The compartment is air-conditioned / And the mood sublime... / Then they get off at Saratoga for the fourteenth time / A person can develop la grippe!".
In the 1972 Carly Simon song "You're So Vain" the singer references horseracing in Saratoga Springs: "Well, I hear you went up to Saratoga, and your horse naturally won ...".
In 1987, Whitney Houston's music video for "Didn't We Almost Have It All", the second single from her second studio album, was filmed at Saratoga Performing Arts Center. The video was rotated regularly on MTV and it eventually became her fifth (of a record-breaking seven) consecutive number one hits on the Billboard 100 chart.
On September 1, 1977, Jackson Browne recorded "Rosie" at SPAC and it appeared on the platinum album Running on Empty the following year.
Food
It is believed that the club sandwich was invented in the Canfield Casino in 1894.
Potato chips were invented at Moon's Lake House on Saratoga Lake by George Crum in 1854, in response to a customer's constant remarks about his french fries being cut too thick.
Other
Walt Disney World Resort has a themed resort called Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa, whose theme and design pays homage to this city. Additionally, the Walt Disney World Railroad station at Main Street U.S.A. in the Magic Kingdom was modeled after and closely resembles the culturally significant Victorian style railroad depot that once stood within downtown Saratoga Springs.
The James Bond novel Diamonds are Forever contained several scenes set in Saratoga Springs and its racecourse.
Saratoga native Solomon Northup's memoir Twelve Years a Slave was made into a hit movie in 2013.
Sister cities
Vichy (France) since 1994
Waveland, Mississippi. In the spring of 2006, Saratoga Springs decided to help out the people of Waveland in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina via a "Mardi Gras" themed festival downtown.
See also
Horses Saratoga Style
List of Mayors of Saratoga Springs, New York
Geyser Crest
International Kindergarten Union, founded in Saratoga Springs, 1892
Sans Souci Hotel (Ballston Spa)
:Category:People from Saratoga Springs, New York
References
Further reading
Paraschos, Janet Nyberg. "Saratoga Springs" American Preservation (1978) 2#1 pp 59–72.
Sloane, Barbara Barton (2019). "Saratoga Springs: A Hudson Valley Treasure " The Pelham Post, Vol. 16.
External links
Saratoga County History
Our Town: Saratoga Springs Documentary produced by WMHT (TV)
Cities in New York (state)
Spa towns in New York (state)
New York State Heritage Areas
Populated places established in 1776
Cities in Saratoga County, New York