Scotia, New York

Scotia is a village in Schenectady County, New York, United States, incorporated in 1904. The population was 7,272 at the 2020 census.<ref name="Census 2010">Template:Cite web</ref><ref>US Census Bureau, 2020 Census Results, QuickFacts, Scotia village, New York https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/scotiavillagenewyork</ref> Scotia is part of the town of Glenville, and is connected with the city of Schenectady by the Western Gateway Bridge<ref>Cardcow.com: Original photo of the first Western Gateway Bridge</ref> over the Mohawk River.

History

The land was purchased by Alexander Lindsay Glen, a native of Scotland, from the Mohawk people in the 17th century. Glen named his estate Scotia (Latin for "Scotland") after his home country.<ref name="ScotiaHist">Village of Scotia History</ref> Scotia was the location of a military encampment during both the French and Indian War of 1754 and again during the War of 1812.<ref name="ScotiaHist"/> During the 1800s, Scotia was known for its production of brooms, over 1 million annually for a time.<ref name="ScotiaHist"/> In the 20th century, Scotia became a thriving bedroom community for employees of Schenectady employers such as General Electric. During World War II the Scotia Naval Supply Depot (1942–1971) employed over 2000 workers.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Historic buildings:

Glen Sanders Mansion, parts dating to 1713<ref>Hartgen.com: Dendochronological Analyses</ref>
Abraham Glen House, 1730s
Flint House, early 19th century<ref>Visit Scotia.com: Flint House</ref>
First Baptist Church, 1872<ref>First Baptist Church: History</ref>
Holland House (W.T. Mynderse mansion), built 1914<ref>Bill Buell, "Dutch Touch, Mynderse house reflects Washington Irving influence," Schenectady Gazette, January 25, 2004, https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1957&dat=20040125&id=d4hGAAAAIBAJ&sjid=VukMAAAAIBAJ&pg=1418,5464230</ref>
Scotia Reformed Church, founded 1818, present building 1952.
The United States Post Office, built 1940, contains a tempera mural, The Glen Family Spared by French and Indians – 1690, painted by muralist Amy Jones (artist) in 1941. in tempera and listed on the National Register of Historic Places.<ref name="nris">Template:NRISref</ref>

Geography

Scotia is on the north bank of the Mohawk River at Template:Coord (42.8313, -73.9654).<ref name="GR1">Template:Cite web</ref>

According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of Template:Convert, of which Template:Convert is land and Template:Convert, or 5.82%, is water.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Demographics

Template:US Census population As of the census<ref name="GR2">Template:Cite web</ref> of 2010, there were 7,729 people, 3,362 households, and 2,006 families residing in the village. The population density was Template:Convert.<ref name=NYPop>Template:Cite book</ref> There were 3,519 housing units at an average density of Template:Convert.<ref name=NYPop/> The racial makeup of the village was 95.4% White, 1.2% African American, 0.2% Native American, 1.1% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 0.4% from other races, and 1.8% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.8% of the population.

Of 3,362 households, 30% included individuals under the age of 18, 42.1% were married couples living together, 13.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 40.3% were non-families, 33.7% were individuals living alone, and 13.1% were individuals age 65 or older living alone. The average household size was 2.3 and the average family size was 2.95.

The village population was composed of 23.1% under the age of 18, 3.3% from 18 to 20, 31% from 21 to 44, 28.8% from 45 to 64, and 13.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37.2 years. The female population was 51.6% and the male population was 48.4%.

In 2015, the estimated median income for a household in the village was $54,607, and the median income for a family was $75,182. Males had a median income of $54,364 versus $45,603 for females. The per capita income for the village was $26,853. An estimated 4.0% of families and 6.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.9% of those under age 18 and 6.0% of those age 5.6% or over.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Community

Aerial photo: Collins Park and vicinity

Scotia is served by the Scotia-Glenville Central School District. Schools located in the village of Scotia include Lincoln and Sacandaga elementary schools, while Scotia-Glenville High School and Scotia-Glenville Middle School stand just outside the village limits. The private Mekeel Christian Academy occupies the former Scotia High School building in the village. Local residents may enjoy pastimes at all seasons in Collins Park and nearby Freedom Park. Winter events include sledding and ice skating, while summer activities include baseball, tennis, swimming, pond and river fishing, picnicking, concerts, and waterskiing on the Mohawk River.

Transportation

Scotia is served by the historic New York Route 5, and is the terminus for both Route 50 and Route 147 providing access to Saratoga County. The Route 5 link to Schenectady is over the Western Gateway Bridge, originally built in 1923-25, and replaced in 1971.<ref>Union College.edu: Bridging the Mohawk River by Gara and Garver</ref> From 1874 to 1925 the Mohawk River had been crossed by a bridge running from the foot of Washington Ave., Schenectady to Washington Ave., Scotia, a steel bridge built upon the seven piers of a former wooden bridge, built in 1808, called the Burr Bridge.<ref>Schenectady and the Great Western Gateway Past and Present, 1926, Schenectady Chamber of Commerce, page 61.</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Scotia was formerly served by railways, including the New York Central (which operated a switch yard in the village), the Delaware and Hudson, and the Boston and Maine, as well as the electric Fonda, Johnstown and Gloversville interurban line. Two nearby airports, located in the town of Glenville, serve the village: Mohawk Valley Airport is a privately owned airport for public use located three nautical miles (6 km) along State Route 5, northwest of the village of Scotia.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Schenectady County Airport is a joint civil-military public airport located two nautical miles (3 km) north-northeast of the village of Scotia.

Notable people

Helmut Karl Buechner (1918–1975), ecologist, field biologist, Director of the Office of Ecology for the Smithsonian Institution, born in Scotia<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Joe Cremo (born 1996), pro basketball player, born in Scotia
Philip Dalton (1903–1941), military scientist and pilot, born in Scotia
Laura Diaz (born 1975), professional golfer on LPGA Tour, born in Scotia
Robert Doherty (1885–1950), electrical engineer, president of Carnegie Mellon University, died in Scotia
Saul Dushman (1883–1954), Russian-born physical chemist, resided, died in Scotia
Conyers Herring (1914–2009), solid state physicist, born in Scotia
Steve Kuczek (1924–2010), major league baseball player, died in Scotia
Kathleen Paige (born 1948), rear admiral, U.S. Navy, program director, Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense
James Parry (born 1967), Usenet personality known as "Kibo", born in Scotia
David Pietrusza (born 1949) author, lived in Scotia
George Runner (born 1952), California state senator, born in Scotia

References

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External links

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Template:Capital District Template:Schenectady County, New York

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