Амстердам, Нью-Йорк: История и современность города

City in the United States
the city

Amsterdam ('/æ//m//s//t//ər//d//æ//m/) is a city in Montgomery County, New York, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 18,219. The city is named after Amsterdam in the Netherlands. The City of Amsterdam is surrounded on the northern, eastern and western sides by the town of Amsterdam. The city developed on both sides of the Mohawk River, with the majority located on the north bank. The Port Jackson area on the south side is also part of the city.

Prior to settlement by Europeans, the region which includes Amsterdam was inhabited for centuries by the Mohawk tribe of the Iroquois Confederacy, which dominated most of the Mohawk Valley. They had pushed the Algonquin Mohican tribe to the east of the Hudson River. Dutch settlers began to arrive in the area in the 1660s, founding Schenectady in 1664. They had previously been based in Albany, along the Hudson River to the east. They reached what would later be Amsterdam c.1710. They called the community Veeders Mills and Veedersburgh after Albert Veeder, an early mill owner. By the second decade of the 1700s, Scotch Irish and German Palatinate immigrants began to arrive in the Mohawk Valley region, but few settled in Amsterdam. The governor of the colony granted a group of 100 Palatine German households land in the area that developed as Little Falls, New York to the west, where the English planned they could serve as a buffer to French and Native American incursions. The American Revolutionary War had little effect on the Amsterdam region. No major battles were fought there or in the surrounding region. The Battle of Johnstown was essentially the repelling of a raid by British forces and their Native American, mostly Iroquois, allies. Amsterdam grew slowly after the war, primarily providing the services needed for the farming communities which surrounded it. When the Town of Amsterdam was created, the city changed its name to Amsterdam in 1803, possibly to encourage its selection as the seat of the town's government.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 6.3 square miles (16.3 km), of which 5.9 square miles (15.4 km) is land and 0.3 square miles (0.9 km) is water, with the total area being 5.41% water. The city developed on both sides of the Mohawk River and Erie Canal, and both North Chuctanunda Creek and South Chuctanunda Creek flow into the Mohawk at Amsterdam. New York State Route 30, a north south highway called Market Street in part, crosses the Mohawk River to link the main part of Amsterdam to the New York State Thruway. NY 30 also intersects east west highways New York State Route 5 and New York State Route 67 in the city. New York State Route 5S passes along the south side of the Mohawk River. Amsterdam is currently within New York's 20th congressional district.

St. Mary's Institute

The Amsterdam Free Library at 28 Church Street is a Carnegie library built in 1902 1903 with $25,000 from philanthropist Andrew Carnegie. It was designed by Albert W. Fuller in the Beaux Arts style.

Amsterdam is rich in the Arts. Amsterdam High School is the home of the award winning Amsterdam Marching Rams, one of the top marching bands in the area. AHS also supports a thriving theater program, with performances housed in the Bert DeRose Theatre. The Marching Rams are directed by Ann Wilary, director, and Cody Chamberlain, assistant director. The Theatre program is led by Chris Stefani. Amsterdam also has opportunities for music within the community. The Mohawk Valley Choir has three ensembles: one for elementary aged, one for middle high school aged, and adults. The Mohawk Valley Chamber Ensembles are an extension of this program, founded and directed by Stephanie Podolec.

Amsterdam's government consists of a city council and a mayor. The mayor is elected in a citywide vote. The council consists of five members each elected from wards.

NamepartyYear(s)Carmichael, JohnDem.1885Kline, Harlan P. Rep.1886Liddle, ThomasRep.1887–88Dwyer, John F. Dem.1889Waldron, Hicks B. Dem.1890Breedon, William A. Rep.1891–92Nisbet, Charles S. Dem.1893Hannon, George R. Rep.1894Pabis, David R. Rep.1895–96Kaufman, William H. Rep.1897Westbrook, Zerah S. Dem.1898–99Wallin, SamuelRep.1900–01Gardner, William A. Dem.1902–03Clark, Robert N. Dem.1904–05Dealy, Jacob H. Dem.1906–09Conover, SeelyRep.1910–11Dealy, Jacob H. Dem.1912–13Cline, James R. Rep.1914–17Conover, SeelyRep.1918–19Akin, TheronRep., Dem., Soc.1920–23Salmon, Carl S. Rep.1924–29Gardner, William A. Dem.1930–31Brumagin, Robert B. Rep.1932–33Carter, ArthurDem.1934–43Lynch, Wilbur H. Rep.1944–45Hand, Joseph P. Dem.1946–47Deal, Burtiss E. Rep.1948–55Martuscello, Frank J. Rep.1956–57Gregg, Thomas F. Dem.1958–59Martuscello, Frank J. Rep.1960–63Breier, Marcus I. Rep.1964–67Gomulka, John P. Dem.1968–79Villa, MarioRep.1980–87Parillo, PaulDem.1988–91Villa, MarioInd.1992–1995Duchessi, John M. Dem.1996–2003Emanuele, JosephRep.2004–2007Thane, Ann M. Dem.2008–2015Villa, MichaelRep.2016–2019Cinquanti, MichaelDem.2020 Incumbent

Cinquanti, Michael A Year's Worth of Amsterdam NY Birthdays, Amsterdam (NY): Genium Group. Cinquanti, Michael A Year's Worth of Amsterdam NY Birthdays (2nd edition), Amsterdam (NY): Genium Group, 2016. Cinquanti, Michael Amsterdam NY Top Ten Lists, Amsterdam (NY): Genium Group, 2017. Donlon, Hugh P. Amsterdam, New York: Annals of a Mill Town, Amsterdam (NY): Donlon Associates, 1980. Farquhar, Kelly Yacobucci and Scott G. Haefner Amsterdam, Charleston (SC): Arcadia Publishing, 2006. Going, Robert N. Honor Roll: The World War II Dead of Amsterdam, NY, Amsterdam (NY): George Street Press, 2010. Pietrusza, David Too Long Ago: A Childhood Memory. A Vanished World, Scotia (NY): Church and Reid Books, 2020.