Hudson Falls is a
village located in
Washington County, New York, USA. The village is in the southwest part of the
town of
Kingsbury, on
US Route 4. Hudson Falls is part of the
Glens Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2000 census, the village had a population of 6,927. It was the
county seat of
Washington County until 1994, when the county seat was moved to
Fort Edward.
History
The village was founded in a land patent granted to James Bradshaw and his associates May 1762 as
Baker's Falls. In 1810 it was incorporated as the village of
Sandy Hill. The village assumed its current name in 1910.
Stone quarried in Hudson Falls was used to construct the
Bennington Battle Monument and the
Brooklyn Bridge; the site of the quarry is now occupied by the Washington-Saratoga-Warren-Hamilton-Essex
Board of Cooperative Educational Services. The
Glens Falls Feeder Canal runs though the village.
Notable people from Hudson Falls
- William Bronk grew up in Hudson Falls; as an adult, he managed a lumber business there and wrote various literary works.
Current events related to the past
In the first week of September around Friday-Saturday, every year there is a carnival (celebration) to remember the old town name. The carnival is referred to as "Sandy Hill Days" and is hosted at the Hudson Falls Kindergarten Center near the KoC (Knights Of Columbus) where there is also a flea market.
Geography
According to the
United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 1.9 square miles (4.9 km²), of which 1.8 square miles (4.8 km²) of it is land and 0.04 square miles (0.1 km²) of it is water. The total area is 2.13% water.
The village is on the east bank of the
Hudson River at the west border of
Washington County, New York. A
village green lies in the center of the commercial district.
NY Route 196 (Maple Street) and
NY Route 254 (River Street) intersect US Route 4 in Hudson Falls.
Demographics
As of the
census of 2000, there were 6,927 people, 2,876 households, and 1,760 families residing in the village. The
population density was 3,763.5 people per square mile (1,453.5/km²). There were 3,120 housing units at an average density of 1,695.1/sq mi (654.7/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 97.91%
White, 0.45%
African American, 0.22%
Native American, 0.25%
Asian, 0.00%
Pacific Islander, 0.16% from
other races, and 1.02% from two or more races. 0.68% of the population is
Hispanic or
Latino of any race.
There were 2,876 households out of which 31.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.7% were
married couples living together, 15.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.8% were non-families. 32.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 2.95.
In the village the population was spread out with 25.2% under the age of 18, 8.9% from 18 to 24, 30.6% from 25 to 44, 20.6% from 45 to 64, and 14.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 88.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.8 males.
The median income for a household in the village was $31,516, and the median income for a family was $37,628. Males had a median income of $31,107 versus $21,215 for females. The
per capita income for the village was $17,575. 17.2% of the population and 12.8% of families were below the
poverty line. 30.3% of those under the age of 18 and 6.3% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.
Rail transportation
Amtrak, the national passenger rail system, provides service to Hudson Falls at the station in nearby Fort Edward, operating its
Adirondack daily in both directions between
Montreal and
New York City. Amtrak has designated the stop as
Fort Edward-Glens Falls.
Freight rail service is provided along a spur line extending from Fort Edward to Glens Falls that runs through the village.
Literary references
The fictional town of Millers Kill, NY, in
Julia Spencer-Fleming's mystery novels is loosely based on Hudson Falls.
