Fort Edward is a village in
Washington
County
, New
York
, United
States
. It is part of the
Glens Falls
Metropolitan Statistical Area. The village population was 3,141
at the 2000 census. The name is derived from the brother of King
George III.
The
village is part of the town of Fort
Edward
.
History
Early History
Fort Edward has been strategically important during its long and
illustrious history, for it commands the Hudson and Champlain
Valleys. The Indians called the area around Fort Edward
"Wahcoloosencoochaleva," which means "The Great Carrying Place," as
the Hudson River is no longer navigable to the north, requiring a
portage to arrive at
Lake George. This
unique location on the "Great War Path" meant that the area was
destined to be settled and fortified early.
As early as 1709 during
Queen Anne's
War, a stockade (Fort Nicholson) was erected in the area due to
its strategic importance - only to be abandoned and then
constructed again as Fort Lydus, the trading post of John Lydus. In
1731, the fortification was reconstructed as Fort Lyman and then
renamed by
Sir William Johnson
during the French and Indian War as Fort Edward in 1755. Also at
this time, a large military complex was constructed on nearby
Roger's Island, which today is an historic site listed on the
National Register of Historic Places. Another smaller fort was
constructed on the opposite shore of the Hudson River.
During the American Revolution, the area fell to the British forces
under
John Burgoyne in 1777.
Post Colonial history
The
completion of the Champlain
Canal
in 1823 linked the area to the north and south and
replaced a smaller canal that by-passed local rapids.
The village of Fort Edward
incorporated in 1849, setting itself
off from the town of Fort Edward.
Geography
According to the
United
States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of
1.9
square miles (5.0
km²), of which, 1.8 square miles
(4.6 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square miles
(0.4 km²) of it (7.25%) is water.
New York Route 197 joins
US Route 4 at Fort Edward, and the
Champlain Canal joins the
Hudson River
south of the village.
Fort
Edward is on the opposite shore of the Hudson River from the town of Moreau in Saratoga
County
.
Demographics
As of the
census of 2000, there were 3,141
people, 1,247 households, and 835 families residing in the village.
The
population density was
1,751.1 people per square mile (677.5/km²). There were 1,399
housing units at an average density of 779.9/sq mi
(301.8/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 98.69%
White, 0.35%
Black or
African American, 0.19%
Native American, 0.38%
Asian, and 0.38% from two or
more races.
Hispanic or
Latino of any race were 0.29%
of the population.
There were 1,247 households out of which 33.8% had children under
the age of 18 living with them, 45.5% were
married couples living together, 15.9% had a female
householder with no husband present, and 33.0% were non-families.
26.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.3% had
someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average
household size was 2.50 and the average family size was 2.99.
In the village the population was spread out with 26.3% under the
age of 18, 8.6% from 18 to 24, 30.9% from 25 to 44, 21.0% from 45
to 64, and 13.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age
was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 93.2 males. For
every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.8 males.
The median income for a household in the village was $32,347, and
the median income for a family was $39,550. Males had a median
income of $35,380 versus $22,361 for females. The
per capita income for the village was
$17,555. About 7.9% of families and 11.2% of the population were
below the
poverty line, including 14.7%
of those under age 18 and 2.4% of those age 65 or over.
References
External links