Westmere is a

hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depicts ...

in the

town A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares an ori ...

of Guilderland, Albany County, New York, United States. Since the 1970 Census, a

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the count ...

(CDP) has been established with the name of Westmere for tabulating the population of what the census has defined as the boundaries for Westmere. The population was 7,284 at the 2010 census. It is a suburb of the neighboring city of Albany.

U.S. Route 20 U.S. Route 20 or U.S. Highway 20 (US 20) is an east–west United States Numbered Highway that stretches from the Pacific Northwest east to New England. The "0" in its route number indicates that US 20 is a major coast-to-coast route. S ...

(Western Avenue) bisects the community and is the major thoroughfare and main street. Along Western Avenue are numerous strip malls, shopping plazas, and commercial buildings, with residential use on the side streets to the north and south. Crossgates Mall, the

Capital District A capital district, capital region or capital territory is normally a specially designated administrative division where a country's seat of government is located. As such, in a federal model of government, no state or territory has any poli ...

's largest shopping mall, is in Westmere's northeastern corner.

History

Westmere as a settled place is of recent origin, though being along the

Great Western Turnpike The Great Western Turnpike was a series of east–west toll roads that crossed part of New York in the United States. The toll roads that carried this name were: *The First Great Western Turnpike, extending from Albany to Cherry Valley over a path ...

, built in 1799, it was always a place migrants passed through on their way from Albany and

New England New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York (state), New York to the west and by the Can ...

to the western frontier. A toll gate existed on the turnpike roughly where Highland Estates is located. Even before the

turnpike Turnpike often refers to: * A type of gate, another word for a turnstile * In the United States, a toll road Turnpike may also refer to: Roads United Kingdom * A turnpike road, a principal road maintained by a turnpike trust, a body with powers ...

was built, 300 wagons (and sleighs in the winter) passed through in 1796 what would later become Westmere. After

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, development began to encroach on the rural wooded area with mostly bungalows and cottages. This would accelerate in the post-war era after

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, and in the 1940s is when the name Westmere would be given to this area. Westmere was the fastest growing section of the town of Guilderland in this period.

Geography

As a hamlet, the borders of Westmere are only loosely defined. As a census-designated place (CDP) however, the borders (as of the 2010 census) are exactly defined as the city of Albany to the north, then following

New York Route 155 New York State Route 155 (NY 155) is a state highway located entirely within Albany County in the Capital District of New York. The western terminus of the route is at NY 85A in Voorheesville. The eastern terminus is at NY&nbs ...

(State Farm Road/New Karner Road) as the western border. The southern border follows Doctor Shaw Road from its intersection with NY 155, then turns northeast onto Veeder Road until its termination with Johnston Road. At Johnston Road, the border turns north and follows it until it takes a right onto Church Road and follows it to the intersection with

(Western Avenue). The border then takes a right on Western Avenue to the Governor Thomas E. Dewey Thruway ( Interstate 87) and goes north to the Albany city line. These borders can change from census to census. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of t ...

in 2000, the CDP has a total area of , all land.

Location

Demographics

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses in ...

of 2000, there were 7,188 people, 3,162 households, and 1,903 families residing in the CDP. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical ...

was 2,259.8 per square mile (872.7/km²). There were 3,287 housing units at an average density of 1,033.4/sq mi (399.1/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 88.75%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White o ...

, 3.62%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 0.04% Native American, 6.25%

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

, 0.03%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...

, 0.43% from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, and 0.89% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties forme ...

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

of any race were 2.00% of the population. There were 3,162 households, out of which 26.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.1% were married couples living together, 9.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.8% were non-families. 32.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.25 and the average family size was 2.90. In the CDP, the population was spread out, with 21.1% under the age of 18, 6.6% from 18 to 24, 31.7% from 25 to 44, 24.9% from 45 to 64, and 15.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 90.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.8 males. The median income for a household in the CDP was $55,000, and the median income for a family was $61,827. Males had a median income of $45,769 versus $32,937 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the CDP was $28,790. About 3.0% of families and 4.1% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

, including 2.5% of those under age 18 and 4.4% of those age 65 or over.

Fire Protection

The Westmere Fire Department was formally incorporated on December 31, 1935 for the protection of the residents of the community. In 1937, the Westmere Fire District was recognized by the New York State Comptroller. Today, the Westmere Fire Department continues to be 100% volunteer, with over 50 active firefighters volunteering at the busiest fire department in the Town of Guilderland. The department operates with three fire engines, a tower-ladder, one heavy-rescue truck, a multi-purpose pickup truck, and two command vehicles.

References

{{authority control Guilderland, New York Census-designated places in New York (state) Hamlets in New York (state) Census-designated places in Albany County, New York Hamlets in Albany County, New York