Amsterdam is a

town A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...

in Montgomery County,

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

, United States. The population was 5,557 at the 2020 census. The town is named after

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , ; ; ) is the capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, largest city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It has a population of 933,680 in June 2024 within the city proper, 1,457,018 in the City Re ...

, the capital of the Netherlands. The town is adjacent to the

city A city is a human settlement of a substantial size. The term "city" has different meanings around the world and in some places the settlement can be very small. Even where the term is limited to larger settlements, there is no universally agree ...

. The

Mohawk River The Mohawk River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed October 3, 2011 river in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It is the largest tributary of the Hudson R ...

, which is part of the

Erie Canal The Erie Canal is a historic canal in upstate New York that runs east–west between the Hudson River and Lake Erie. Completed in 1825, the canal was the first navigability, navigable waterway connecting the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes, ...

, passes along the southern border of the town.

History

The region was controlled by the powerful

Iroquois confederacy The Iroquois ( ), also known as the Five Nations, and later as the Six Nations from 1722 onwards; alternatively referred to by the Endonym and exonym, endonym Haudenosaunee ( ; ) are an Iroquoian languages, Iroquoian-speaking Confederation#Ind ...

's member tribe, the Mohawk, prior to the entry of Europeans into the area. The town was first settled around 1715, but most settlement did not take place until Sir William Johnson established his first seat of power in the region at

Fort Johnson Fort Polk, formerly Fort Johnson, is a United States Army installation located in Vernon Parish, Louisiana, Vernon Parish, Louisiana, about 10 miles (15 km) east of Leesville, Louisiana, Leesville and 30 miles (50 km) north of DeRid ...

(earlier known as Mount Johnson), prior to founding the city of Johnstown. The town was formed in 1793 from part of the town of Caughnawaga. The village of Amsterdam was incorporated in 1838 in the south part of the town. As the village grew toward becoming the city of Amsterdam, it took in more territory inside the town. The town of

Perth Perth () is the list of Australian capital cities, capital city of Western Australia. It is the list of cities in Australia by population, fourth-most-populous city in Australia, with a population of over 2.3 million within Greater Perth . The ...

(also in Fulton County) was removed in 1838. In 1865, the population of Amsterdam was 5,135. The Hurricana Stock Farm and Samuel and Johanna Jones Farm are listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

Geography

Amsterdam is in the northeast corner of Montgomery County. The northern town line is the border of Fulton County, and the eastern town line is the border with Saratoga and

Schenectady Schenectady ( ) is a City (New York), city in Schenectady County, New York, United States, of which it is the county seat. As of the United States Census 2020, 2020 census, the city's population of 67,047 made it the state's ninth-most populo ...

counties. The southern town boundary is defined by the

, except for the center portion of the boundary, which is with the city of Amsterdam, and the western town boundary is with the town of Mohawk. According to the

U.S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, 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 U.S. Census Bureau is part of the U ...

, the town of Amsterdam has a total area of , of which are land and , or 2.41%, are water. Tributaries of the Mohawk River which flow through the town include Kayaderosseras Creek in the west, North Chuctanunda Creek in the center, and Degraff Creek and Evas Kill in the east.

New York State Route 5 New York State Route 5 (NY 5) is a state highway that extends for across the state of New York in the United States. It begins at the Pennsylvania state line in the Chautauqua County town of Ripley and passes through Buffalo, Sy ...

and New York State Route 67 are east–west highways, partly conjoined near the Mohawk River. Both highways intersect north–south New York State Route 30 in the city of Amsterdam. NY-5 leads southeast to

and west to Fonday, NY-67 leads east to Ballston Spa, and NY-30 leads north to Mayfield and south to Schoharie.

Demographics

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2010, there were 5,520 people, 2,243 households, and 1,531 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 2,374 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 94.77% White, 0.69% Black or African-American, 0.10% Native American, 0.24% Asian, 3.36% from other races, and 0.84% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6.32% of the population. There were 2,243 households, out of which 27.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.3% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 8.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.7% were non-families. 27.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.41 and the average family size was 2.91. In the town, the population was spread out, with 20.2% under the age of 18, 6.2% from 18 to 24, 24.4% from 25 to 44, 26.3% from 45 to 64, and 22.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.5 males. The median income for a household in the town was $37,097, and the median income for a family was $46,667. Males had a median income of $34,476 versus $23,533 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the town was $19,099. About 5.1% of families and 7.0% 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 ...

, including 4.8% of those under age 18 and 8.6% of those age 65 or over.

Communities and locations

*Church Corners – A hamlet near the western town line on NY-67. * Cranesville – A hamlet east of Amsterdam city on NY-5 by the Mohawk River. The community is named after early settler David Crane. *Crescent Park – A hamlet northeast of Amsterdam city. * Evas Kill – A stream emptying into the Mohawk River, named after Evas van Alstyne, killed by natives in that location. *

– A village located west of Amsterdam city on NY-5. * Hagaman – A village formerly called "Hagamans Mills" northeast of Amsterdam city and located on North Chuctenunda Creek. *Harrower – A hamlet northeast of Amsterdam city. *Harrower Pond – A wide part of North Chuctanunda Creek. *Manny Corners – A hamlet northeast of Amsterdam city. * North Chuctanunda Creek – A tributary of the Mohawk River, flowing through Amsterdam city. *Rockton – A hamlet on the northern edge of Amsterdam city. * Tribes Hill – A hamlet at the western town line on NY-5 and former meeting place of the local natives. *Wallins Corners – A hamlet north of Amsterdam city.

References

External links

*
Early historical information on Amsterdam
{{authority control Towns in Montgomery County, New York Towns in New York (state) Populated places on the Mohawk River