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Bethlehem 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 Albany County, New York, United States. The town's population was 35,034 at the 2020 census. Bethlehem is located immediately to the south of the city of Albany and includes the following
hamlets A hamlet is a human settlement that is smaller than a town or village. This is often simply an informal description of a smaller settlement or possibly a subdivision or satellite entity to a larger settlement. Sometimes a hamlet is defined f ...
: Delmar, Elsmere, Glenmont, North Bethlehem, Selkirk, Slingerlands, and South Bethlehem. U.S. Route 9W passes through the town. The town is named after the biblical
Bethlehem Bethlehem is a city in the West Bank, Palestine, located about south of Jerusalem, and the capital of the Bethlehem Governorate. It had a population of people, as of . The city's economy is strongly linked to Tourism in the State of Palesti ...
.


History

When
Henry Hudson Henry Hudson ( 1565 – disappeared 23 June 1611) was an English sea explorer and navigator during the early 17th century, best known for his explorations of present-day Canada and parts of the Northeastern United States. In 1607 and 16 ...
sailed up the river that would eventually bear his name, he is thought to have landed at what is now the town of Bethlehem. The spot where he is presumed to have landed is commemorated at the town's Henry Hudson Park. The town was established on March 12, 1793, from the town of Watervliet. In 1832, part of the town was used to form the town of New Scotland. The town's earliest growth took place in Normansville, named for its location along the Normans Kill, a creek, which forms the town's border with Albany. Normansville still exists today, though it is unnoticed by most living in Bethlehem since it is accessible only by one downhill road. In the mid-19th century, the Delaware and Hudson railroad initiated Albany - Binghamton service (Susquehanna Division) through the hamlet then called Adamsville, renaming the hamlet Delmar. Delmar has become the most populous hamlet and its Delaware Avenue is the site of the present day town hall, police station, justice court, and public library, as well as numerous businesses. The Delaware and Hudson discontinued passenger service in 1963, and its tracks started being removed in the year 2000, with the last of the track removed in 2005. The track right-of-way is now the Albany County Rail trail, a bike and pedestrian path, that runs from downtown Albany to Voorheesville. The town has continued to grow, and is today considered to be an affluent suburb of the city of Albany.


Local landmarks

The town includes several historic buildings and landmarks. * Four Corners: This Delmar intersection of Delaware and Kenwood avenues has served as the town's traditional center. It is the location of several stores, banks, restaurants and the post office. It is within walking distance of most Delmar residents. * Adams House: In 1838 Nathaniel Adams built a hotel on Delaware Avenue. This stately building later served as the town hall. In 1980, the Town Hall moved to a larger location, and the volunteer fire department took over the building. Until 2016, Adams House was used as the headquarters of the New York State Association of Retarded Citizens, when it was sold to the Bethlehem Chabad, an Orthodox Jewish assembly. The Delmar Fire Department maintains the fire station to the rear of the structure, at the intersection of Nathaniel and Adams streets. * Beckers Homestead: Albertus Becker built this house in 1800. His grandson, Albertus Becker II, was elected town supervisor in 1863. * Bethlehem House: 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 ...
(NRHP) in 1973. * District School No. 1: listed on the NRHP in 1998. * Memorial Park: A small pocket park along Delaware Avenue to honor the town's war veterans. The park provides pedestrian access to the old Delaware and Hudson railway bed. The railway bed is being converted to a bike trail (rails to trails program) as funds become available. * Elm Avenue Park: The town's largest park, it is a popular summertime gathering point. It includes three outdoor swimming pools, a splash zone for toddlers, playground, basketball and tennis courts. Winter activities include ice skating, hockey, cross country skiing, sledding, and snowmobiling. Admission to the pool area is restricted to town residents and their guests under a fee-based system. * Bethlehem Central Middle School: This was built as the senior high school in the Federal style. Over the years it has had several additions. Its facilities include outdoor tennis courts, basketball courts, softball fields, running track, cross country trails, and soccer fields. These facilities are open to the public when the school is not in session. The high school was moved to a new building and this was adapted as a middle school. * Delaware Plaza: A shopping plaza built in the 1950s, located on Delaware Avenue in Elsmere. Delaware Plaza is home to a large supermarket ( Hannaford) as well as some 30 other shops and restaurants. * Delmar post office: Built in the late 1930s during the Depression, it is the only one of the 13
Colonial Revival The Colonial Revival architectural style seeks to revive elements of American colonial architecture. The beginnings of the Colonial Revival style are often attributed to the Centennial Exhibition of 1876, which reawakened Americans to the arch ...
-
style Style, or styles may refer to: Film and television * ''Style'' (2001 film), a Hindi film starring Sharman Joshi, Riya Sen, Sahil Khan and Shilpi Mudgal * ''Style'' (2002 film), a Tamil drama film * ''Style'' (2004 film), a Burmese film * '' ...
New York post offices designed by Louis Simon to lack a
cupola In architecture, a cupola () is a relatively small, usually dome-like structure on top of a building often crowning a larger roof or dome. Cupolas often serve as a roof lantern to admit light and air or as a lookout. The word derives, via Ital ...
. * Albany County Helderberg-Hudson Rail Trail: Made from the preexisting path of the Delaware and Hudson railroad. The tracks have since been removed and is currently paved from Tollgate in New Scotland to the Port of Albany (roughly the Corner of Lexi Lane and S. Pearl Street).


Politics

Town government had been dominated for over 120 years by the Republican Party. That changed in 2003 with the election of Democrat Theresa Egan as town supervisor. On the town board, Democrat Dan Plummer, along with Independence Party member Tim Gordon, created a new working Democratic majority for the first time in recollection. The Democrats further solidified their majority in 2005. On April 11, 2007, Supervisor Egan resigned her position in favor of a high-level appointment to the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles, and Jack Cunningham was appointed supervisor by the board. Cunningham was elected to the position in the fall of 2007, then ran for reelection in November 2009, when he was defeated by council member Sam Messina. Messina, a member of the Independence Party (and former member of the Democratic Party), ran on the Republican line. When the Republican Party chose to endorse Democratic town board member Kyle Kotary for town supervisor in May 2011, then-Supervisor Messina announced he would not seek reelection. John Clarkson defeated Kotary in the Democratic primary for the supervisor position in September 2011, and Clarkson subsequently defeated Kotary, running on the Republican line, in the general election in November 2011. Clarkson was sworn in as Bethlehem's supervisor on January 2, 2012. He served 3 terms and was succeeded by Democrat David VanLuven, who was first elected in November 2017. He ran unopposed for reelection in 2019. Following the 2019 elections, Democrats were reelected to the town supervisor position, the town clerk position, the receiver of taxes position, both town justices and three of four seats on the town board. Additionally, a Democrat, Marc Dorsey, was elected superintendent of highways. In the 2021 election, Democrats won all town offices: supervisor, clerk, town justice, superintendent of highways, and two town board seats. Following this election, Democrats control every local elected position in the town.


Education

Most town residents live within the Bethlehem Central School District. The town operates five public elementary schools – Eagle, Elsmere, Glenmont, Hamagrael, and Slingerlands. A sixth elementary school, Clarksville, was closed indefinitely at the end of the 2010–2011 school year. The building remains property of the Bethlehem Central School District and is currently leased to the Albany County Sheriff's Department. According to the District web site, Clarksville school will remain closed for the indefinite future due to declining enrollment and economic issues. Bethlehem Central School District Elementary schools include students up to grade 5. The Bethlehem Central Middle School educates children in grades 6, 7 and 8, while the Bethlehem Central High School includes grades 9–12. The town also includes the School of Saint Thomas the Apostle, a Catholic school for grades K–8 located across from the Catholic Church. Additionally, an independent school known as Bethlehem Children's School exists for students in K–8, offering a creative, child centered environmental education approach to learning. The school district offers Continuing Education classes in a variety of topics for adult learners of all ages. The school district also provides busing and most textbooks for families who choose to educate their children in private schools. Residents in the hamlet of North Bethlehem are part of the Guilderland Central School District. Residents in the hamlets of Selkirk and South Bethlehem are part of the Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk Central School District. One of the two elementary schools of the district, Albertus W. Becker Elementary School, is in Selkirk.


Geography

According to the
United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...
, the town has a total area of , of which is land and (1.55%) is water.


Location and adjacent areas

The town is in Albany County, New York. The eastern town line, defined by the
Hudson River The Hudson River, historically the North River, is a river that flows from north to south largely through eastern New York (state), New York state. It originates in the Adirondack Mountains at Henderson Lake (New York), Henderson Lake in the ...
, is the border of Rensselaer County. To the north, the town shares a border with Albany, and the town of Guilderland. To the west is the town of New Scotland, and to the south is the town of Coeymans. The New York State Thruway ( Interstate 87) passes through the town. The town is also served by the CDTA number 13 (New Scotland Avenue), 18 (Delaware Avenue), and 19 (Voorheesville) buses.


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 2000, there were 31,304 people, 12,112 households, and 8,551 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 12,459 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 94.74%
White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...
, 2.26%
African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...
, 0.15% Native American, 1.66% Asian, 0.04%
Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...
, 0.31% from other races, and 0.84% from two or more races.
Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...
or Latino of any race were 1.74% of the population. There were 12,112 households, out of which 36.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.0% 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, 8.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.4% were non-families. 25.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.53 and the average family size was 3.06. In the town, the population was spread out, with 27.5% under the age of 18, 5.2% from 18 to 24, 27.1% from 25 to 44, 25.8% from 45 to 64, and 14.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 90.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.5 males. The median income for a household in the town was $63,169, and the median income for a family was $77,211. Males had a median income of $52,433 versus $36,739 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 $31,492. About 2.3% of families and 3.1% 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 ...
, including 3.6% of those under age 18 and 2.8% of those age 65 or over.


Notable people

* E. G. Squier (1821–1888),
archaeologist Archaeology or archeology is the study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of Artifact (archaeology), artifacts, architecture, biofact (archaeology), biofacts or ecofacts, ...
and
newspaper A newspaper is a Periodical literature, periodical publication containing written News, information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide variety of fields such as poli ...
editor Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, visual, audible, or cinematic material used by a person or an entity to convey a message or information. The editing process can involve correction, condensation, organization, a ...
*
Megyn Kelly Megyn Marie Kelly (; born November 18, 1970) is an American journalist, attorney, political commentator, and media personality. She currently hosts ''The Megyn Kelly Show'', a talk show and podcast that airs daily on Sirius XM's Triumph channe ...
, NBC, formerly
Fox News The Fox News Channel (FNC), commonly known as Fox News, is an American Multinational corporation, multinational Conservatism in the United States, conservative List of news television channels, news and political commentary Television stati ...
anchor, Bethlehem Central graduate * Eva Marie Saint, American actress who has starred in films, on Broadway, and on television in a career spanning seven decades. * James Charles, makeup artist, first male spokesmodel for
CoverGirl CoverGirl is an American cosmetics brand founded in Maryland, United States, by the Noxzema Chemical Company. It was acquired by Procter & Gamble in 1989, and later acquired by Coty, Inc. in 2016. The Noxell Company advertised this cosmetics l ...
, Bethlehem Central graduate * Josh Eppard, drummer of Coheed & Cambria * Frances S. Curry, United States
Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest Awards and decorations of the United States Armed Forces, military decoration and is awarded to recognize American United States Army, soldiers, United States Navy, sailors, Un ...
recipient. Lived in Selkirk * Matt Quatraro, manager,
Kansas City Royals The Kansas City Royals are an American professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The team ...
* Bill Karins,
NBC News NBC News is the news division of the American broadcast television network NBC. The division operates under NBCUniversal Media Group, a division of NBCUniversal, which is itself a subsidiary of Comcast. The news division's various operations r ...
meteorologist A meteorologist is a scientist who studies and works in the field of meteorology aiming to understand or predict Earth's atmosphere of Earth, atmospheric phenomena including the weather. Those who study meteorological phenomena are meteorologists ...
* Ed O'Keefe,
CBS News CBS News is the news division of the American television and radio broadcaster CBS. It is headquartered in New York City. CBS News television programs include ''CBS Evening News'', ''CBS Mornings'', news magazine programs ''CBS News Sunday Morn ...
political correspondent * Claire Hutton, Professional
soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...
player who plays for the
Kansas City Current The Kansas City Current are an American professional Association football, soccer team based in Kansas City, Missouri, that competes in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). It was founded as an NWSL expansion, expansion team in 2021 NWSL ...
* Emily Axford, American actress, writer, and producer


Communities and locations in Bethlehem


Official Hamlets

* Delmar: hamlet near the center of the town and the location of the town government. Formerly known as Adamsville.* * Elsmere: hamlet east of and adjacent to Delmar. * Glenmont: hamlet in the eastern part of the town. *North Bethlehem: hamlet at the north town line in the northeastern part of the town. * Selkirk: hamlet east of South Bethlehem. * Slingerlands: hamlet immediately west of Delmar and near the western town line. * South Bethlehem: hamlet in the southern part of the town.


Unofficial Hamlets

*Beckers Corners: hamlet in the south part of the town at Route 9W. * Bethlehem Center: hamlet in the northeastern part of the town. *Bethlehem Heights: community east of South Bethlehem, and often associated with it. *Callahans Corners: location at the southwestern corner of the town. *Cedar Hill: hamlet in the southeastern part of the town, east of the Thruway. *Henry Hudson Park: park east of Cedar Hill at the Hudson River. *Houcks Corners: hamlet south of Delmar. *Mallorys Corners: location in the southern part of the town. *Meyers Corners: location in the southern section of the town. * Normansville: hamlet in the northern part of the town. *Spawn Hollow: community in the southwestern corner of the town, often associated with South Bethlehem. *South Albany: hamlet in the southern section of the town, north of South Bethlehem. *Wemple: hamlet in the southeastern part of the town.


Transportation


Electric power facilities


Bethlehem Energy Center

Pursuant to Article X of the Public Service Law, PSEG Energy Resource & Trade LLC (originally filed by Niagara Mohawk Power Corporation (NMPC) in 1998) was granted a Certificate of Environmental Compatibility and Public Need for a 750-
megawatt The watt (symbol: W) is the unit of Power (physics), power or radiant flux in the International System of Units (SI), equal to 1 joule per second or 1 kg⋅m2⋅s−3. It is used to quantification (science), quantify the rate of Work ...
(MW)
combined cycle A combined cycle power plant is an assembly of heat engines that work in tandem from the same source of heat, converting it into mechanical energy. On land, when used to make electricity the most common type is called a combined cycle gas turb ...
natural gas powered plant in 2002. The project went into service in July 2005. There are three combustion turbines whose exhaust creates steam to drive a
steam turbine A steam turbine or steam turbine engine is a machine or heat engine that extracts thermal energy from pressurized steam and uses it to do mechanical work utilising a rotating output shaft. Its modern manifestation was invented by Sir Charles Par ...
. All of the turbines are manufactured by
General Electric General Electric Company (GE) was an American Multinational corporation, multinational Conglomerate (company), conglomerate founded in 1892, incorporated in the New York (state), state of New York and headquartered in Boston. Over the year ...
. It uses an air-cooled condenser to reduce water draw. It is located on a 186-acre former industrial area that was owned by NMPC and housed the former 376 MW coal-powered Albany Steam Station. NMPC sold the land to PSEG in 2000. In 2017, the Bethlehem Energy Center (BEC), as it is also known, injected 5,303 GWh of electric energy into the electric transmission system. This is equivalent to operating at full capacity for approximately 73.4% of the year. For comparison, the capital region consumed 11,823 GWh of electric energy in 2017. Its power is sold into the electric wholesale market administered by the NYISO. As a requirement of its certificate, PSEG created an estuary to offset the industrial development of the plant (1.5 acres of new wetland for every acre of newly industrialized area) with fish stocking included. In 2015, the BEC filed for an amendment of their Article X certificate to increase the certificate power generation amount by around 36 MW. This increase corresponded to an upgrade in turbine components and software from GE. A noise study was commissioned to evaluate any possible noise impact on the local community. The amendment was granted noting that there would not be an increase in air emissions or facility footprint. There was a corresponding 78.1 MW increase in its summer capacity market offering capability between the 2015 NYISO Gold Book and the 2018 NYISO Gold Book. In its 2018 adopted budget, the Town of Bethlehem noted a revenue of $214,941 from payments in lieu of taxes most of which can be assumed to come from the BEC. For comparison, the Town of Bethlehem noted a total budget of about $42 million for 2018.


References


External links


Bethlehem official website
{{authority control Towns in Albany County, New York Towns in New York (state) 1793 establishments in New York (state)