Watkins Glen, New York
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Watkins Glen is a village and
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 counte ...
in and the
county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...
of Schuyler 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. As of the 2020 census, the population was 1,829. Watkins Glen lies between the towns of
Dix DIX or Dix may refer to: Computing * Danish Internet Exchange Point, in Copenhagen * Data Integrity Extensions, data corruption error-handling field in data storage technology * Device Independent X, part of the 2D graphics device driver in th ...
and
Reading Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of symbols, often specifically those of a written language, by means of Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch. For educators and researchers, reading is a multifacete ...
. To the southwest of the village is the
Watkins Glen International Watkins Glen International, nicknamed "The Glen", is an automobile race track in the Northeastern United States, northeastern United States, located in Dix, New York, just southwest of the village of Watkins Glen, New York, Watkins Glen, at the ...
race track, which hosts annual
NASCAR Cup Series The NASCAR Cup Series is the top racing series of the NASCAR, National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR), the most prestigious stock car racing series in the United States. The series began in 1949 as the Strictly Stock Division, ...
and
WeatherTech SportsCar Championship The IMSA SportsCar Championship, currently known as the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship under sponsorship, is a sports car racing series based in the United States and Canada and organized by the International Motor Sports Association (I ...
races, and formerly hosted the
Formula One Formula One (F1) is the highest class of worldwide racing for open-wheel single-seater formula Auto racing, racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The FIA Formula One World Championship has been one ...
United States Grand Prix The United States Grand Prix is a motor racing event that has been held on and off since 1908, when it was known as the American Grand Prize. The Grand Prix later became part of the Formula One World Championship. , the Grand Prix has been held ...
and various
IndyCar IndyCar, LLC (stylized as INDYCAR), is an auto racing sanctioning body for American open-wheel car racing headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana. The organization sanctions two racing series: the premier IndyCar Series with the Indianapolis ...
races. The village was the recipient of the ten-million-dollar Downtown Revitalization Initiative (DRI) grant in July 2017 to revitalize the Mixed Use Village Center (VC). Former governor of New York Andrew M. Cuomo awarded fourteen projects in hopes that they would be catalysts for increased private investment in the village. This grant was largely secured by the work of local government officials and the Schuyler County Partnership for Economic Development (SCOPED). As of December 2023, the majority of the awarded projects have been completed.


History

The settlement of the village began in 1791. First named "Jefferson" in 1842, the village was later renamed in 1852 to honor Dr. Samuel Watkins. Watkins' older brother John purchased property around the gorge in 1794 and constructed mills. After his brother's death, Samuel Watkins inherited the property and spent four decades building up the area with roads, shops, and a hotel. The newspaper '' Watkins Glen Review & Express'' has served the area since 1854.


Geography

Watkins Glen is located at (42.380984, -76.871079). 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 village has a total area of , of which of the village is land and (17.41%) is water.
New York State Route 14 New York State Route 14 (NY 14) is a state highway located in western New York in the United States. Along with New York State Route 19, NY 19, it is one of two routes to transect the state in a north–south fashion between ...
joins New York State Route 79 and New York State Route 414 by Watkins Glen. NY-14 is one of the principal streets in Watkins Glen. New York State Route 329 and New York State Route 409 lead into Watkins Glen from the west.


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 1,859 people, 873 households, and 442 families residing in the village. The population density was . There were 977 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 96.2%
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 ...
, 0.50%
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 ...
, 0.40% Native American, 0.50% Asian, 0.70% from other races, and 1.70% 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 1.40% of the population. There were 873 households, out of which 22.60% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 33.70% 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, 12.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 49.40% were non-families. 42.40% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.09 and the average family size was 2.86. In the village, the age distribution of the population was spread out, with 22.70% under the age of 20, 5.40% from 20 to 24, 31.80% from 25 to 50, and 17.50% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43.20 years old. The Village of Watkins Glen had 866 male and 993 female residents. The median income for a household in the village was $34,969 and the median income for a family was $55,357. Males had a median income of $37,885 versus $29,000 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 village was $24,116. 5.0% of the population and 1.70% of families lived 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 ...
. 3.6% of those under 18 and 6.80% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.


Notable events and attractions


Watkins Glen State Park

Watkins Glen State Park is a 778-acre park with a 400-foot-deep (120 m) narrow gorge featuring 19 waterfalls throughout less than two miles. It is considered a "flagship" park by the State of New York.


Auto racing at Watkins Glen

Watkins Glen is noted for its role in
auto racing Auto racing (also known as car racing, motor racing, or automobile racing) is a motorsport involving the racing of automobiles for competition. In North America, the term is commonly used to describe all forms of automobile sport including non ...
, being the home of a street course used in
road racing Road racing is a North American term to describe motorsport racing held on a paved road surface. The races can be held on a race track, closed circuit—generally, a purpose-built racing facility—or on a street circuit that uses temporarily c ...
, a famous racetrack,
Watkins Glen International Watkins Glen International, nicknamed "The Glen", is an automobile race track in the Northeastern United States, northeastern United States, located in Dix, New York, just southwest of the village of Watkins Glen, New York, Watkins Glen, at the ...
, one of the premier automobile road racing tracks in the United States, which has hosted the
NASCAR Cup Series The NASCAR Cup Series is the top racing series of the NASCAR, National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR), the most prestigious stock car racing series in the United States. The series began in 1949 as the Strictly Stock Division, ...
Go Bowling at The Glen,
IndyCar Series The IndyCar Series, officially known as the NTT IndyCar Series for sponsorship reasons, is the highest class of American open-wheel car racing in the United States, which has been conducted under the auspices of various sanctioning bodies sinc ...
Grand Prix at The Glen, and the
IMSA SportsCar Championship The IMSA SportsCar Championship, currently known as the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship under sponsorship, is a sports car racing series based in the United States and Canada and organized by the International Motor Sports Association (I ...
6 Hours of Watkins Glen. The first Watkins Glen Sports Car Grand Prix was held in 1948 on public streets in and near the village. Organized by resident Cameron Argetsinger, it was the first post-
WWII World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
road race held in the United States and it marked the revival of American road racing. The original course ran for and passed through the center of the village. The streets used for the original course remain intact today and a checkered flag marks the original start-finish line on the village's main street. During the 1952 race, driver Fred Wacker struck onlookers sitting on a curb on a corner coming down West 4th St. (State Route 409), killing a 7-year-old boy and injuring 10 others. The tragedy caused the end of street racing at the Glen and elsewhere in the United States. A permanent racing facility, the Watkins Glen Grand Prix Race Course opened in 1956. It has hosted nearly every type of road racing, from the Sahlen's 6 Hours of Watkins Glen (1948-current), the
Formula One Formula One (F1) is the highest class of worldwide racing for open-wheel single-seater formula Auto racing, racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The FIA Formula One World Championship has been one ...
United States Grand Prix The United States Grand Prix is a motor racing event that has been held on and off since 1908, when it was known as the American Grand Prize. The Grand Prix later became part of the Formula One World Championship. , the Grand Prix has been held ...
(1961–1980), and the I Love New York 355 at The Glen (1957-current), which was one of the few races on the
Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series The NASCAR Cup Series is the top racing series of the NASCAR, National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR), the most prestigious stock car racing series in the United States. The series began in 1949 as the Strictly Stock Division, ...
schedule not conducted on an oval speedway, the other being
Sonoma Raceway Sonoma Raceway (originally known as Sears Point Raceway, Golden State International Raceway and Infineon Technologies, Infineon Raceway) is a road course and dragstrip located at Sears Point in the southern Sonoma Mountains of Sonoma County, Cal ...
until NASCAR added more road courses to the Cup Series schedule.


International Motor Racing Research Center

The International Motor Racing Research Center, a professional archive of motorsports history, opened in June 1999 in an annex of the Watkins Glen Public Library. The mission of the center is to preserve and share the history of motorsports around the world.


Personal Watercraft racing at Watkins Glen

Since 2014, Watkins Glen has hosted a weekend of IJSBA (International Jet Sports Boating Association) closed course racing, and has become one of the largest race venues in the sport today. Originally promoted in Region 8 by NEWA (North East Watercraft Alliance), until 2016 when East Coast Watercross purchased the series, racing has been in Seneca Lake, near Clute Memorial Park and Campground and is typically the last weekend in August. The event has always been free to spectators and features both closed course racing and freestyle competition using standup, sit-down, and sport class machines.


1973 Summer Jam at Watkins Glen Rock Festival

The racetrack was also the scene of the July 28, 1973, Summer Jam at Watkins Glen
rock festival A rock festival is an open-air rock concert featuring many different performers, typically spread over two or three days and having a campsite and other amenities and forms of entertainment provided at the venue. Some festivals are singular eve ...
attended by an estimated 600,000 people, one-and-a-half times the crowd at 1969's historic
Woodstock Festival The Woodstock Music and Art Fair, commonly referred to as Woodstock, was a music festival held from August 15 to 18, 1969, on Max Yasgur's dairy farm in Bethel, New York, southwest of the town of Woodstock, New York, Woodstock. Billed as "a ...
and a world record for the largest number of people at a pop music festival. The concert featured
The Allman Brothers Band The Allman Brothers Band was an American rock music, rock band formed in Jacksonville, Florida, in 1969. Its founding members were brothers Duane Allman (slide guitar, lead guitar) and Gregg Allman (vocals, keyboards), as well as Dickey Betts ( ...
,
Grateful Dead The Grateful Dead was an American rock music, rock band formed in Palo Alto, California, in 1965. Known for their eclectic style that fused elements of rock, blues, jazz, Folk music, folk, country music, country, bluegrass music, bluegrass, roc ...
, and
The Band The Band was a Canadian-American rock music, rock band formed in Toronto, Ontario, in 1957. It consisted of the Canadians Rick Danko (bass, guitar, vocals, fiddle), Garth Hudson (organ, keyboards, accordion, saxophone), Richard Manuel (piano, d ...
. The music started at noon on Saturday and continued long into Sunday.


Phish festivals

On July 1–3 of 2011, the band
Phish Phish is an American rock band formed in Burlington, Vermont, in 1983. The band consists of guitarist Trey Anastasio, bassist Mike Gordon, drummer Jon Fishman, and keyboardist Page McConnell, all of whom perform vocals, with Anastasio being the ...
hosted Superball IX, a three-day music festival on the same grounds as the Summer Jam of '73. On August 21–23, 2015, Phish hosted their 10th festival, Magnaball, on the grounds. Phish planned to return to Watkins Glen for their 11th festival, Curveball, on August 17–19, 2018 but was forced to cancel when their permit was revoked due to floods contaminating the local water supply.


''True Love'' schooner

Watkins Glen is the home port for ''True Love'', a schooner built in 1926 that was featured in ''
High Society High society, sometimes simply Society, is the behavior and lifestyle of people with the highest levels of wealth, power, fame and social status. It includes their related affiliations, social events and practices. Upscale social clubs were open ...
'' (1956).


Farm animal protection movement

Watkins Glen is the home of Farm Sanctuary, a national farm animal protection organization co-founded by activist Gene Baur in 1986. In 1991, the organization opened a shelter in Watkins Glen that has since provided lifelong care for thousands of animals rescued from abuse; hosted numerous public events; and welcomed thousands of visitors from all over the world, sharing with them views of militant vegetarianism.


See also

* Century House (publisher)


References


External links


Village of Watkins Glen

Watkins Glen State Park


* ttps://archive.org/details/descriptiveguide00mfro 1884 Guidebook to Watkins Glen with Illustrations at Internet Archive
Google Earth overlay of original circuit
{{authority control County seats in New York (state) Census-designated places in New York (state) Populated places in Schuyler County, New York