Niagara Mohawk - Economic Development

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The eight-county Capital Region is located midway along the eastern border of New York State. Its 5,199 square miles topography encompasses sections of the fertile Hudson and Mohawk river valleys, as well as portions of the state's two major mountain ranges, the Adirondacks and the Catskills. The region's mean daily temperature of 21.5 F in January and 72.0 F in July.

Quick Facts:

Work Force
Population
Local Utilities
Market Access
Industries
Economic Development Zones
Selected Employer
Transportation
Education
Health Care
Quality of Life

Work Force

Labor Force: 567,400
Households: 382,149
Total Personal Income: $20.9 billion
Per Capita Income: $28,537
Median Home Sales Price: $115,120 (Albany County)

Population: 1,304,600 BACK TO TOP

Albany County 297,845
City of Albany 93,919
Columbia County 63,405
City of Hudson 7,296
Greene County 48,865
Village of Catskill 4,360
Rensselaer County 154,007
City of Troy 48,649
Saratoga County 209,818
City of Saratoga 27,332
Schenectady County 147,289
City of Schenectady 61,016
Warren County 64,715
City of Glens Falls 14,212
Washington County 61,872

Local Utilities BACK TO TOP

Niagara Mohawk:
Offers negotiated flexible electric rates for many types of new businesses, negotiable gas transportation rates and fixed rate gas discounts.

Market Access BACK TO TOP

The Capital Region's strategic location allows it easy access to the markets of the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states, as well as eastern Canada. The region is at the crossroads of I-87 and I-90, the state's major interstate highways, and is about equidistant from New York City, Boston and Montreal.

Industries BACK TO TOP

Since the Capital Region is home to the state's capital city, Albany, government has historically been the leading source of jobs in the area. Recently the service sector has overtaken that role, boosted by the region's growth as a vacation destination to such major attractions as Lake George, Saratoga Springs and the Catskills.

Manufacturing accounts for 12 percent of all nonfarm jobs in the region, with General Electric Company a major employer.

The region is also one of the state's premier high-technology centers, with such world-class research institutions as Albany Medical Center, GE Corporate Research and Development, Wadsworth Center, Knolls Atomic Power Lab and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, among others. The region's research facilities annually expend an estimated one-half billion dollars on R&D and employ about 6,000 scientists, engineers and technicians. High-tech strengths include composite materials, power-generation equipment and medical products.

Major Industrial Facilities and Economic Development Zones BACK TO TOP

Luther Forest Technology
Harriman Campus
Albany Economic Development Zone
Grande Industrial Park
Schenectady Economic Development Zone
Northeastern & Rotterdam Industrial Park
Troy Economic Development Zone
RPI Technology Park
Albany Foreign Trade Zone
Watervliet Arsenal

Selected Employers BACK TO TOP

Albany International, Albany
Boston Scientific, Glens Falls
Finch Pruyn Paper Co., Glens Falls
General Electric Co., Schenectady, Waterford, Selkirk
Intermagnetics General, Schenectady
Map Info, Troy
Schenectady International, Schenectady,
State Farm Insurance Co., Malta

Transportation BACK TO TOP

Highways: Three major interstate highways—the New York State Thruway (I-87/I-90), the Adirondack Northway (I-87) and I-88-serve all parts of the region. Together with a well-maintained state and local highway system, they provide easy access in every direction.

Air Service: A number of major national airlines and regional commuters provide air service and move air freight at Albany County Airport; other smaller airports serve outlying areas.

Rail Service: Conrail, CP Rail Systems and Amtrak provide railway freight and passenger service in all directions.

Bus Service: The Capital District Transportation Authority serves a four-county metropolitan area, while a half-dozen private commuter service lines provide local and long-distance service.

Port Facilities: Ocean-going vessels berth at the deep-water Port of Albany on the Hudson River. The New York State Canal System connects the area with the Great Lakes ports of Buffalo and Oswego.

Education BACK TO TOP

More than 85,000 students are enrolled in the area's 12 four-year and six two-year colleges and universities. Two state-funded Centers for Advanced Technology are located here: one for Automation, Robotics and Manufacturing at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and one for Advanced Thin Films and Coatings at the State University at Albany.

Major Colleges and Universities Enrollment

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (the country's oldest technical college), Troy 6,456
Siena College, Loudonville 3,383
Skidmore College, Saratoga Springs 2,466
SUNY at Albany 17,318
Union College, Schenectady 2,146
Albany College of Pharmacy, Albany 888
College of Saint Rose, Albany 4,643
Hudson Valley Community College, Troy 11,500
Albany Medical College, Albany 675
Albany Law School 821
SUNY Empire State College 16,447

Health Care BACK TO TOP

Albany Medical Center, Albany
Veterans Affairs Hospital, Albany
St. Peter's Hospital, Albany
Samaritan Hospital, Troy
Glens Falls Hospital, Glens Falls
Memorial Hospital, Albany
Ellis Hospital, Schenectady

Quality of Life BACK TO TOP

An affordable cost of living, a wide range of educational opportunities, a broad choice of lifestyles from urban to rural, and a variety of cultural and recreational offerings make the Capital Region a highly desirable place in which to live and work. Sports fans enjoy a variety of professional and collegiate sporting events, or take to the outdoors for water sports, golf, hiking or skiing. Saratoga offers the nation's oldest and most prestigious thoroughbred track and a trotting track, along with the summer home of the New York City Ballet and the Philadelphia Orchestra. Museums and other cultural offerings abound, while parts of the region remain heavily forested or rural in character.

Prepared by Niagara Mohawk, Syracuse New York - 1-800-944-6460