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Real Estate & Homes in Saratoga Springs - New York - Saratoga Springs, New York homes and communities
Saratoga Springs
 
Saratoga Springs Background
Most famous for its racetrack and the mineral springs, Saratoga is a wonderfully vibrant city year-round. The downtown area along Broadway and its side streets has a slightly bohemian feel alongside the striking Victorian architecture. Beautiful residential areas surround the city and scenic farmlands stretch even farther out.
Home to the "racing set" during the summer months, Saratoga boasts several well-known permanent residents as well, including actor David Hyde Pierce, author Steven Millhauser and socialite Mary Lou Whitney. A strong sense of community, rich cultural life and blossoming economic opportunities make Saratoga Springs the jewel of the Northeast.
Saratoga Springs Fast Facts
Location: Saratoga Springs is located in east-central New York, about 35 miles north of Albany
*Total area: 29.06 square miles
*Population: 26,186
*Housing units: 11,584
Average annual rainfall: 43.31 inches
Average temperatures: 71ºF in summer, 21ºF in winter
*Information provided by 2000 Census
 
Saratoga Springs History The name "Saratoga" is derived from the language of the Mohawk and Iroquois tribes:
- "Sarachtogue" means “hillside of a great river” or “place of the swift water.”
- "Serachtague" means “the hillside country of the quiet river.”
- "Saratake" means “a place where the track of the heel may be seen.”
Tucked between the Hudson and Mohawk rivers, this fertile ground was first settled due to its fur and game potential. Bartel Vromen was the first to establish a trading post in 1688. Shortly following in 1690, Peter Schuyler, then mayor of Albany, cleared some forestland for a blockhouse for his military stores. He is credited with naming the small settlement that followed “Fort Saratoga.”
During the many years of the French and Indian War, the area was repeatedly destroyed and rebuilt, but it somehow managed to survive. In 1767, Philip Schuyler erected the first flax mill to be built in the American colonies, and the Saratoga Reformed Church followed in 1770.
An important location during the American Revolution, the Battles of Saratoga on Sept. 19 and Oct. 17, 1777, marked the turning point of the war when the British surrendered under the lead of Gen. John Burgoyne. After the war, colonization continued. The forests that had covered much of the land were cleared and lumbered for timber. The Hudson River facilitated shipping great distances, and mills soon began to appear. In 1822, with the boat basin and dry dock of the Champlain Canal, Saratoga became a major shipping terminal.
Perhaps the most famous features of Saratoga are the natural mineral springs. Long revered by the Native American tribes for their medicinal powers, they also attributed to the quality of the fur of the local animals. In 1802, what is known as Congress Spring was tubed by Gideon Putnam. John Clarke of New York City purchased the spring and its surrounding land in 1822 and began bottling the water to be sold across the United States and Europe. In his care, the grounds were landscaped, and the spring water was made free and available to everyone. The property was handed down through his family until it was sold in 1864 and later acquired by the state of New York in 1904. A replica of the original Greek pavilion with Doric columns stands today at the site of Congress Spring.
The springs, which all share the same water source, contain carbon dioxide gas that gives the water its naturally bubbly effervescence. The water also contains iron, salt, calcium salt, magnesium bicarbonate, potassium chloride, lithium and iodine. Spas and bathhouses were created to make the health benefits of the water accessible to people from all over the world. As the wealthy and socially elite gathered here, Saratoga acquired international fame, and the surge of the economy was evidenced by the development of casinos and the racetrack. Saratoga is now virtually synonymous with horse racing.
 
Attractions Saratoga Race Track and Harness Track: The oldest thoroughbred race course in America, Saratoga has become synonymous with horse racing. This 350-acre race track has a total seating capacity of 18,000 and can provide trackside dining for 2,200. The place to see and be seen during July through September, the race course is a magnet for the wealthy and is well known in popular society.
Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC): The cultural hub of the Northeast, SPAC is the summer home of the Philadelphia Orchestra, the New York City Ballet and the New York City Opera. Built in 1966 as an acoustically ideal amphitheater in the heart of Spa State Park, SPAC also hosts the top performers in jazz, rock and pop music.
Caffé Lena: Internationally known as America’s oldest continuously operating folk-music venue/coffeehouse, Caffé Lena was opened in 1960 by Lena Spencer. Revered for being a spot on Bob Dylan’s first tour, a regular hangout for Arlo Guthrie and the place where Don McLean first sang "American Pie," the venue continues to host folk, blues and jazz musicians; storytellers; actors; and poets.
Festivals: Saratoga Springs is perhaps best known for the RaceTrack and Travers Weekend in August, the city’s busiest time. Other festivals include the Saratoga County Fair, the Antique Fair & Flea Market, the Caroline Street Jazz, Blues & Arts Festival and the Strawberry Festival.
The National Museum of Dance & Hall of Fame: Established in 1986, this is the only museum in the nation dedicated to American professional dance. Located in the former Washington Bath House, a 1918 arts & crafts style building in Saratoga Spa State Park, the museum houses a collection of photos, videos, costumes, biographies and archives. On permanent exhibit is the Mr. and Mrs. Cornelius Vanderbilt Whitney Hall of Fame.
Other museums include:
- Brook Side Museum, home of the Saratoga County Historical Society
- The Children’s Museum at Saratoga
- Saratoga Springs History Museum
- The Museum of Dance & Hall of Fame
- The National Museum of Racing & Hall of Fame
- New York State Military Museum & Veterans Research Center
- Saratoga Automobile Museum
- Tang Teaching Museum at Skidmore College
- Interior of the Museum of Dance
 
Outdoor Recreation The Petrified Sea Gardens: This outdoor park consists of an acre of exposed stromatolite fossils estimated to be approximately 500 million years old. Once part of an ocean reef, the land that is now Saratoga was once located in the Southern Hemisphere at the edge of a warm tropical sea (the continent straddled the equator). Today the park exhibits glacial erratics known as “standing stones,” which are huge rock formations from the last ice age. In addition to the natural wonders, there is also a labyrinth, a Native-American Medicine Wheel, a sun dial garden and a magnificent 300-year-old white pine tree known as the Iroquois Pine.
Saratoga National Historical Park: This site of the Battles of Saratoga during the American Revolution was first authorized as a New York State historic preserve in 1927. The Battlefield was made part of the National Park System in 1938, and now comprises three separate units: a four-square-mile battlefield in Stillwater; the General Philip Schuyler House in Schuylerville; and the Saratoga Monument, which was completed in 1883 and stands 154 feet high.
Saratoga Lake: This scenic lake offers year-round activities including fishing, boating, swimming and skating. The lake is surrounded by quaint cottages and townhomes tucked in among the trees, and accentuated by stunning mansions and beautiful restaurants and hotels.
Adirondack Mountain Club: This 35,000-member nonprofit organization is dedicated to the protection and responsible recreational use of the New York State Forest Preserve, parks, wild lands and waters. AMC conducts hikes and natural history programs, provides education about conservation and maintains the park trails.
Historic Buildings Yaddo: This famed locale sits on the site of a farm, gristmill and tavern frequented by well-known writers. Once operated by Jacobus Barhyte, a Revolutionary War veteran, Yaddo continues the tradition of inspiration. The Yaddo Mansion, completed in 1893 for Spencer and Katrina Trask, was the site of famous parties attended by artists and musicians. With no immediate heirs, the Trasks decided to incorporate Yaddo so it could continue to welcome creative artists. Today, Yaddo continues to offer residencies to creative artists to provide them with a supportive community, a space and time to work and a beautiful setting.
Grant Cottage State Historic Site: Gen. Ulysses S. Grant died of throat cancer on July 23, 1885, in the cottage home of Joseph W. Drexel. The cottage and its furnishings have been preserved so that visitors may tour the site and view the floral arrangements that remain from Grant’s funeral.
The Canfield Casino: Built in 1870 by retired prizefighter and politician John Morrisey, Morrissey’s Club House (as it was known then) was an exclusive gambling establishment. Neither women nor locals were permitted in the gambling rooms. After Morrissey’s death in 1878, the building was owned by Albert Spencer and Charles Reed and was known as the Saratoga Club-House. The building was purchased by Richard Canfield in 1894, and a Tiffany window was added to the first floor the following year. Canfield purchased the surrounding property in order to create the Italian Gardens that surround it, and in 1903 he added the dining room with the stained glass vaulted ceiling. The City of Saratoga took over the building in 1911, and it became a venue for weddings and other social events.
 
Dining Here's a fun fact: At Moon’s Lakehouse Restaurant, Chef George Crum reportedly invented a thin fried, delicacy now known as the potato chip!
Saratoga is packed with some of the best restaurants in the Northeast. Whether you are looking for an elegant evening of fine dining or a pint of Guinness at the local pub, there are numerous places to choose from.
Some local favorites include:
- Saratoga Lake Inn & Bistro at Brown’s Beach
- The Olde Bryan Inn, established in 1773
- The Springwater Bistro, world-class dining
- The Gideon Putnam Hotel
- Professor Moriarty’s, casual American cuisine and beverages
- Chez Pierre, upscale French cuisine
- Sargo’s Restaurant, at the Saratoga National Golf Club
- Siro’s Restaurant, offers world-class food during the track season as the oldest trackside restaurant
- Hattie’s Restaurant, offering authentic Southern cooking since 1938
- The Parting Glass Pub, a little bit of Ireland in the Northeast
Business and Employment The opportunities that Saratoga Springs has to offer are not limited to the racetrack season. The months of July and August are certainly the busiest for tourism and related industries, but the city also boasts numerous big businesses, including the Silicone Division of GE, Quad Graphics, Lockheed Martin and Bast Hatfield.
Saratoga Hospital is one of the city’s largest employers as are related organizations such has State Farm Insurance and Wesley Health Care. In addition, Saratoga is home to Sysco Food Service, the Fort Miller Group and Mohawk Paper Mills, Inc.
Education Saratoga Springs is the home of Skidmore College, a private institution of arts-minded individuals initially established by Lucy Skidmore Scribner in 1903. In addition to the fresh faces every year, Skidmore enriches the cultural life of the city through the Tang Teaching Museum and Art Gallery, frequent readings and lectures by popular authors, and performances of dance and theater.
Other institutions in the area include Adirondack Community College, Hudson Valley Community College, State University of New York, Empire State College and Union College in nearby Schenectady.
Where is Saratoga Springs?
Written by Erin Johncox exclusively for HomesParadise.com.
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