Guilderland, New York

Guilderland is a town in Albany County, New York, United States. In the 2020 census, the town had a population of 36,848. In 1871 the northwestern part of Albany, west from Magazine Street, was annexed to Guilderland, after the town of Watervliet refused the annexation of the same territory. Parts of this territory would be annexed back to Albany in 1910, setting up more or less the current border.

At the start of the town's founding, the Schoolcraft family was prominent. Congressman John L. Schoolcraft was born in Guilderland in September 1806. When his father, Captain John Schoolcraft, died in December of the same year, he was raised by his grandfather, John Schoolcraft. Wealthy grandfather Schoolcraft, who owned much property in Guilderland hamlet and ran an inn and tavern, was the first Justice of the Peace in the hamlet, an elder and trustee of the Hamilton Union Church, and a member of the first Guilderland School Board. He was also the uncle of the famed Henry Rowe Schoolcraft. John L. Schoolcraft started a profitable mercantile business, became president of Albany Commercial Bank (later part of today's Key Bank), and was groomed for politics by Thurlow Weed, editor of the Albany Evening Journal, winning his first Congressional election in 1848.

In the 1840s, Schoolcraft built the early Gothic Schoolcraft mansion John Schoolcraft House upon his return from a European journey. He used it mostly as a summer residence. Schoolcraft was a close friend and confidant of Governor William Seward and married Seward's niece, Carolyn Canfield, in 1853.

Historic sites

There are 37 entries on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places located in Guilderland.

Guilderland was home to the New York Power Pool and its control center after the Power Pool's formation in 1966 in response to the 1965 blackout. Most of its operations were transferred over to the NYISO after the NYISO's formation in 1999. The NYISO built a new control center in 2014 in Rensselaer, New York.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which is land and (1.31%) is water.

The town borders Schenectady County, New York, including the towns of Princetown and Rotterdam on the northern and western edges. It also borders the towns of Berne, Colonie, Bethlehem, and New Scotland and the city of Albany.

There are several ZIP codes in Guilderland, including 12084 (Guilderland), 12085 (Guilderland Center), 12203 (Albany), 12009 (Altamont), 12303 and 12306 (Schenectady), 12159 (Slingerlands), and 12186 (Voorheesville).

Two interstate highways, I-87 and I-90 run through Guilderland, meeting in the city of Albany, north of Crossgates Mall a large mall on the edge of Guilderland. US 20 also runs through the town.

Demographics

As of the 2010 census, there were 35,303 people and 14,205 households residing in the town. The racial makeup of the town was 86.21% White, 3.41% African American, 0.14% Native American, 7.49% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.01% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.93% from other races, and 1.76% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.2% of the population.

There were 13,422 households, out of which 31.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.2% were married couples living together, 8.5% had a female householder with no husband present and 34.7% were non-families. 28.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.40 and the average family size was 3.00. It has one high school, Guilderland High School, one middle school, Farnsworth Middle School, and five elementary schools. These include Guilderland Elementary School, Pine Bush Elementary School, Lynnwood Elementary School, Altamont Elementary School, and Westmere Elementary School.

Some portions of the town are served by other school districts, including Voorheesville Central School District, based in the town of New Scotland; as well as Schalmont Central School District and Mohonasen Central School District, both of which are based in the town of Rotterdam.

Politics

The current town supervisor is Peter G. Barber (since 2016).

The current councilmen and councilwomen are Amanda Beedle, Jake Crawford, Gustavo Santos, and Kevin McDonald.

Lynne M. Buchanan is the current town clerk and Receiver of Taxes.

The current town attorney is James Melita.

The seat of Guilderland's government is the

The Town of Guilderland website is www.townofguilderland.org.

In June 2018, Richard Sherwood, a former town judge, pleaded guilty to federal money laundering and tax evasion charges as well as a state grand larceny charge. Sherwood stole $11 million from estate trust funds he was charged with managing in his private practice. He also transferred property to his own name. He faces 3.5 years to 10 years in prison.

Public safety

Emergency Medical Services

Emergency Medical Services in the Town of Guilderland are provided by the Town of Guilderland EMS, a municipal agency delivering Advanced Life Support (ALS) care through career paramedics and EMT's. The service operates independently as a department of the town, having formerly been a division of the Guilderland Police Department.

Guilderland EMS provides ALS-level emergency medical services to the Town of Guilderland, including the Village of Altamont, portions of the University at Albany campus, and The Town of Knox. The department is staffed by approximately 45 EMT's and Paramedics and operates a fleet of seven ALS equipped ambulances and six ALS equipped flycars.

Historically, EMS services in the Town of Guilderland were provided by volunteer rescue squads. The Western Turnpike Rescue Squad served the community from 1939 until 2018, when Guilderland EMS assumed primary ambulance operations. The Altamont Rescue Squad served the Village of Altamont from 1937 until 2023. Today, Guilderland EMS handles all emergency medical care in the town.

Fire departments

thumb|Guilderland fire station on Western Avenue

There are eight main fire departments that also provide rescue; including Guilderland Fire Department, Westmere Fire Department Guilderland Center Fire Department, Fort Hunter Fire Department, Altamont Fire Department, North Bethlehem Fire Department, McKownville Fire Department and Pine Grove Fire Department.

Police department

The Guilderland Police Department is staffed by 36 sworn members along with 10 telecommunicators, three administrative office staff members and three animal services members. The police department is organized into the Patrol Division, Criminal Investigations Unit, Traffic Safety Unit, Community Services Unit, K-9 Unit, Communications Division, and Animal Control Unit. The Guilderland Police Department is headquartered in Guilderland Town Hall, with a sub-station located at Crossgates Mall.

Communities

Altamont – A village in the western part of Guilderland, west of Guilderland Center
Dunnsville – A hamlet in the northwestern part of the town
Fort Hunter – A hamlet in the northern part of the town
Fullers – A hamlet northwest of Hartmans Corners on Route 20
Guilderland – A hamlet with the same name as the town; located on Route 20, established in 1796
Guilderland Center – A hamlet west of Guilderland hamlet
Hartmans Corners – A hamlet northwest of Guilderland hamlet on Route 20
McCormacks Corners – A location northwest of Guilderland hamlet on Route 20
McKownville – A hamlet near the eastern town line and Albany
Meadowdale – A hamlet by the southern town line
Parkers Corners – A hamlet in the northwestern part of the town
Watervliet Reservoir – A reservoir north of Guilderland Center
Westmere – A hamlet in the eastern part of the town on Route 20 and a suburb of Albany; a census-designated place (CDP) of the same name is designated over this area.

Library

thumb|Guilderland Public Library, on Western Avenue

There are actually two libraries located in the Town of Guilderland: The Guilderland Public Library, and the Altamont Free Library. Both are members of the Upper Hudson Library System. The Guilderland Public Library, located at 2228 Western Avenue (US Route 20) serves as a cultural center for the town and the surrounding area. Some 59% of town residents hold library cards. Library use has grown with the population of the town. Since 1992, when the Guilderland Public Library moved into its current location, patron visits have almost doubled, from 177,996 to 343,144 annually, and circulation has more than doubled, from 214,446 to 519,426 items every year.

The Altamont Free Library, located in and serving the Village of Altamont, is a free association library. The Village of Altamont is a political entity within the borders of the Town of Guilderland.

Sports

Victoria Speedway (aka Victoria Raceway) was a dirt oval racing facility located near the hamlet of Dunnsville. It was originally developed by Charles Russo in 1953 for harness racing. When Russo was unable to obtain a pari-mutuel license, he leased the facility to Lou D’Amico from 1960 through 1966 who hosted NASCAR sanctioned stock car racing. Multiple Hall of Fame drivers competed regularly at the venue, including two time national sportsman champion Bill Wimble. It was the home track of 1951 Indianapolis 500 champion Lee Wallard, and hosted NASCAR Grand National (now NASCAR Cup Series) events in 1951 and 1955.

Notable people

Evert Bancker (1665–1734), fur trader and mayor of Albany
Jon Busch, soccer player
Ze Frank, artist and public speaker
Johnny Grabowski (1900–1946), baseball player and umpire
Victoria A. Graffeo, judge
Magdalene Isadora La Grange (1864–1935), poet
David Paterson, while his primary residence is located downstate in Harlem, the former Governor of New York maintained a residence in Guilderland as a state senator and later Lieutenant Governor of New York prior to assuming the governorship. Paterson resided in the New York State Executive Mansion while in Albany, but kept his Guilderland and Harlem residences.
Joseph E. Persico, author and speechwriter
Henry Ramsay (1808–1886), prominent civil engineer
Henry Schoolcraft (1793–1864), geologist, geographer, and ethnologist
John L. Schoolcraft (1806 –1860), U.S. Representative from New York, born in Guilderland
William D. Veeder (1835–1910), politician
The Chen family, a Chinese immigrant family of four killed in their Westmere house in 2014; the case remains open.