Gloversville, New York
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| Gloversville, New York | |
  Gloversville, New York
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| Coordinates: 43°3′9″N 74°20′34″W / 43.0525°N 74.34278°W | |
| Country | United States |
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| State | New York |
| County | Fulton |
| Government | |
| - Mayor | Timothy Hughes (D) |
| Area | |
| - Total | 5.1 sq mi (13.2 km2) |
| - Land | 5.1 sq mi (13.2 km2) |
| - Water | 0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2) |
| Elevation | 820 ft (250 m) |
| Population (2000) | |
| - Total | 15,413 |
| - Density | 3,027.0/sq mi (1,168.7/km2) |
| Time zone | Eastern (EST) (UTC-5) |
| - Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| ZIP code | 12078 |
| Area code(s) | 518 |
| FIPS code | 36-29443 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0951265 |
Gloversville is a city in Fulton County, New York, that was once the hub of America's glovemaking industry with over two hundred manufacturers in Gloversville and Johnstown. In 2000, Gloversville had a population of 15,413.
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[edit] History
The region, known as "Kingsborough" was acquired by Sir William Johnson. In 1752, Arent Stevens bought land. Puritans from New England settled there at the end of the 18th century. At first the town was known as "Stump City" because after the land was cleared for development, there were stumps left from the trees.[citation needed]
The proximity of forests to supply bark for tanning made the community a center of leather production early in its history. It earned its name for being the center of the American glove making industry for many years. Upon the establishment of a United States Post Office in 1828, Gloversville became the official name of the community. During the heyday of glove production in the 20th century, Gloversville's factories and shops produced one out of every three gloves in the world.[citation needed] Gloves are still produced there, but on a smaller scale.
Large tanneries and glove shops employed nearly 80% of the residents of Gloversville and environs. Home workers sewed the gloves from leather that had been cut in factories. Related businesses, such as box makers, sewing machine repairmen, and thread dealers opened to serve the industry.
Until 1936, Gloversville had a very active electric interurban line, the Fonda, Johnstown, and Gloversville. It ran from Gloversville, through Johnstown, along the Mohawk River to Amsterdam, and then to Scotia, across the Hudson River, and into downtown Schenectady to the New York Central station. In 1932 in a bold move during the Depression it acquired unique Bullet cars in an attempt to revive business. Passenger service ended in 1936, but freight operation continued.[ref. 2]
Gloversville was incorporated as a village in 1851. The current mayor of Gloversville is Timothy Hughes. He began his four-year term on January 1, 2006.
[edit] Notable residents
Legendary film producer Samuel Goldwyn lived here prior to his moving to Hollywood. He immigrated from birthplace Poland to Canada, and in 1899 as Sam Goldfish he walked through snow into the United States at an unmanned border point in rural Maine. Eventually making his way to Gloversville, the intelligent and ambitious Goldfish went from glove maker to well paid commissioned salesman for the Elite Glove Company. Going to New York City and making a financial investment with others in the infant movie business, he eventually went to Hollywood and to a succssessful and industry contentious career as film producer Sam Goldwyn.[ref. 1]
Gloversville is also the main headquarters for the Schine movie industry. The Schine's revered The Glove Theatre as the favorite of all of the movie houses that they owned. Hollywood movies would sometimes premier in Gloversville before they opened in California.
Pulitzer Prize winning author Richard Russo (Empire Falls,"Nobody's Fool".The Risk Pool) was raised in Gloversville. The city and its residents were the inspiration for many of his characters and locations in his novels; especially his novel "Mohawk."
Actress Elizabeth Anne Allen, who played Amy Madison on Buffy the Vampire Slayer was also raised in Gloversville.
Frederick Remington, artist, was a one-time resident.
Debra Fox, Long time newscast anchor at WTAE-TV Pittsburgh (Retired), Currently President of Fox Learning Systems an e-learning company. Debra Fox was raised in Gloversville.
[edit] Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 5.1 square miles (13.2 km²), of which 0.20% is water.
New York State Route 29A (Fulton Street) is an east-west road through the city. New York State Route 30A is a north-south highway through the east side of the city. Another north-south highway, New York State Route 309 (Bleecker Street) terminates its southern reach at NY-29A in Gloversville.
The Cayadutta Creek flows southward through the city, which is southwest of the Great Sacandaga Lake.
[edit] Demographics
As of the census[1] of 2000, there were 15,413 people, 6,500 households, and 3,828 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,027.0 people per square mile (1,169.2/km²). There were 7,540 housing units at an average density of 1,480.8/sq mi (571.9/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 95.37% White, 1.86% African American, 0.19% Native American, 0.60% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.55% from other races, and 1.40% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.67% of the population.
In the city the population was spread out with 25.2% under the age of 18, 8.3% from 18 to 24, 27.5% from 25 to 44, 21.1% from 45 to 64, and 17.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 88.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.8 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $26,755, and the median income for a family was $34,713. Males had a median income of $27,109 versus $21,250 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,207. About 14.9% of families and 19.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 29.6% of those under age 18 and 9.4% of those age 65 or over.
Gloversville High School is the only high school in Gloversville and serves grades 9 through 12.
[edit] References
- ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
- 1. Berg. Sam Goldwyn.
- 2. Middleton. Bullet cars on the FJ&G Railroad.
[edit] Bibliography
- Engle, Herbert M. Shtetl in the Adirondacks: The Story of Gloversville and Its Jews, Purple Mountain Press, 1991.
- Berg, Scott. Goldwyn, A Biography, A. Knopf, NYC. 1989.
- Decker, Randy. "The Fonda, Johnstown, and Gloversville Railroad: The Sacandaga Route to the Adirondacks", Arcadia Publishing.
- Middleton, Wm. D. "The Interurban Era", 432pp. Kalmbach Publishing, Milwaukee, WI. 1961, reissue 2000. (ISBN 0-809-240-035-0, Library of Congress 61-10728)
- Larner, Paul. "Our Railroad: History of the Fonda, Johnstown, and Gloversville Railroad 1867-1893", St. Albans, VT.
[edit] External links
- [1] City of Gloversville webpage. City demographics and history.
- [2] Gloversville City Court information.
- [3] The 1914 glove strike.
- [4] Judge rules in city police chief’s favor
- [5]. Excellent photographs of the Fonda, Johnstown, and Gloversville Railroad with its unique 1932 interurban Bullet cars built by J G Brill.
- Gloversville, New York is at coordinates 43°03′09″N 74°20′34″W / 43.052476°N 74.342798°WCoordinates: 43°03′09″N 74°20′34″W / 43.052476°N 74.342798°W
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