Queensbury, New York

Queensbury is a town in and the county seat of Warren County, New York, United States. The town is located in the southeastern part of the county. The population was 25,441 at the 2000 census. The town is named in honor of Queen Charlotte, the consort of George III of Great Britain and Ireland. It is part of the Glens Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area. Although mostly north of the city of Glens Falls, Queensbury surrounds the city on three sides.

The Great Escape & Splashwater Kingdom, a Six Flags theme park, is located in northwest Queensbury. West Mountain, a downhill skiing area, is located in the southwestern part of town.

History
Major efforts at settlement began with the Queensbury Patent in 1762, which enticed Quaker settlers to move into the area known as the "Township of Queensbury" the next year. The Quakers left during the Revolutionary War and returned in 1783 when hostilities ended in the area.

In 1786, the town was re-established as the town of Queensbury. In 1788, the town included all of what is today Warren County. It lost territory in 1792 when the town of Fairfield (Lake Luzerne) was formed and again in 1810 to form part of the town of Caldwell (Lake George). In 1908, the then largest village within Queensbury, Glens Falls, incorporated as a city and became a separate municipality. The population of Queensbury has exceeded that of Glens Falls since the 1980 Census.

In 2003, with permission from Queensbury, Glens Falls annexed approximately 49 acre of the town. The land, known as Veterans Field or the Northway Industrial Park, is on Veterans Road between Luzerne Road and Sherman Avenue and is just east of I-87. The land was vacant at the time. A thin, 0.5 mi strip of Sherman Avenue was part of this annexation, in order to comply with state law regarding contiguity of annexed land. Both the city and town now share ownership of this stretch of highway as a result.

Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 64.81 sqmi, of which, 63.01 sqmi of it is land and 1.80 sqmi of it (2.78%) is water.

The west town line is the border with the town of Lake Luzerne. The south town line is defined by the border with the city of Glens Falls and the Hudson River, across which lies Saratoga County, New York. The east town line is the border of Washington County, New York. The northern border is defined by the town of Lake George and, at least according to the town and Warren County, by the shoreline of the body of water, Lake George, itself. However, several maps, including those published by the USGS depict the northern boundary as including part of the lake, including Speaker Heck Island and Happy Family Islands.

Parts of western and northern Queensbury are within the Adirondack Park.

Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 25,441 people, 9,948 households, and 7,162 families residing in the town. The population density was 403.8 people per square mile (155.9/km²). There were 11,223 housing units at an average density of 178.1 per square mile (68.8/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.54 % White, 0.55 % African American, 0.20 % Native American, 0.71% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.22 % from other races, and 0.76 % from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.12 % of the population.

There were 9,948 households out of which 34.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.1% were married couples living together, 9.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.0 % were non-families. 22.6 % of all households were made up of individuals and 11.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.52 and the average family size was 2.97.

In the town the population was spread out with 25.3% under the age of 18, 6.1 % from 18 to 24, 28.3 % from 25 to 44, 25.1 % from 45 to 64, and 15.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 92.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.4 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $47,225, and the median income for a family was $ 54,880. Males had a median income of $ 39,260 versus $ 25,036 for females. The per capita income for the town was $ 24,096. About 3.8 % of families and 5.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.4% of those under age 18 and 2.2% of those age 65 or over.

Government
Queensbury is a town of the first class, and as such has a town board with a town supervisor and four councilmen. Town residents petitioned to establish a ward system in 1981 and again in 1985 whereby the town would be divided into four wards. In a ward system, whereas the supervisor is elected by the entire town electorate, each councilman is elected by only the electorate of the ward he or she will be representing. Having been approved by the voters by referendum in 1985, the first town board to be elected under the ward system conviened in 1986. Queensbury is one of only ten towns out of New York's 932 towns that had a ward system as of 2000. The town also has an ethics board, planning board, and zoning board of appeals.

In county government, Queensbury is entitled to five of the 20 seats on the Warren County Board of Supervisors. (Glens Falls also gets five seats, whereas the remaining ten towns in the county receive one seat each.) Four of Queensbury's seats are filled by town-wide election, whereas the fifth is reserved for the town supervisor.

Emergency services
Emergency services can be accessed by dialing 9-1-1, which routes calls to Warren County's 911 Communications Center.

Law enforcement and other police services are provided by the Warren County Sheriff's Office and are supplemented by the New York State Police, which maintains a barracks in the town. Queensbury has not had its own police force since disbanding it in 1982.

The town is divided into five fire protection districts: Bay Ridge, North Queensbury, Queensbury Central, South Queensbury, and West Glens Falls. Each district contains at least one fire station, with Queensbury Central and West Glens Falls each having two stations.

Three emergency medical services (EMS) districts provide out-of-hospital acute care and ambulance services: Bay Ridge EMS, North Queensbury EMS, and West Glens Falls EMS. The nearest emergency room is at Glens Falls Hospital in the city of Glens Falls.

A State Emergency Management Office (SEMO) regional office is located on Fox Farm Road.

Public school districts
The town of Queensbury falls within four public school districts:
 * Glens Falls City School District
 * Hudson Falls Central School District
 * Lake George Central School District
 * Queensbury Union Free School District

Postsecondary education

 * Adirondack Community College – a part of the SUNY system.

Notable people

 * Brendan Harris - professional baseball infielder for the Chicago Cubs, Montreal Expos, Tampa Bay Devil Rays, Washington Nationals, Minnesota Twins, Cincinnati Reds & Baltimore Orioles; grew up in Queensbury.
 * Johnny Podres - (1932–2008) former MLB Pitcher with the Brooklyn Dodgers / Los Angeles Dodgers, Detroit Tigers & San Diego Padres from 1953–1969; lived in Queensbury following his baseball career.
 * Derek Richardson - Hollywood and TV actor known for roles in Dumb and Dumberer: When Harry Met Lloyd & Hostel; grew up in Queensbury.
 * Adam Terry - professional football lineman for the Tennessee Titans, Jacksonville Jaguars, San Diego Chargers, Indianapolis Colts, & Baltimore Ravens; grew up in Queensbury, where he played high school football.

Communities and locations in Queensbury

 * Aviation Mall – shopping center on Aviation Rd.
 * Brayton – A hamlet in the northeastern part of town.
 * East Lake George – A hamlet in the northern part of the town and including part of the town of Fort Ann, located in Washington County. The hamlet attempted to incorporate as a village, a measure rejected by voters in 2010.
 * Floyd Bennett Memorial Airport (GFL) – An airport, formerly known as the Warren County Airport, in the southeastern part of the town.
 * French Mountain – A hamlet northwest of Glen Lake that shares its name with the mountain to its northeast.
 * Glen Lake – A lake and hamlet north of Glens Falls North.
 * Glens Falls North – a census-designated place along the northern borders of Glens Falls and West Glens Falls.
 * The Great Escape & Splashwater Kingdom – Six Flags affiliated amusement park located in Queensbury; opened 1954 as Storytown, U.S.A.
 * Harrisena – A hamlet roughly following State Route 9L in the northern section of the town which borders Lake George. Granted to American Revolutionary War spy Moses Harris for his service in the war.
 * Kattskill Bay – A hamlet in the northeastern-most area of the town.
 * Lake Sunnyside – A small lake and hamlet in the east-central portion of the town.
 * Oneida Corners – A hamlet at the modern junction of Sunnyside Road and State Route 9L.
 * Paradise Beach – A hamlet in the vicinity of The Great Escape and Round Pond on County Route 17.
 * Queensbury – A hamlet located in the east part of the town near the Queensbury-Kingsbury-Fort Ann town lines.
 * West Glens Falls – A hamlet and census-designated place bordering the west side of the city of Glens Falls.
 * Other hamlets: Jenkinsville, South Queensbury, Top O' the World, West Mountain