Saratoga County, New York

Saratoga County is a located in the  of. As of the, the population was 200,635. It is part of the Albany-Schenectady-Troy. The is. The name is a corruption of an word "sah-rah-ka" or "Sarach-togue," that means "the hill beside the river."

History
When counties were established in the in, the present Saratoga County was part of. This was an enormous county, including the northern part of New York State as well as all of the present State of and, in theory, extending westward to the. This county was reduced in size on, by the creation of , and further on ,  by the creation of , both containing territory now in.

Then, on, , Albany County was divided into the counties of Albany, (now ), and  (now ). From 1772 to Albany County included, besides the present territory of Albany County, all of the present, , Saratoga, and , parts of the present  and , and a piece of what is now southwestern Vermont.

In, Albany County was reduced in size by the splitting off of.

In, Saratoga County (as well as ) was split off from Albany County.

Geography
Saratoga County is in the northeastern part of New York State, north of, northwest of , and east of.

According to the, the county has a total area of 2,185 (844 ). 2,103 km² (812 sq mi) of it is land and 83 km² (32 sq mi) of it (3.78%) is water.

Law & Government
has usually been a Republican leaning county in most major elections. won the county narrowly in 2004 with 52% of the vote. The majority of the county is represented in Congress by Democrat Kirsten Gillibrand, starting with the new Congress in January of 2007, with the exception being the town of, which is represented by Democrat.

In the State Senate, the county is divided between Republicans and Hugh Farley, while in the State Assembly Democrat Robert Reilly, along with Republicans  and  each represent portions of the county.

, a, is the county's.

Democratic strength is best shown in the City of Saratoga Springs, which has voted Democratic in every presidential election since 1988. In 2005, the Democrats gained a majority on the Saratoga Springs City Council after decades of Republican dominance.

Saratoga County is governed by a Board Of Supervisors, with each town Supervisor acting as the representative from that community. The City of Saratoga Springs elects two Supervisors and the City of Mechanicville elects one supervisor to sit on the Board of Supervisors, but have no power on their respective City Councils. The Political makeup of the 2006-2007 Board is 18 Republicans and 5 Democrats. Republicans hold the county wide offices of Sheriff, District Attorney, County Clerk, Treasurer, and Judges of the County, Family, and the Surrogate Courts.

Cities, Towns, and Villages

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 * ==> label within parentheses shows official political level.

Adjacent Counties

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Demographics
As of the of 2000, there were 200,635 people, 78,165 households, and 53,699 families residing in the county. The was 95/km² (247/sq mi). There were 86,701 housing units at an average density of 41/km² (107/sq mi). The racial makeup of the county was 95.98%, 1.36% or , 0.18% , 1.04% , 0.02% , 0.42% from , and 1.00% from two or more races. 1.41% of the population were or  of any race.

There were 78,165 households out of which 33.60% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.20% were living together, 9.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.30% were non-families. 24.50% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.51 and the average family size was 3.01.

In the county the population was spread out with 25.00% under the age of 18, 7.80% from 18 to 24, 31.50% from 25 to 44, 24.20% from 45 to 64, and 11.50% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 97.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.60 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $49,460, and the median income for a family was $58,213. Males had a median income of $40,901 versus $29,583 for females. The for the county was $23,945. About 3.80% of families and 5.70% of the population were below the, including 6.50% of those under age 18 and 5.80% of those age 65 or over.

Since the construction of the in the 1960s Saratoga County has consistently been the fastest growing portion of the. and indeed, of upstate New York. In 1960 the county had a population of only 89,000, less than half its current population

Recreation
Saratoga County is extremely popular between late July and early September each year due to the being open. This world-famous track dates back to 1863. Horse-racing fans come from all over to watch the races. Besides the horses, Saratoga County is also famous for its role in American History, being the home of the Battle of Saratoga. The is located along the  in Stillwater, and features a drive-around atmosphere where you can drive up to each station. The park is also famous for its outstanding views of the area's natural scenery and Vermont's in the distance.

The capitalizes on the culture and mineral springs that once drove Saratoga County. This is a large state park and includes a hotel, 2 pool complexes, mineral baths,, picnic areas, hiking trails and numerous mineral springs.

Also nearby is, one of the largest parks in the nation. Part of Northwestern Saratoga County lies within the boundaries of the Park.

Saratoga County is just to the North of, the Capital of.