Belfast, New York

Belfast (/ˈbɛl.fæst/ or /bəlˈfɑːst/) is a town in Allegany County, New York, United States. The town is in what is called the Southern Tier of the state. Its population was 1,663 at the 2010 census. It was named in 1825 after the city of Belfast, the capital of present-day Northern Ireland, because it had numerous residents of Scots-Irish ancestry from that area.

This territory was for many centuries before European encounter occupied by the Seneca people of the Haudenosaunee, or Iroquois Confederacy. They were the westernmost tribe of the Five Nations of the Confederacy which dominated the area south of the Great Lakes in present-day New York and Pennsylvania. (They became the Six Nations after being joined by the Tuscarora, another Iroquoian-speaking people, who migrated from the Carolinas in the early 18th century). These tribes are among Iroquoian languages-speaking peoples who long inhabited areas along the upper St. Lawrence River and Great Lakes.

The first European-American settlers did not arrive in this area until after the American Revolutionary War. As the Seneca had been allies of the defeated British, their lands were among territory ceded to the United States, without consultation with the Iroquois. Most of the Haudenosaunee migrated to Ontario, Canada, where they were given land in compensation by the British Crown.

Hannibal, New York

Hannibal is a town in Oswego County, New York, United States. The population was 4,854 at the 2010 census. The name is derived from the hero of ancient Carthage, Hannibal.[1]

The Town of Hannibal also contains a village also called Hannibal. The town is on the west border of the county.

The first settlement occurred around 1802. Much of the region was purchased from the Onondaga and Oneida tribes to form the Central New York Military Tract to pay off war veterans. The town was formed in 1806 from the Town of Lysander while still part of Onondaga County, New York. The name was provided by Robert Harpur, an employee of the New York survey, who is responsible for many of the "classical" names applied to political entities in the central part of New York.

Rochester, New York

Rochester (/ˈrɒtʃɪstər, ˈrɒtʃɛstər/) is a city on the southern shore of Lake Ontario in western New York. With a population of 208,046 residents, Rochester is the seat of Monroe County and the third most populous city in New York state, after New York City and Buffalo. The metropolitan area has a population of just over 1 million people.[4]

Rochester was America's first boomtown, initially due to fertile Genesee River Valley, which gave rise to numerous flour mills, and then as a manufacturing hub.[5] Several of the region's universities (notably the University of Rochester and Rochester Institute of Technology) have renowned research programs. Rochester is the site of many important inventions and innovations in consumer products. The Rochester area has been the birthplace to Kodak, Western Union, Bausch & Lomb, Gleason and Xerox, which conduct extensive research and manufacturing of industrial and consumer products. Until 2010, the Rochester metropolitan area was the second-largest regional economy in New York State, after the New York City metropolitan area.[6] Rochester's GMP has since ranked just below that of Buffalo, New York, while still exceeding it in per-capita income.[7]

The 25th edition of the Places Rated Almanac rated Rochester as the "most livable city" in 2007, among 379 U.S. metropolitan areas.[8] In 2010 Forbes rated Rochester as the third-best place to raise a family in the United States.[9] In 2012 Kiplinger rated Rochester as the fifth-best city in the United States for families, citing low cost of living, top public schools, and a low jobless rate.[10]

Pyrites, New York

Pyrites is a hamlet in St. Lawrence County, New York, United States. The community is located along the Grasse River 5.7 miles (9.2 km) south of Canton. Pyrites has a post office with ZIP code 13677.[2][3]

Mechanicville, New York

Mechanicville is a city in Saratoga County, New York, United States. The population is 5,196 as of the 2010 census.[3] It is the smallest city by area in the state.[4] The name is derived from the occupations of early residents.[5]

The city is located on the eastern border of Saratoga County and is north of Albany, the state capital. Mechanicville borders the towns of Stillwater (of which it was once a part)[6] and Halfmoon in the county, and the town of Schaghticoke, Rensselaer County.

The first listing of a settlement on Thenendehowa Creek is in 1721. At that time, Cornelius Van Buren had a sawmill at the mouth of the creek where it emptied into the Hudson River.