Rosedale, Queens

Rosedale is a neighborhood in New York City in the southeastern portion of the borough of Queens. The neighborhood is on the border of Queens and Nassau County, Long Island. The neighborhood is part of Queens Community Board 13.

Rosedale was originally conceived in the consolidation of the borough of Queens as a part of what is now Springfield Gardens. At the time, the Laurelton Land Company was in charge of the new Borough of Queens. It was dotted with farmland that was isolated from each other, so construction on an acceptable mode of transportation was started immediately. The Southern Railroad of Long Island (now Long Island Rail Road) was built and the whole area (today Laurelton, Rosedale, and Springfield Gardens) was served by Laurelton Station. The area was also connected to the Brooklyn waterworks. In the 20th century, the water system was less needed, and its use dwindled. Today the ruins of the aqueduct system can still be seen. After the Long Island Rail Road's construction, many new roads such as Francis Lewis and Sunrise Boulevard (today Sunrise Highway) were constructed. The area that is now Rosedale remained farmland until the mid-1930s. After the former period of relatively slow growth, development rapidly turned Rosedale into a suburban community. Rosedale was originally known as Foster's Meadow.

In 1976, Bill Moyers presented a documentary titled Rosedale: The Way It Is. The program addressed the racial tensions in this community, which was at that time in a transition from what had been primarily an Irish American, Italian American and Jewish community to what is now mostly a community of African Americans and Caribbean immigrants.[3]

Akron, New York

Akron is a village in Erie County, New York, United States. The population was 2,868 at the 2010 census. The name derives from the Greek word ἄκρον signifying a summit or high point. It is part of the Buffalo–Niagara Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area. Akron is located in the town of Newstead on the west and north slopes of a hill. NY 93 passes through the village.

The village was developed after land was purchased from local Native Americans. The site of the village was first settled around 1829, centered on Akron Falls, which provided water power. Akron became an incorporated village in 1849. The village absorbed the community of Fallkirk in its growth. In 1880, the population of Akron was about 1,050. It was then an important cement-producing center, due to local deposits of gypsum. Besides production of cement, the village also produced cigars.

Akron is located at 43°1′10″N 78°29′41″W / 43.01944°N 78.49472°W / 43.01944; -78.49472 (43.019309, -78.494644).[3] The village is northeast of Buffalo.

Bellona, New York

Bellona is a hamlet in Yates County, New York, United States. The community is 6.9 miles (11.1 km) north-northeast of Penn Yan. Bellona has a post office with ZIP code 14415, which opened on May 14, 1816.[2][3]

Niagara Falls, New York

Niagara Falls (/naɪˈæɡərə/ ny-AG-ər-ə) is a city in Niagara County, New York, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 50,193, down from the 55,593 recorded in the 2000 census. It is adjacent to the Niagara River, across from the city of Niagara Falls, Ontario, and named after the famed Niagara Falls which they share. The city is within the Buffalo–Niagara Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area as well as the Western New York region.

While the city was formerly occupied by Native Americans, Europeans who migrated to the Niagara Falls in the mid-17th century began to open businesses and develop infrastructure. Later in the 18th and 19th centuries, scientists and businessmen began harnessing the power of the Niagara River for electricity and the city began to attract manufacturers and other businesses that were drawn by the promise of inexpensive hydroelectric power. After the 1960s, however, the city and region witnessed an economic decline, following an attempt at urban renewal under then Mayor Lackey. Consistent with the rest of the Rust Belt as industries left the city, old line affluent families relocated to nearby suburbs and out of town.

Despite the decline in heavy industry, Niagara Falls State Park and the downtown area closest to the falls continue to thrive as a result of tourism. The population, however, has continued to decline from a peak of 102,394 in the 1960s due to the loss of manufacturing jobs in the area.

Saugerties, New York

Saugerties (/ˈsɔːɡərtiːz/) is a town in Ulster County, New York, United States. The population was 19,482 at the 2010 census. The Town of Saugerties contains the Village of Saugerties in the northeast corner of Ulster County. Part of the town is inside Catskill Park.

U.S. Route 9W and New York State Route 32 pass through the town, converging at the center of the village and overlapping to the south. These routes parallel the New York State Thruway (Interstate 87), which passes through the town just west of the village.

In the 1650s, Barent Cornelis Volge operated a sawmill on the Sawyer's Kill, supplying lumber for the manor of Rensselaerswick. He had secured a title from the Esopus Sachem to this lands sometime before 1663.[3] Volge likely left the area at the outbreak of the first Esopus War in 1658.[4] The "footpath to Albany" was not laid out until 1670.[5] In April 1677 Governor Edmund Andros purchased land from the Esopus Indian Kaelcop, chief of the Amorgarickakan tribe for the price of a piece of cloth, a blanket, some coarse fiber, a loaf of bread, and a shirt.[6] The Mynderse House was built by John Persen, formerly of Kingston, an early mill owner, around 1685.[4]