Downtown Schenectady
City of Schenectady | |
|---|---|
Neighborhood/Central business district | |
 State Street looking east in 2007, during the height of new construction | |
  Downtown Schenectady Location of Downtown Schenectady within the state of New York | |
| Coordinates: 42°48′45″N 73°56′33″W / 42.81250°N 73.94250°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | New York |
| Region | Capital District |
| County | Schenectady County |
| Settled | 1820s |
| Area | |
| • Total | .53 sq mi (1.4 km2) |
| Population (2000) | |
| • Total | 3,915 |
| • Density | 7,400/sq mi (2,900/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (Eastern Standard Time) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (Eastern Daylight Time) |
| ZIP Code | 12305 |
| Area code | 518 |
| Website | Downtown Schenectady Improvement Corporation Metroplex Development Authority |
Downtown Schenectady is the central business district for the city of Schenectady, New York. It originated in the 1820s with the moving of the commercial and industrial interests east from the original 17th and 18th century settlement, spurred on by the development of the Erie Canal. Home to the headquarters and major manufacturing plants of two large corporations, General Electric and American Locomotive Company, Downtown Schenectady catered to tens of thousands of workers in its heyday. Typical of the post-industrial Northeastern United States and Upstate New York in particular, Downtown Schenectady saw a decline in manufacturing and population starting in the 1970s. Recent construction and renovation has caused the downtown area to become an entertainment mecca for New York's Capital District anchored by Proctor's Theatre.