Cohoes, New York

Cohoes, New York
City Hall and Post Office
City Hall and Post Office
Official seal of Cohoes, New York
Etymology: Dutch adaptation of Mohawk "Ga-ha-oose" for "place of the falling canoe"
Nickname: 
Spindle City
Motto: 
A Community That Cares
Location in Albany County and the state of New York.
Location in Albany County and the state of New York.
Location of New York in the United States
Location of New York in the United States
Coordinates: 42°46′45″N 73°42′46″W / 42.77917°N 73.71278°W / 42.77917; -73.71278
CountryUnited States
StateNew York
CountyAlbany
Incorporation as village1848
Incorporation as city1869
Government
 • TypeCity Hall
 • MayorBill Keeler (D)
  • W1: Nicholas Izzo
  • W2: Shawn Higgins
  • W3: George Soloyna
  • W4: William McCarthy
  • W5: Adam Biggs
  • W6: John Frainier
Area
 • Total4.24 sq mi (10.97 km2)
 • Land3.77 sq mi (9.77 km2)
 • Water0.46 sq mi (1.20 km2)
Elevation
80 ft (20 m)
Highest elevation
(Elizabeth Court)
310 ft (90 m)
Lowest elevation
(Hudson River)
10 ft (3 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total18,147
 • Density4,809.70/sq mi (1,857.18/km2)
Time zoneUTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP Code
12047
Area code518
FIPS code36-16749
GNIS feature ID0947009
Wikimedia CommonsCohoes, New York
Website[1]

Cohoes (/kəˈhz/ kə-HOHZ) is an incorporated city located in the northeast corner of Albany County in the U.S. state of New York. It is called the "Spindle City" because of the importance of textile manufacturing to its growth in the 19th century. The city's factories processed cotton from the Deep South.

As of the 2020 census, the city population was 18,174. The name Cohoes is believed to be derived from a Mohawk term, Ga-ha-oose, referring to the Cohoes Falls and meaning "Place of the Falling Canoe," an interpretation noted by Horatio Gates Spafford in his 1823 publication "A Gazetteer of the State of New York". Later historians posited that the name is derived from the Algonquian Cohoes, a place name based on a word meaning 'pine tree'.[2][3]

  1. ^ "ArcGIS REST Services Directory". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved September 20, 2022.
  2. ^ Edward M. Rutenber (1906). A Indian Geographical Names. New York State Historical Society. p. 200. Retrieved November 3, 2009., Google Book Search
  3. ^ Bulletin of the New York State Museum, Aboriginal Place Names of New York. 1907. p. 19. Retrieved November 3, 2009., Google Book Search