Saratoga County is a county in the U.S. state of New York, and is the fastest-growing county in Upstate New York. As of the 2020 United States census, the county's population was enumerated at 235,509, its highest decennial count ever and a 7.2% increase from the 219,607 recorded at the 2010 census, representing one of the fastest growth rates in New York. The county seat is Ballston Spa. The county is part of the Capital District region of the state.

Saratoga County's name was derived from the Iroquois word sah-rah-ka or sarach-togue, meaning "the hill beside the river", referring to the Hudson River bordering the county on its eastern flank and the Mohawk River delineating its southern border. Saratoga County, bisected by the toll-free, six-lane Adirondack Northway, serves as an outdoor recreational haven and as the gateway to the Adirondack Mountains and State Park for the populations of the Albany and New York City metropolitan areas. The county is also home to the internationally renowned Saratoga Race Course, one of the oldest venues in horse racing.

Saratoga County lies in the heart of eastern New York State's recognized Tech Valley, a growing center for the computer hardware side of the high-technology industry and its venture capital investment, with progress in the nanotechnology sector, digital electronics design, and water- and electricity-dependent integrated microchip circuit manufacturing, and more recently, artificial intelligence and AI-based photonics and quantum computing hardware manufacturing, involving companies including IBM, GlobalFoundries, Samsung, and Taiwan Semiconductor, among others. In April 2021, GlobalFoundries, a company specializing in the semiconductor industry, moved its headquarters from Silicon Valley, California to its advanced semiconductor-chip manufacturing facility in Saratoga County near a section of the Adirondack Northway, in Malta, New York.

The county is also frequently recognized for its high standard of living and quality of life. Saratoga County touts its strongly academic schools, clean environment and relatively cool climate, abundance of clean water and electricity, natural beauty and recreational opportunities, low county tax rates, and availability of new housing in its approach to robust growth in the county's high-tech workforce.

History

When counties were established in the Province of New York in 1683, the present Saratoga County was part of Albany County. This was an enormous county, including the northern part of New York, as well as all of the present state of Vermont and, in theory, extending westward to the Pacific Ocean. This large county was progressively reduced in size by the separation of several counties until 1791, when Saratoga County and Rensselaer County were split off from Albany County. The Battles of Saratoga (September 19 and October 7, 1777) marked the climax of the Saratoga campaign, giving a decisive victory to the Americans over the British in the American Revolutionary War, which convinced France that the Thirteen Colonies could win the war. The government of Louis XVI began lending military and financial aid to the American Patriot cause.

During the 19th century, Saratoga County was an important industrial center. Its location 30 miles north of Albany on the Delaware and Hudson Railway, as well as its proximity to water power from the Hudson River and the Kayaderosseras Creek, led to rapid industrial development beginning in the early 19th century. Some of the most important industrial employers were paper mills, tanneries, foundries, and textile mills.

Since the construction of the Adirondack Northway in the 1960s, Saratoga County has consistently been the fastest-growing county in the Capital District and indeed, in Upstate New York, and one of the fastest-growing in the Northeastern United States. The county has historically maintained a low county tax rate; according to its official website, Saratoga County levies one of the lowest county tax rates in New York.

Geography Saratoga County is situated in the eastern portion of New York State, north of the state capital city of Albany, northwest of Troy, and east of Utica. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which are land and (4.0%) are covered by water. The Hudson River forms the eastern border of the county, while the Mohawk River demarcates its southern border. The highest elevation in Saratoga County is at the peak of Tenant Mountain in the Adirondack Mountains, at , while the lowest elevation is , at the waterfront of the Village of Waterford, at the confluence of the Mohawk and Hudson Rivers.

Adjacent counties Saratoga County is bordered by eight counties. Listed clockwise, they are: Warren County - north Washington County - east Rensselaer County - southeast Albany County - south Schenectady County - southwest Montgomery County - southwest Fulton County - west Hamilton County - northwest

Demographics

2020 census In 1960, Saratoga County had a population of only 89,000, less than half of its population noted at the 2020 United States census, enumerated at 235,509.Population Growth . CensusScope. Retrieved on August 16, 2013. Saratoga County has continued its robust growth in the 2020s, in spite of the COVID-19 pandemic.

+Saratoga County, New York – Racial and ethnic compositionRace / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)Pop 1980Pop 1990Pop 2000Pop 2010 Pop 2020% 1980% 1990% 2000% 2010% 2020White alone (NH)150,452175,536190,840203,647203,78197.85%96.83%95.12%92.73%86.53%Black or African American alone (NH)1,3632,1312,6283,0533,7520.89%1.18%1.31%1.39%1.59%Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)1842533263253010.12%0.14%0.16%0.15%0.13%Asian alone (NH)5761,3212,0643,8807,4440.37%0.73%1.03%1.77%3.16%Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)x included in the Asian category in the 1980 Censusx included in the Asian category in the 1990 Census323560xx0.02%0.02%0.03%Other race alone (NH)182841652278330.12%0.05%0.08%0.10%0.35%Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)x not an option in the 1980 Censusx not an option in the 1990 Census1,7463,16110,671xx0.87%1.44%4.53%Hispanic or Latino (any race)1,0021,9512,8345,2798,6670.65%1.08%1.41%2.40%3.68%Total153,759181,276200,635219,607235,509 100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%

2010 census As of the 2010 U.S. census, there were 219,607 people, 88,296 households, and 58,814 families residing in Saratoga County. The population density was . There were 98,656 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 94.3% White, 1.8% Asian, 1.5% Black or African American, 0.2% Native American, 0.0% Pacific Islander, 0.5% from other races, and 1.7% from two or more races. 2.4% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 88,296 households, out of which 29.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.3% were married couples living together, 9.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.4% were non-families. 26.1% of all households were made up of individuals, 31.5% of households had individuals under 18 years, and 9.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 2.96.

Of Saratoga County's population in 2010, 6.3% were between ages of 5 and 9 years, 6.7% between 10 and 14 years, 6.5% between 15 and 19 years, 5.5% between 20 and 24 years, 5.5% between 25 and 29 years, 5.8% between 30 and 34 years, 6.6% between 35 and 39 years, 7.9% between 40 and 44 years, 8.5% between 45 and 49 years, 8.0% between 50 and 54 years, 7.0% between 55 and 59 years, 6.4% between 60 and 64 years, and 13.7% of age 65 years and over. 22.7% of the county's population was under age 18. The median age was 40.9 years.

According to the 2009-2013 American Community Survey, the median income for a household in Saratoga County was $69,826, and the median income for a family was $87,058. Males had a median income of $59,636 versus $44,743 for females. The per capita income for the county was $35,176. About 4.0% of families and 6.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.4% of those under age 18 and 6.1% of those age 65 or over.

Transportation

Adirondack Northway The toll-free, six-lane Adirondack Northway bisects Saratoga County, running in a south–north direction. The highway, designated Interstate 87, is the primary conduit connecting the capital of New York, Albany, northward across the Thaddeus Kosciusko Bridge into and through Saratoga County, then past Lake George in the Adirondack Park, through the Adirondack Mountains, and eventually to the Canada–United States border, where it continues seamlessly as Quebec Autoroute 15 to Montreal. The freeway has been a major catalyst for the growth of population and commerce in Saratoga County.

Rail The Saratoga and North Creek Railway was a heritage railway that operated from 2011 to 2018 between the Saratoga Springs Amtrak station at its southern terminus and North Creek in the Adirondack Park at its northern terminus. Its commercial operations were originally built by the Adirondack Railway (succeeded by the Delaware and Hudson). Amtrak's Ethan Allen Express and Adirondack services remain at Saratoga Springs.

Airports These public-use general aviation airports are located in Saratoga County:Saratoga County Public and Private Airports, New York . Retrieved June 13, 2013. Saratoga County Airport (5B2) – Saratoga Springs Garnseys Airport (B04) – Schuylerville Heber Airpark (K30) – Gansevoort Plateau Sky Ranch Airport (1F2) – Edinburg Round Lake Airport (W57) – Round Lake

Economy

Tech Valley

Since the 2000s, the economy of Saratoga County and the surrounding Capital District has been redirected toward high technology. Tech Valley is a marketing name for the eastern part of New York, encompassing Saratoga County, the Capital District, and the Hudson Valley. Originated in 1998 to promote the greater Albany area as a high-tech competitor to regions such as Silicon Valley and Boston, it has since grown to represent the counties in the Capital District and extending to IBM's Westchester County plants in the south and the Canada–US border to the north. The area's high-technology ecosystem is supported by technologically focused academic institutions including Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and the State University of New York Polytechnic Institute. Tech Valley encompasses 19 counties straddling both sides of the Adirondack Northway and the New York Thruway, and with heavy state taxpayer subsidy, has experienced significant growth in the computer hardware side of the high-technology industry, with great strides in the nanotechnology sector, digital electronics design, and water- and electricity-dependent integrated microchip circuit manufacturing, and more recently, artificial intelligence, involving companies including GlobalFoundries in Malta and others. Saratoga County touts its high standard of living and quality of life, strongly academic schools, clean environment and relatively cool climate, abundance of clean water and electricity, natural beauty and recreational opportunities, low county rax rates, and availability of new housing in its approach to robust growth in the county's high-tech workforce.

Adirondack Trust Company is the largest independent community bank in Saratoga County. Adirondack Trust's 167 full-time employees own the company, which offers banking, loans and investment services, along with insurance through its Amsure subsidiary. As of December 2020, the bank reported almost $1.5 billion in assets, and over $1.3 billion in deposits, across 13 branches.

Recreation