Elsmere, New York

Elsmere
hamlet
Name origin: For Robert Elsmere, hero of Mrs. Humphrey Ward's 1888 book titled Elsmere[1]
Country United States
State New York
Region Capital District
County Albany
Municipality Town of Bethlehem
River Normans Kill
Coordinates 42°37′43″N 73°49′0″W / 42.62861°N 73.81667°W / 42.62861; -73.81667Coordinates: 42°37′43″N 73°49′0″W / 42.62861°N 73.81667°W / 42.62861; -73.81667
Settled 1920s
Timezone EST (UTC-5)
 - summer (DST) EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP Code 12054
Area code 518
Location of Elsmere within the state of New York

Elsmere is a hamlet of the town of the Bethlehem in Albany County, New York. The hamlet is a suburb of the neighboring city of Albany. From the northeast to the southwest it is bisected by New York Route 443 (Delaware Avenue) which is also the main street and a major commuter route into Albany. Delaware Ave is also home to most of the office and retail locations in Elsmere, including the largest- Delaware Plaza. Residential buildings tend to be on side streets north and south of Delaware Ave.

History

Elsmere is situated along the old Delaware Turnpike, today Delaware Avenue (NY Route 443). Suburban residential growth began to displace the rural farmland starting in 1928 when the Delaware Avenue Bridge opened across the Normans Kill, this connected Elsmere directly to Albany. Prior to this commuters to Albany needed to travel on the narrow winding older roads through Normansville and cross a smaller lower bridge.[2] The original center of the hamlet was the corners of Elsmere and Delaware avenues. Today Delaware Avenue from the bridge over the Normans Kill to the abandoned railroad bridge over Delaware Ave, marking the unofficial border with Delmar, is heavily commercialized with retail and offices. Many of the businesses occupy houses converted to commercial use. Delaware Plaza, built in 1955, is the unofficial "center" of town.[1]

Location

 City of Albany
Normans Kill		 City of Albany
Normans Kill
Normanside Country Club Hamlet of Normansville
   Hamlet of Elsmere  
Hamlet of Delmar

References

  1. 1 2 Frances Ingraham (January 24, 1993). "The Suburban, Residential Hamlet of Elsmere". Albany Times Union. p. G1. Retrieved 2010-02-26.
  2. ↑ Rick Karlin (April 18, 1993). "A Bridge Moves Over Atop Tiny Normansville". p. H1. Retrieved 2010-02-27.
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