Saratoga Springs

Saratoga Springs is named after the special healing Springs that are found here in this popular city of Saratoga County. Saratoga Springs (sometimes called just “Saratoga”) is famous for its Saratoga Race Course, a horse racing track which has been in operation since the Summer of 1863. Home to Empire State College as well as Skidmore College, not only is Saratoga a college town, but it is also an widely popular tourist attraction! It is also where many well-known American businesses were born, including several magazines: People, Time, Sports Illustrated and Newsweek. Quad Graphics, Stewart's Shops and the Saratoga Spring Water Co. also formed here.

Visitors and residents alike have access to many unique activities to enjoy in Saratoga Springs, such as the Spa State Park (also known as the “Roosevelt Baths”). Don't be alarmed by the smell of sulfur in the air: it's simply the harmless gas form of hydrogen sulfide which comes from the unique properties in the water (the smell evaporates very quickly). You can take some of this very special water home with you if you bring your own bottles. There's 18 springs in all in Saratoga!

Visitors can also enjoy the town's lively entertainment venues, such as the Saratoga Performing Arts Center (home to the Saratoga Native American Festival aand it even has an ampitheater outside for outdoor shows), the Skate Park (which has a public skateboarding arena), the Philadelphia Orchestra, Lee's Park (for camping, be it tent or RV style), the Jazz Festival, the New York City Ballet, the National Museum of Dance and Hall of Fame and more! Unique stores include Four Seasons Natural Foods, Saratoga Guitar, the Putnam Market, Uncommon Grounds Coffee & Tea, Candy Company, G. Willikers Toys, and more! Saratoga Springs is famous for its multitude of Antique Stores, such as: Stitches & Time (Antique store), Mark Lawson Antiques, The Vault, Nine Caroline, and others. If you're into auctioning, visit North Peak Auctions on 25 Washington St. The Lyrical Ballad Bookstores is another unique place that should not be missed. There's also tons of galleries such as “The Frances Young Tang Teaching Museum and Art Gallery” found on the campus of Skidmore College, also in town; plus the Symmetry Gallery, the Crafters Gallery, and more....you'll feel as though the sky's the limit when it comes to entertainment here in Saratoga Springs!

Also don't forget to visit the Forno Bistro, the Olde Bryan Inn, the Wheatfields Restaurant & Bar, Hattie's, and more in Saratoga Springs...where the possibilities are limitless and everyone will find something to love during their stay here. It's a great place to bring the whole family, and a wonderful place to live as well! There's great schools, a community center (known as “The Rec Center). The city offers its residents affordable as well as senior housing, and perfect for the income of working middle-class families (with a median sales price of around ($295,000). Whether you plan on visiting here or living here, Saratoga Springs is a wonderful place to be, and has lots of fun things to do, and is very family friendly! It's great for those who wish to retire, and very affordable for students (after all, it is home to two great NY state colleges).

Overall, hatever your needs may be, you're sure to find it in the truly healing atmosphere of Saratoga Springs in the wonderful, beautiful surroundings that forms Saratoga County, of the Hudson Valley, and NY!

Hazy summer dawns spent leaning over a railing, holding a cup of coffee, watching as the horses breezed by during their morning workouts … this is how I remember Saratoga, also known as Saratoga Springs. Forty-five minutes north of Albany, Saratoga is the home of the famous racehorse track and auctions, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg. It is a truly beautiful and welcoming place, no matter what the season and whether or not you care about horses.

The “Springs” part of the name comes from the famous mineral waters that flow beneath the area, and which has made it a spa destination since the 19th century. Combine this with the racetrack, polo matches, an array of winter festivals and sports activities, and world-class cultural offerings, and you have a tourist destination that still manages to keep an air of old-time gentility.

Tourism is the backbone of Saratoga, but definitely not its whole. Industries include the Saratoga Spring Water Company, the offset printer Quad Graphics, Ball Corporation (manufacturer of aluminum cans and Mason Jars) and Stewart Shops (convenience store/gas stations.) Many people commute to Albany, either by car, Amtrack (which continues to New York City), or several different bus companies.

Saratoga covers about 29 square miles, has a population of 26,586, and Saratoga Lake, which is about four and half miles long and a mile and a half wide, is at the southeast end of the city.

The summer racing season lasts from mid-July to September, which is when the population booms and hotel rooms are hard to find. Horse lovers will be in heaven, as there are horse shows (one for dressage only), polo matches every Friday and Sunday afternoons, and a harness racing track. The latter also offers the Racino, a casino with over 1700 state-of-the-art video gaming machines, and Vapor, a nightclub featuring live performances (you must be 18 for the casino, 21 for the nightclub.)

Not into horses? Not a problem. Outdoorsy types can go ballooning, rent a canoe or kayak, charter a boat, take a canal tour, go fishing or camping, hike through nature trails and geological sites, choose from 20 different golf courses, go mountain biking, river rafting, skydiving, or spend the afternoon at the Extra Innings Indoor Baseball Training Center or the Saratoga Springs Municipal Skatepark. In the winter, there’s ice skating, ice hockey, snowshoeing, and cross-country skiing.

The architecturally inclined can head for downtown Saratoga, where there are seven different designated Historic Preservation areas. Here’s where you’ll find all kinds of shopping, as well as over 90 restaurants. There are museums galore, including the two-story, interactive Children’s Museum. As you would imagine, Saratoga has 5-star night life, with fine restaurants, wine bars, pubs, jazz and dance clubs.

The 2,200-acre Saratoga Spa State Park is where you’ll find both culture and recreation, as well as carefully preserved wild areas. Here is the renowned Saratoga Performing Arts Center, with its 5,000-seat amphitheatre (20,000 on the lawn) that is a regular stop for nationally touring artists, the summer home of the Philadelphia Orchestra and the New York City ballet, and the site of extravaganzas like Battle of the Bands and fundraisers like the Saratoga Wine, Food & Fall Ferrari Festival. There is a smaller venue, the Spa Little Theater, as well as the Saratoga National Museum of Dance, the Saratoga Automobile Museum, the Gideon Putnam resort, and Roosevelt Baths and Spa.

The Spa State Park has a two pools, one with a 19’ double slide, as well as food, showers and locker rooms. There are also two golf courses - one 18-hole and one 9-hole course.

Yaddo, the 400-acre artists’ community which has hosted 60 Pulitzer Prize winners and one Nobel laureate is here; make sure to visit and stroll through its beautiful rose and rock gardens.

In 2011, CNN Money rated Saratoga Springs as 75th out of the 100 best places to live, citing “a lively, walkable downtown … low crime and a solid school system. And culture? Tons.”

It’s not very diverse, though, with 93.8% of the population Caucasian. Median household income is $63,945, and median house/condo value is $303,322. Median gross rent is $851.

For those so dazzled by their visit that they want to settle down here, there are six elementary schools, one middle school, and one high school in the Saratoga Springs City School District. The District and Saratoga Partnership for Prevention sponsors Parent University, which provides workshops and classes for parents addressing their childrens’ issues. In 2011, the Washington Post ranked Saratoga Springs High School in the top 7% of 27,000 public high schools based on how well the students were prepared for college. There are a number of private schools, including Catholic Schools and a Waldorf School.

Skidmore College and Empire State College are both in Saratoga Springs.