What Happened to Albany New York?

[@connorparadis4804]

Albany really should be a beautiful small city right along the Hudson River. The waterfront freeway is an absolute travesty - so much wasted prime real estate. Great video, though!

[@schalitz1]

Agreed 787 really ruins what should be a lovely neighborhood.

[@marcrugani326]

Really appreciate this channel and the research that goes into a short, informative video! Other important cities contributing to the capital region area, which have suffered in the economic shifts, include Rensselaer, Troy, and Hudson. Despite the downturns in its preeminence, there's so much to appreciate about its history, educational hubs (e.g. SUNY Albany, RPI), and recreational destinations like Saratoga Springs. My friends always give me a reason to keep coming back to visit and discover something new.

[@jpguitar34]

I'm born and raised in Schenectady, it's nice to hear a nonlocal pronounce Albany and Schenectady correctly.

[@robfreeman5783]

tbh...how tf else would someone pronounce them!?

[@N_g_er]

@@robfreeman5783i live in Amsterdam and no one says it right

[@N_g_er]

@@robfreeman5783I'm gay

[@jpguitar34]

@@robfreeman5783 people will pronouce the a.l. as Al (like the man's name). As said in the video, the correct way to pronounce the a.l. is like the word all.

[@MirzaAhmed89]

The narrator is from Rome, not far away.

[@herschelwright4663]

Principal Skinner once proposed a trip to Albany.

[@dimitar297]

His assistant secretly loves it up there.

[@gojenson]

Grampa Simpson was once voted the most handsomest boy in Albany, New York too.

[@heavycream6682]

I just recently went to a concert at The Palace theater I thought I'd hit the bars after but downtown was totally abandoned and little scary on foot. shocking to see how bad it is now.

[@cneidl]

Yeah, but that area has been sketchy since the 70s. I grew up in Albany and my whole family still lives there, and it's not nearly as apocalyptic as this video presents it. Half of the crap that perennially rains down on Albany's image from outside is a function of its proximity and tension with New York City. No state in the country as an upstate/downstate divide quite as deep and irreconcilable as New York, and the City will always have more fire power to aim at Albany, than vice-versa. Yes, its former economic base was largely eaten by change, but that was decades ago, and the city actually has a pretty economy now. I think the other big problem, with a small city that's the capital of a very populous state is that it gets overwhelmed by a bureaucratic view of the world, which isn't conducive to creativity or change. But there are signs of progress and reinvention. In the last census period, Albany's population grew for the first time in decades. In 2023, Albany County was ranked in the top 25 best places to live in the U.S. It has enormous potential that just requires a little more imagination, energy, self-confidence and, what's the word, 'assiduity' to realize. I'm optimistic.

[@terrigodmother]

I remember being in the Albany airport in the early 1960's and just being blown away by how little it was. I was used to airports like Newark, Boston, and even Cleveland and could not believe that the CAPITAL of New York state had a one room, cinder block airport! It has since grown, of course, but is still only served by 9 airlines, and 5 of them are niche airlines! Crazy. Right now they are undergoing a massive construction phase adding a mall to the upper level. I'm not sure what will be the value of this, but it has been making it very difficult to access the few flights that pass through Albany. The city itself is old, confusing, and has little to offer. Not exactly a "destination"

[@Livesserious]

Nys was lovely farms Athens ny wanted the political leadership capital and it was denied by whome idk the stupid the criminal the new world order of 1900. Controlling everything in secret mob. Nwo controls our leaders thinks for us hides and covers up real crime everyday for decades.

[@hfkssadfrew]

this is called albany international aiport. not sure which part is international lol

[@Arsayalalyur]

Hey, there’s flights from Canada…

[@l.a.theoriginalequinista9265]

The "international" part is a laughingstock. Recently the CEO, CFO, COO of the airport all quit. Only thing it's good for is a puddle jumper to Newark if you like 8 hour layovers just 3 hours from home.

[@decay4918]

the destination is the adirondack’s

[@RobertJonas-ub2vv]

You really hit the nail on the head regarding Albany's rise and fall. It's still struggling with crime and poverty, but it's still the third-best region to live in (after NYC and Buffalo) due to its proximity to the Adirondacks, Catskills and the Hudson Valley. The tech industry has benefited the suburbs more than Albany itself. Still, the city is hanging in there, thanks to all the government offices occupying the Empire State Plaza and the State Office Campus uptown. Albany will never be a destination city, but that's okay. If it can invest in its poorer neighborhoods, it could be a better city overall.

[@seanmoran3470]

Great video, but didn’t mention how with everyone working for the state, it’s an unsustainable city. The crime is unbelievable too. I work in the closest suburb- Bethlehem. I’d love to be able to live in Albany, but it’s too unbearable for me. Instead I live in a Schenectady suburb and commute 30 minutes.

[@NemesisTHETAURUS]

Schenectady isn't much better lol. Idk I like them both a Lil. It's OK yet I understand fully where your coming from

[@Olliemets]

This tale parallels that of many other cities in US, especially in Northeast and Midwest. I live in the LoHud region but still regularly visit Cap district. Attended college there and still have many friendships. The inner city itself is sketchier than ever. Crime and more noticibly blighted areas. Like Buffalo, Syracse, etc. (And Detroit, Cleveland...etc) People continue to flee to the surrounding suburbs and outlying areas, shrinking the tax base. The Cap District itself is a great place to live, with access to the great outdoors, and places like Boston, NYC 3 hours away. Mohawk Valley and Syracuse and Points West...Montreal 4 hours north. Vermont, ADKs, Berkshires, Catskills...etc. Schenectady and Troy were worse and seem to be on a bit of an upswing from where they were a decade plus back and one can hope Albany itself follows.

[@WhitehallMediaGroup]

Awesome video! The rise and fall of cities over time really fascinates me.

[@cneidl]

Albany hasn't fallen. It's not a bad city, really. The almost autopsy-like rendering of this video is perplexing to me.

[@davidcarbone3385]

I read in the 80s Albany had the Albany Colonie Yankees, a AAA affiliate of the NY Yankees, as well as a minor league basketball team coached by Phil Jackson, a former player of the Knicks who went on to coach the Bulls. Plus Mike Tyson fought there or just outside Albany when he was getting started.

[@jpguitar34]

The basketball team was the Albany Patroons, they were part of the CBA, and yes Phil Jackson was their coach at one time. He lead them to the 1984 CBA Championship.

[@davidcarbone3385]

@@jpguitar34 thank you !!!

[@FatBichon]

Yes, the Patroons. Some Patroons players like Mario Elie would play in the NBA

[@doug2078]

You are correct ! I remember all of them. Mike Tyson was always in the area . He liked the strip joints !

[@davidcarbone3385]

@@doug2078 LOL no doubt, haha

[@laff000]

I was born and raised in Albany. I moved my family out in the 90's. Crime became rampant. Things that rarely happen were becoming commonplace and widespread. College students ruined entire neighborhoods spreading like cancer. The city didn't care. The police were powerless to do anything and all we got from the university was lip service. Like myself many families moved out. Their houses purchased by greedy landlords who further continued their blight. Recently 6 entire blocks were leveled because the houses were no longer livable. As the families left so did the businesses and other institutions that supported the neighborhood. St. Vincent de Paul had an excellent grade school and high school. Both closed due to declining enrollment. Crime worsened . Two blocks from the downtown dormitories of Albany University a major fight broke out in the aftermath of some huge parties. On one end of Hudson avenue there was a shooting while at the other end was a stabbing. In between open drug use and furniture and appliances were tossed from the second floor apartments. As usual the city glossed over it and the university acted as if it was everyone else's problem but not there's. Meanwhile a once beautiful city , one that people could raise a family in with few problems now is one growing student slum as city and state government cater to law breakers and those who will never set roots in the area.

[@JimKimTheIdeaHunters]

I’m from Albany. It was a decent place to grow up and I’d be open to moving back. It’s got some close attractions like Lake George, Saratoga, hiking, camping, lakes, etc. Will it ever become a major metropolis destination city? Probably not, but for what it is, it’s not that bad of a place to live and work.

[@Enginshim]

I’m in the suburbs just outside Albany. 3 hours from NYC,Boston, and Canada with beautiful scenery all around. Great schools. Can’t beat it.

[@l.a.theoriginalequinista9265]

Don't move back. The worst of Albany once kept to the Clinton Ave side has literally bled all the way over to Madison Ave/ Pine Hills. Saint Rose went belly up. Bullets fly at Ontario/Madison Park (words I never thought I'd use together in a sentence). 😢

[@decay4918]

things were the worst in 2020, covid and the peak of fentanyl in albany, since then the majority of fentanyl addicts hve either died moved west or gotten sober, honestly the drugs and violence is taking a turn for the best i work in the recovery field and my patients all talk about how weak the drugs are around here and how they can’t find anything for the past 3 months, resulting in 95% of my patients getting on subs and staying sober, i think albany is making a turn towards positive same with schenectady the investment from the government has been huge and downtown albany and schenectady are slowly being revitalized,

[@JimKimTheIdeaHunters]

@ that’s awesome to hear. I will always root for the 518. I always thought that being the capital of the state that has the financial capital of the world (NYC) puts Albany in a very unique position.

[@RedDogForge]

the decline of albany is DIRECTLY attributable to GE pulling out most of its production in Schenectady. this basically gutted the entire capital district.

[@Steelers067]

Schenectady is not Albany..Albany has beautiful architecture and history.

[@RedDogForge]

@Steelers067 Rockefeller center and thee egg and the disgusting overpass mess puts paid to that. looks like a giant urban renewal turd that the govt shat upon those beautiful buildings. and yes its not troy or renseiller either but they employed over 100k people at their height at that location.

[@turninmonyin2noise978]

Several thing happed to make Albany decline. 1) in the sixties, the race riots and tensions made Albany a not safe place after business hours. 2) the interstates and shopping malls out side of the city made it safer to shop in the evening than to take chances on downtown North Pearl St. or Central Ave. 3) Governor Rockefeller gutting Forty square blocks of downtown, destroying complete neighborhoods to build his Grandiose Empire State Plaza.4) Building The interstate along the river front cutting off the city from the river. 5) Governor Mario Coumo telling the country’s poor people if you come to NY we will take care of you. Turning NY into the tax and spend capital of the country. taxing the life out of the working people to support millions of people that became enslaved to the welfare system and enslaving the working people to support all the Social service agencies and Thousands of staff and assets needed to run the come here and live for free, vote for me System. Many people have left NY and Albany because a working person can keep more of their hard earned money by living elsewhere. 6) Today you can include Albany politics criminal friendly laws and the fact that hard working law abiding citizens only get hot air lip service from the Politicians. Criminals go free and the politicians brag about closing empty prisons, (Empty because they have made it almost impossible for judges and the criminal justice system to lock criminals away to keep good people safe). As well as denying good people the right to defend themselves ,families, friends and property. All the while supporting the criminals.

[@cehayes74]

Pass through here all the time on Amtrak heading to Manhattan & NJ.

[@NemesisTHETAURUS]

Actually you dont😂😂 . "Albany's" amtrak is not even in Albany. It's actually in a entirely different county let alone city lol. The irony😅😂

[@cehayes74]

@-😆😆😆 You’re Right !!! Albany is on the other side & Rensselaer is the main stop !!!

[@JustinMBailey]

Albany is definitely on the rise. It’s still the butt of many jokes my fellow”steamed hams” but unlike most of New York and New England right now it is experiencing steady growth. Housing prices are going crazy and we might be getting a soccer stadium.

[@seanabbins5481]

I thought that before the pandemic, but the shutdown took a large toll on Albany. Crime, homelessness and panhandling have skyrocketed. We've seen two movie theaters go, CVS's go and now the College of St Rose. I like a lot of things about Albany but recognize the shutdown really hurt it

[@jhconnor88]

Last thing we need is a giant stadium used twice a month with more parking garages to accommodate it. Get rid of 787, create a beautiful park running along the Hudson. Affordable housing, small businesses. Light rail connecting Troy and Albany. THAT would help Albany rise, instead of enriching developers

[@seanabbins5481]

@@jhconnor88 in order to have affordable housing you need developers. In order for developers to build they need a reason. (Making money.) There's a lot of vacant residential real estate in Albany. But the drugs and vagrancy makes it undesirable and unprofitable to develop. While I am skeptical of your 787 park plan, if done right , maybe I could embrace it.

[@jhconnor88]

@@seanabbins5481 That's the fundamental problem Sean: housing as a commodity. Profit should not be the incentive for essential goods (and human rights) like housing. This is why capitalism will never deliver quality, safe, affordable city living for all. Housing is a public utility and should be treated as such

[@Livesserious]

I heard about this sport field and it's great but you know what if they can't get a grip on all the senseless murders and people owning guns that aren't registered and just killing each other drugs then we don't deserve a soccer field when dead ppl are not able to enjoy it or lifelong injuried people. All this from decades long organized unneccessary treason and other serious hidden crimes.

[@mono-no-aware.Lem.]

would love a Reading, PA video. My birthplace (and sadly in 2010 listed as the poorest city in the USA by one major nationwide news publisher)

[@Astonio]

Born and raised in Albany. Left when I was 19. Always felt like we were a decade behind the world. Not enough diverse attractions for teenagers, places to go and be teenagers. Boring. Of course I’ve returned over the years and it’s duller each time.

[@mmrw]

Albany has been through tough times but I think it was always better off than a lot of other New York cities because the state capitol kept and always will keep a lot of jobs in the area

[@ralphbalfoort2909]

The weather in Albany, at least compared to other Northeastern locales, isn't all that bad, especially in recent years. I haven't had to use my snowblower at all for the past two winters, and we didn't have an official heat wave until September in 2023.

[@89playstation65]

I live in Halfmoon....just 30 minutes outside of Albany. And yes I use 787 to get to work everyday. Albany isn't much to look at. And while there is some things to do, there isn't much to do...especially once you have done it all.

[@sullivan448]

Born and raised in Albany, I don't even recognize that place anymore, Democrats destroyed a once proud city

[@jbl3466]

ah yes bc republicans are so good at governing places like West Virginia and Mississippi.

[@erikzurbruegg9416]

@@jbl3466 A lot better than NYS. Let's see High Taxes, excessive regulations etc. Mass Exodus of hardworking people to Lower Taxed States. Mass Exodus of Industries as well.

[@YoshiFan115]

I was born In Albany and always lived in Albany my entire life

[@rtlthemusician5598]

Well Albany you are an odd city, but I must say, you steam a good ham.

[@TSnowy23]

I asked people in Albany if they used the term "Steamed Hams" from the Simpsons skit. They said no. I figure it was to poke fun at Massachusetts. Most upstate nyers call them chowderheads cause the way they drive and cause clams is a northeast thing. I didn't like Albany bc of its bureaucracy, the toll roads, and overly vigilant overly funded state troopers. Met many good Albany citizens thou, and they have some great unique shops.

[@Livesserious]

@@TSnowy23 hams is the very beginnings of Albany and the passenger railroad and trapping fur animals.

[@davidcarbone3385]

have you done a video of Jersey City; I read it's gone through a lot of transformations

[@forgottenplaces9780]

@@davidcarbone3385 yes you can find it on my channel

[@derbagger22]

I drove through Albany the other day.

[@schalitz1]

If I'm not mistaken I believe Key Tower is the tallest building in the Midwest outside of Chicago.

[@l.a.theoriginalequinista9265]

Corning Tower. Part of the Empire State Plaza and second tallest here in NYS

[@kennypalermo9071]

Do you have any milestones on your channel?

[@forgottenplaces9780]

@@kennypalermo9071 what do u mean exactly?

[@kennypalermo9071]

@@forgottenplaces9780 The milestones

[@lanierosenberg]

OMG Who wrote the copy for this video? Have they NEVER heard of the simple past tense? Just between 0:25 and 1:00, the narrator says "would" SEVEN times: "would become"; "would see"; "would more formally be"'; "would be"; "would become"'; "would put";" would live". How about just became, saw, was, became, put and lived?

[@forgottenplaces9780]

@@lanierosenberg 😂

[@bjdon99]

New York the State has too high taxes. Downstate and on Long Island people make enough to pay the crazy high rates, but Upstate cities like Albany and the rest out to Buffalo have been really hurt by this, as they do not.

[@freshface2991]

I think Albany and its metro area, along with many other cities in the US, should grow and develop. This should curb the housing deficiency crisis and make housing more affordable overall.

[@l.a.theoriginalequinista9265]

That's a nice dream. Good luck on that. Local politics loathes progress

[@lponm]

"Let's Party Albany" just set the bar too high. There's no going back.

[@l.a.theoriginalequinista9265]

😂😂😂😂

[@doug2078]

Well done !!

[@DavidLimofLimReport]

What happened? Nothing. Exactly hahah.

[@smacksmack5976]

It was abandoned by state government who went all out nyc and Long Island.

[@BlankRami]

The Car centric city planning ruined the economic potential of many cities in the U.S. Just wide rivers of roads and highways everywhere.

[@cneidl]

I grew up in Albany (actual Albany), return often, and my whole family still lives there. The circumstances are not nearly as apocalyptic as this video would have it. Half of the crap that perennially rains down on Albany's image from outside is a function of its proximity to and tension with New York City. No state in the country has an upstate/downstate divide quite as deep and irreconcilable as New York's, and the City will always have orders of magnitude more fire power to aim at Albany than vice-versa. As a result, downstate views Albany as the poster boy of upstate futility, and so, unfairly, the rest of the world does too. So many snide hit jobs on Albany seem to come from clickbait list-makers who almost certainly haven't spent any meaningful time in the area, and seem to think that its entire essence emanates from one comically shitty downtown bus station. Yes, its former economic base was largely eaten by transformations well beyond its capacity to influence, but that was decades ago and much remains and more has emerged since. So many other cities that have contended with worse headwinds have rebounded and reinvented themselves. I refuse to believe that Albany is that doomed, or can't get itself into a position where much better days ahead aren't possible. I think the one big problem, which is not small, is something that happens to a lot of small cities that are also state capitals - a bureaucratic mindset can become pervasive well beyond the Capitol, overwhelming initiative and pre-empting creativity and outside of the box thinking. It doesn't take risks, and it doesn't understand that it doesn't have to ask permission to make more cool shit happen within its borders. But there are signs of progress and revitalization. In the last census period, Albany's population grew for the first time in decades. The city actually has a pretty okay economy now, anchored by stable industries like government, hospitals and universities. In 2023, Albany County was ranked in the top 25 best places to live in the U.S by USN&WR. There are real plans and commitments to redevelop the downtown in the next 5 years, including a soccer stadium (which will entail bulldozing already referenced bus station). It's super high density, and as one of the oldest cities in the country has a lot of walkable charm (and with tolerably low risk of getting shot during a driveby, as reported with great exaggeration in other comments below). So, I see a city with potential that just requires a little more imagination, energy, self-confidence and, what's the word, 'assiduity' to realize. I'm optimistic. If Troy (formerly known locally at Troylet, as in toilet) can turn itself around, then Jesus, why can't Albany?

[@DavidLimofLimReport]

The irony of key bank going to a city that would also become well known for its wht happened status. No offence, Forgotten Places.

[@bluekewne]

The birthplace of the steamed ham.

[@MirzaAhmed89]

Patented Skinner burgers. Old family recipe.

[@Lucas-jy7cv]

It's the Harris walz signs they got everywhere. That's what happened

[@BoundyMan]

I was born in Albany, but I don't remember living there because I moved to Jacksonville, Florida when I was a 1 year old. Only have visited the city twice in my life, the first was when I was either 10 or 11 years old. The second was just a few month ago while I was driving after visiting my parents in Syracuse to my home in Orlando. Just visited the Corning Tower and the State Capitol both times.

[@gakster29]

I'm from/live in Poughkeepsie, and I lived in Albany for 6 years up through 2022. (I was even there last week attending to grad school business) I-787 that cuts the city off from the riverfront baffles me. I drove on it 8:30 am on weekdays frequently and NO ONE was on it. I'm already skeptical of limited access highways through city centers, but if it doesn't have traffic in rush hour...what's the point?? IIRC, I-90 and 787 North of downtown gets the heavy traffic. It should be easy to level 787 in Albany City limits and make it a city avenue with lights like it does on the north end in Cohoes. Get all the pedestrian traffic to the river.

[@jamesmartin6709]

That's just not accurate. 787 is always busy, especially at rush hour on weekdays. The city is ringed by highways and 787 is an important part of it. How would people get to work in downtown or off I-90 if it was taken down? I remember when Route 32 was the only road between Cohoes/Watervliet/Troy and Albany and it took forever to make the trip. I live in Albany and had to go to Waterford this morning, a 15 minute trip on 787.

[@briannat1086]

"What can be, unburdened by what has been" since when has New York one of America's largest states?? WTF....don't know geography i guess?

[@forgottenplaces9780]

Largest in population…. Not that hard to figure out.

[@k.s.7104]

Albany has so much potential but terrible politics and typical democrat one party control kills economic growth and makes it an undesirable place for people to settle. Anyone born in Albany since the 2000s seem to want to leave....Damn shame. Schenectady's downtown is outpacing Albany in terms of development and night life. Albany's political leaders should be ashamed of themselves.

[@jbl3466]

and Schenectady is controlled by Republicans?

[@b.t.2796]

"Just because I'm listening doesn't mean I care" Homer J Simpson

[@forgottenplaces9780]

@@b.t.2796 what a nice comment of you. :)

[@DrQuagmire1]

2 words: Kathy Hochul!!!!

[@petesplacestuff4781]

It’s because of that trash can dish that they eat!

[@RobertJonas-ub2vv]

@@petesplacestuff4781 That's the Garbage Plate, and that is a Rochester thing. I haven't come across a restaurant in Albany that serves it since 2012, and they stopped selling it.

[@DAEDALUSesq]

@@RobertJonas-ub2vv Excelsior Pub serves garbage plates

[@NemesisTHETAURUS]

😂😂

[@KingAwesome8218]

It's gone so downhill I heard they started calling Steamed Hams 'Cheeseburgers' 😒

[@l.a.theoriginalequinista9265]

Nothing. Thats what happened to Albany. Nothing. Since the 1970s it has embodied its local bumper sticker, Keep Albany Boring. It is a cultural, artistic, educational and social failure. I grew up here, then owned a home in Northampton MA the Best Small Arts City in America (and home of Rachel Maddow) for 15 years b4 life dumped me back here. Albany's only value then & now is its equidistance from NYC, Boston, Montreal & Niagara Falls-the-CAN-side. My bumper sticker suggestion? Albany: Conveniently Located For Anywhere Else.

[@Gamescommentary]

BRAWLIN'

[@joshh.2159]

As someone that is currently in there office in Albnay ny and lives in Guilderland(superb outside albany) I will say that yeah this is a pretty mid place to live hahah

[@albieh2563]

It's superb ! ! ! !

[@adamsmith583]

Jealous of your videos

[@snorfallupagus6014]

Democrats. That's what happened. There - fixed it for you.

[@spellerlittlewing]

Karma

[@rodrickadamginsburg8960]

The Democrats have also ran Albany into the ground!

[@lja996]

No they haven't.

[@rodrickadamginsburg8960]

@@lja996 🤣🤣🤣…. You must be a comedian!

[@jimiruff8151]

You got to be a Republican👹

[@rodrickadamginsburg8960]

@@lja996 prove it!

[@jbl3466]

pick your favorite city in the US. It's probably run by Democrats.

[@gospos1]

What happened?..oh that’s easy!…Democrats!

[@JustinMBailey]

Technically you’re actually right, the 19th democratic machine under Dan O’connel and Mayor Corning was insane.

[@brianog5267]

Been here 23 years for work…. So so so very sad….has so very much going for it… the most beautiful architecture… parks…. Easy access to nature Boston berkshires nyc etc… but I have spent my life waiting for improvement…. Hasn’t happened… if anything going backwards with regards to poverty-crime-murder-gun violence-drugs-homeless… the usual culprits in modern day USA… couple of expensive suburbs…that are 99% white….and completely dissociated from the city…. Scary times ahead… restaurants closing more than opening… crippling taxes…tracks of the city abandoned forever… really really sad…. Coukd be something special…. Cannot base an economy only around government welfare food stamps and coffee shops…again breaks my heart

[@schalitz1]

Don't blame the people who live in the suburbs, blame the people who ran the city into the ground by allowing crime and bad behavior.

[@DJVexillum]

@@schalitz1 If it was allowed, it wouldn't be crime.