Cohoes, New York

One of the earliest descriptions of the falls was in 1642 by Johannes Megapolensis, the first dominie (Dutch Reformed pastor) of Beverwyck.

perceptible for two miles to leeward." Beginning about 1646, settlers called this land Whale Island.

Another early description was in 1656 by Adriaen van der Donck in his Description of New Netherland.

The land north of a line crossing the Cohoes Falls (today Manor Avenue) was outside the Manor and was owned by the Van Olohde family between 1725 and 1750.

In 1795 the first bridge across the Mohawk River was constructed at Cohoes.

The bridge was rebuilt in 1806 by the Cohoes Bridge Company, which raised the tolls to cover the cost.

=== Industrial age === In 1811 the Cohoes Manufacturing Company, owned entirely by men from Lansingburg, was incorporated and began a factory for making screws.

Another major transportation improvement, construction of the Erie and Champlain canals were begun in 1817.

The section in Cohoes was finished in 1823, stimulating trade for the city.

Even with the canals and the bridge bringing easier access to larger markets, Cohoes was a sleepy place prior to 1831.

The community became a center of textile manufacturing; in 1836 the Harmony Manufacturing Company was founded, later famous as Harmony Mills.

In 1848, Cohoes was incorporated as a village within the town of Watervliet.

==== Mastodon discovery ==== In 1866, during excavation work for construction of Mill #3 of the Harmony Mills, the bones of a mastodon were unearthed over a period of several w...

In 1869, it was chartered as a city.

Upon their completion, in 1872, the Harmony Mills were the largest cotton mill complex in the world.

people (677 more than the 2000 census), 7,001 households, and 3,902 families residing in the city.

=== 21st Century === From 2005 to 2013, the Harmony Mills were redeveloped and restored by real estate developer Uri Kaufman.

== Demographics == As of the census of 2010, there were 16,168.

On November 30, 2017, there was a massive fire that destroyed and damaged 21 buildings that caught the attention of national media.

=== Improvements === Starting around 2020 to 2023, Cohoes embarked on a citywide revitalization project focused on improving infrastructure, restoring historic buildings, and en...