Snyder's Lake, New York
hamlet
Snyder's Lake, New York Location within the state of New York
Coordinates: 42°41′32″N 73°38′40″W / 42.69222°N 73.64444°W / 42.69222; -73.64444
Country	United States
State	New York
County	Rensselaer
Area
• Total	0.9 sq mi (2 km2)
• Land	0.7 sq mi (2 km2)
• Water	0.2 sq mi (0.0 km2)
Elevation	488.3 ft (148.8 m)
Population  (2010)
• Total	Unknown
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code	12198
Area code	518
FIPS code	36-83349
GNIS feature ID	0971770
Website	www.snyderslake.org

Snyder's Lake
Aires Lake
Snyder's Lake
Location	North Greenbush, Rensselaer County, New York, United States of America
Coordinates	42°39′45″N 73°38′05″W / 42.66250°N 73.63472°W / 42.66250; -73.63472
Primary inflows	Spring fed plus 2 micro-affluents
Primary outflows	1 small confluent contributing to the Wynantskill,Hudson River, and Atlantic Ocean
Designation	Public
Max. length	0.74 mi (1.19 km)
Max. width	0.37 mi (0.60 km)
Surface area	124 acres (50 ha)
Average depth	18 ft (5.5 m)
Max. depth	36.2 ft (11.0 m)
Water volume	124 acre⋅ft (153,000 m3)
Salinity	Mostly less than 1% with some temporary warm spots containing much higher levels of salt.
Shore length1	1.86 mi (2.99 km)
1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure.

Snyder's Lake is a hamlet of North Greenbush in Rensselaer County, New York, United States.^[1]

History

The area is centered by the lake which bears its name. It is the only lake within the town of North Greenbush, and lies in an area that was once populated by the Mahicans, a Native American Tribe. Its original Mahican name is unknown. However, it was known as "Aries Lake" prior to 1897, when it was renamed for the family of Harmon Snyder, who had settled at Aires Lake during the American Revolution. Members of the Snyder family still live there.

Local legend has it that Aires Lake was much smaller and became Snyder's Lake when the Snyder family dammed the lake's only outlet at the northeast corner of the lake, flooding a much larger land area.

The settled area was formerly a mix of agricultural and residential zoning, with a large portion consisting of farmland. In the early 2000's the landscape started shifting to almost entirely residential zoning.

Many residents are traditional outdoorsmen, who still enjoy the abundance of local hunting and fishing. A 15 minute commute to downtown Albany allows for many career opportunities.^[2]

There is no official government within the area, as it is governed and represented by the town of North Greenbush. However, it has traditionally had an unelected person referred to as its mayor throughout its history. Most notable of these "mayors" was Webster "Whoopie" Scoville (1928-1991).

On the east end of the lake, a speak-easy/night club formerly known as the Excelsior House stood for approximately 100 years. It operated from the 1920s until the 1970s and was frequented by members of the Irish Mafia and notable characters such as Legs Diamond in its heyday. It was destroyed by fire in 2009.^[3]

Geography

Snyder's Lake settled area has a total of 0.9 square miles (2.3 km²).

Demographics

There are no official demographic statistics for Snyder's Lake.

It is a middle class community with an estimated population between 500 and 1000.

The number of households is estimated to be between 100 and 200.

Schools

Snyder's Lake is completely within the boundaries of the Averill Park Central School District, although a small percentage of its children attend private schools.^[5]

References