South Bethlehem, New York facts for kids

Quick facts for kids South Bethlehem
hamlet
Etymology: For being in the southern portion of the town of Bethlehem
South Bethlehem Location in New York
Country	United States
State	New York
Region	Capital District
County	Albany
Elevation	213 ft (65 m)
Time zone	UTC-5 (EST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP Code	12161
Area code(s)	518

South Bethlehem is a small community known as a hamlet in the town of Bethlehem, Albany County, New York. It is located along New York State Route 396, which is also called Bridge Street. The hamlet sits southwest of the large Selkirk Rail Yard and just north of the Coeymans town line.

History of South Bethlehem

The oldest part of South Bethlehem is found along its main street, Bridge Street. The center of the community is where Bridge Street meets South Street (Albany County Route 101) and Willowbrook Avenue.

Early Names and Roads

In the 1700s, this area was known as Janes Corners, named after a resident called Elishama Janes. Later, in 1864, it was called Kimmey's Corners, after Philip Kimmey.

In 1851, a company was formed to build and manage the South Bethlehem Plank Road. This special road was made of planks and connected Bethlehem Center to South Bethlehem. It started in Bethlehem Center at an intersection with the Albany and Bethlehem Turnpike. The road then went south to Becker's Corners, which is now US Route 9W. From there, it traveled southwest to South Bethlehem, which is now New York State Route 396. By 1881, the planks were replaced with gravel and stone. The South Bethlehem post office opened in 1874.

Community and Jobs

Because South Bethlehem is close to the Selkirk Rail Yard, many people in the 1920s worked there. Even though the rail yard is not as busy now, many residents still work locally. They might work at SABIC Innovative Plastics (which used to be General Electric's plastics division), in the local school district, or at Owens Corning.

Creating a Community Park

In 1990, as the area changed from farms and woods to more homes, the town decided to build South Bethlehem's first park. The South Bethlehem Park is about 10 acres (40,000 m²) in size and is located off South Albany Road. The town bought the land in 1989.

The playground at the park was built with help from the community. About 40 local businesses donated money and materials, including $10,000 worth of equipment from General Electric. Around 30 residents and 75 employees from General Electric's Selkirk plant volunteered their time to build the playground. This community effort led to the creation of the South Bethlehem Area Association.

In 1992, a privately owned dump that was about 3.35-acre (13,600 m²) and used by Waste Management of Greater Albany was closed. This happened after many years of people complaining about bad smells and garbage.

The Rowe Farm was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2012, recognizing its historical importance.

Geography of South Bethlehem

South Bethlehem is located at the very southern edge of the town of Bethlehem. The South Bethlehem Area Association covers the area from US 9W west to Albany County Route 102. It stretches from Feura Bush south to the Coeymans town line.

Where is South Bethlehem?

		Hamlet of South Albany	Selkirk Rail Yard Hamlet of Becker's Corners
	Town of New Scotland		US Route 9W Hamlet of Selkirk
		Hamlet of South Bethlehem
		Town of Coeymans

Population of South Bethlehem

In 1886, about 135 people lived in South Bethlehem. By 1906, the population grew to around 150 people. In 1987, it was estimated that about 500 people lived in the hamlet.

Education in South Bethlehem

Children living in South Bethlehem attend schools within the Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk Central School District (R-C-S). Young students from kindergarten to fifth grade go to A.W. Becker Elementary School. For middle school and high school, students attend R-C-S Middle School and R-C-S High School for sixth through twelfth grades.