Valley Falls, New York facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Valley Falls, New York
Village
Location in Rensselaer County and the state of New York.
Valley Falls, New York Location in New York
Country	United States
State	New York
County	Rensselaer
Valley Falls	1904
Area
• Total	0.49 sq mi (1.27 km2)
• Land	0.46 sq mi (1.20 km2)
• Water	0.03 sq mi (0.06 km2)
Elevation	335 ft (102 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	510
• Density	1,101.51/sq mi (424.89/km2)
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code	12185
Area code(s)	518
FIPS code	36-76672
GNIS feature ID	0968358

Valley Falls is a small village located in Rensselaer County, New York, in the United States. In 2020, about 510 people lived there. The village sits right on the edge of two towns, Pittstown and Schaghticoke. Most of Valley Falls is in the northwestern part of Pittstown.

Village History

Valley Falls Free Library.

Valley Falls has a rich history, especially with its industries. In 1871, a businessman named James Thompson built a large textile mill in the village. This mill was very important to the community. Almost everyone in Valley Falls worked there. It was so central to daily life that schoolchildren would even run home when the mill's lunch whistle blew!

The mill was very busy until the 1970s. After that, it slowly started to decline. It was empty for at least ten years before a big fire destroyed it on April 22, 2009.

Community Hall in Valley Falls.

By 1863, Valley Falls was a busy industrial hub. Besides the Thompson textile mill, the village had many other businesses. There was a blacksmith shop, where metal items were made, and a farrier shop, which cared for horses' hooves. There was also a foundry for casting metal and a wainwright shop for making and repairing wagons. A cooperage made barrels, and there was even a vineyard. The village also had three general stores and two hotels.

At first, only one train line, the Troy & Boston Railroad, passed through the village. It went from Troy to Johnsonville. Later, a second train line was built. It followed the Hoosic River past Thompson's Mill, also heading to Johnsonville. By the early 1970s, the southern train line was no longer used and was taken apart. The northern line is still active today, but trains no longer stop in Valley Falls since the mill closed.

A map of Valley Falls from 1887, showing important buildings and places.

Valley Falls is also the hometown of Allan C. Balch. He was a public utilities executive, and a building at Cornell University, Balch Hall, is named after him.

The Adams–Myers–Bryan Farmstead, an old farm, was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2013. This means it's a special place worth preserving.

Village Geography

Valley Falls is located at coordinates 42°54′3″N 73°33′45″W / 42.90083°N 73.56250°W / 42.90083; -73.56250.

The Hoosic River flows through the village, dividing it into two parts. Most of Valley Falls is on the southern side of the river, which is in the town of Pittstown. A smaller part, called the "Village Annex," is on the northern side and is in the town of Schaghticoke.

The United States Census Bureau says that the village covers about 0.5 square miles (1.27 square kilometers). Most of this area is land, and a small part is water, like the river.

Population Information

As of the 2020 census, Valley Falls had a population of 510 people. The village has seen its population change over the years, from a high of 835 people in 1910 to 466 in 2010, and then a slight increase to 510 in 2020.

In 2000, there were 491 people living in the village. About 42.5% of the households had children under 18 living with them. The average household had about 2.74 people. The median age of people in the village was 35 years old.

See also

In Spanish: Valley Falls (Nueva York) para niños