Amsterdam, New York

A msterdam is a city in Montgomery County, New York, named, not surprisingly, for Amsterdam in the Netherlands. The city of 6.3 square miles developed on both sides of the Mohawk River, with the majority located on the north bank. As of 2017 estimates, the city had a population of roughly 18,000, having steadily declined each decade from a peak 1930 population of 34,817. Actor Kirk Douglas was born in Amsterdam in 1916 and has a park in the city named for him. The first Europeans to settle here were Dutch immigrants in about 1710. They called the community Veeders Mills and Veedersburgh after Albert Veeder, an early mill owner. After the American Revolutionary War, many settlers came from New England. Anglo-American residents changed the name to Amsterdam in 1803. It was incorporated as a village in 1830 from a section of the Town of Amsterdam. New charters increased the size of the village and, in 1885, Amsterdam became a city. LUCKY TO BE WHERE WE ARE