Central Avenue (Albany, New York)

Central Avenue, in Albany, New York, is an 11-mile (5 km) stretch in Albany County, of the 16-mile Albany-Schenectady Turnpike, which runs from Lark Street in the city of Albany, westward through the towns of Colonie, New York and Niskayuna, New York, to the city of Schenectady, New York. In the city of Albany it is called Central Avenue, in Colonie it is known as Central Avenue or Albany Schenectady Road, and in Schenectady County (Niskayuna and Schenectady) it is called State Street. The entire route is also called Route 5.

Albany, on the Hudson River, and Schenectady, on the Mohawk River, are anchor points on the Mohawk Valley transportation route between the Atlantic Ocean and points west of the mountains which span North America from Georgia to Maine. Albany is the farthest north an ocean ship can sail up the Hudson, and Schenectady is the easternmost point of navigation on the Mohawk due to (Cohoes Falls). Connecting these two points with an overland route has always been of primary importance in both trade and travel.

Originally, there was a foot path and canoe portage used by Indians called the Iroquois Trail. Around 1660, the Dutch cleared a road between the two cities called King's Highway, which still exists in places as King's Road in Albany and Albany Street in Schenectady. In 1797 a new, perfectly straight and very wide thoroughfare was created called the Albany Schenectady Turnpike (Later Albany-Schenectady Road at the turn of the 20th century). This was the major way to travel west from Albany to points along the Mohawk and beyond, before the opening of the Erie Canal (1825) and the Albany and Schenectady Railroad (1831).

Central Avenue has always been the main thoroughfare for commerce in the City of Albany. Originally the street was called "The Bowery." (Dutch settlers named it "Bouwerie" meaning "road to the farm"). The name Bowery dropped out of favor due to a negative connotation from the Bowery in New York City. On July 15, 1867, the City of Albany, N.Y. Common Council eliminated the name Bowery and named it Central Avenue.

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