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| The village of Hamilton is seen in the foreground, including the Colgate Inn at bottom left, which fronts the beautiful Village Green. Shops and restaurants line the village streets. Broad Street leads to the Colgate campus, in the upper section of the photo. (Photo by Andy Daddio) |
Colgate is in the village of Hamilton, which is about 10 miles from the geographic center of New York state. The area is ideal for biking and running in the rolling hills of the Chenango Valley and hiking and skiing in the nearby Adirondack Mountains.
Cooperstown, with its famed Baseball Hall of Fame, Farmers’ Museum, and Glimmerglass Opera, is less than an hour away, as is the city of Syracuse with attractions such as Syracuse Stage, Everson Museum, and Syracuse Symphony.
Munson Williams Proctor Institute in nearby Utica is one of the country’s acclaimed small art museums. The scenic Finger Lakes region is two hours to the west of Hamilton, and New York City is about a five-hour drive, close enough for class field trips and extracurricular exploration.
Near campus lies the 85-acre Beattie Reserve with forested trails, and a little farther afield Colgate maintains a camp on Upper Saranac Lake in the Adirondacks for use by students and faculty.
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| A bike and ski shop and the Colgate Bookstore are among the retail offerings in downtown Hamilton. (Photo by Andy Daddio) |
Colgate’s relationship with the village and town of Hamilton is a model of town/gown cooperation. With a population of 2,500, the village is roughly the size of the student body.
Approximately 85 percent of the university’s faculty members live within 10 minutes of campus.
The Colgate Inn and Hamilton’s unique shops and restaurants are an easy walk from campus or a short ride on the Colgate Cruiser.
Colgate is an active member in the Partnership for Community Development, which stimulates and supports local business through small business development and the revitalization of historic buildings. Colgate’s bookstore, Schupf Studio Art Center, Hamilton Movie House, and Palace Theater are all located in the village.
The village was originally inhabited by members of the Iroquois League; the adjacent territory is still considered sacred by the Oneida Indian Nation.
Ceded to the state of New York following the American Revolution, Hamilton (named for statesman Alexander) was founded in 1795 by Elisha Payne, who was responsible for bringing the first group of nonindigenous settlers from New England. The village was incorporated in 1816.