Elsmere is a hamlet of the town of Bethlehem in Albany County, New York, United States. The hamlet is a suburb of the neighboring city of Albany. From the northeast to the southwest, it is bisected by
New York Route 443 (Delaware Avenue), which is also the hamlet's main street and a major commuter route into Albany. Delaware Avenue is home to most of the office and retail locations in Elsmere, including the largest such location: Delaware Plaza.
First Peoples & First Mentions
Elsmere is situated along Delaware Avenue (State Route 443), formerly known as Delaware Turnpike. Suburban residential growth began to displace the rural farmland starting in 1928 when the Delaware Avenue Bridge opened across the Normans Kill; the bridge connected Elsmere directly to Albany. Prior to this, commuters to Albany used narrow, winding roads through Normansville and a smaller lower bridge.
Explorers, Missions & Colonial Outposts
The original center of the hamlet was the intersection of Elsmere Avenue and Delaware Avenue. By 1993, Delaware Avenue from the bridge over the Normans Kill to the abandoned railroad bridge marking Elsmere's unofficial border with Delmar had become heavily commercialized. Many of the businesses along Delaware Avenue occupied houses that had been converted to commercial use.
From Empire to Nation: Transfers of Rule
Elsmere does not have its own Post Office nor Zip Code, instead sharing with neighboring hamlet of Delmar. All locations in Elsmere use Delmar 12054 as the official address city and Zip Code.
Rails, Roads & River Landings: Corridors That Sited Elsmere
Interstate 87, part of the New York State Thruway, passes through the hamlet's northeast corner between the US-9W/NY-32 overpass and the Town of Bethlehem-City of Albany border at Normans Kill. The nearest Thruway access is at Exit 23 in the City of Albany just north of Normans Kill.
