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Bellevue, Schenectady

By MICHAEL LISI, Special to the Times Union
First published: Sunday, February 24, 2008

Jacqui Hurd remembers when General Electric Co. workers who lived in Schenectady's Bellevue neighborhood would set off for work.
     
They didn't need cars.
"A lot of GE workers used to live here back in the 1930s and 1940s," said Hurd, a Euclid Avenue resident and president of the Bellevue Preservation Association. "They would walk to work on the cinder path through Fairview Park or walk down Broadway and take the 'subway entrance' to the plant."
That's understandable, considering that the GE plant takes up most of the northern part of the neighborhood. And it's no wonder that thousands of GE workers called Bellevue home during the early and mid-20th century, living in the neighborhood's cute bungalows, brick and Cape Cod-style single-family homes, or a flat in one of its many two-family houses.
Bellevue hasn't changed that much over the years. More than half of the homes -- 57 percent -- were built before 1940. About 40 percent of the houses in the neighborhood are single-family homes, 43 percent are two-family houses and the rest are three-family units, according to the Schenectady 2020 Comprehensive Plan.
There are about 6,000 people living in Bellevue, more than half of them own their own homes. The residents are a tight-knit group with two active organizations, the Bellevue Preservation Association and the Bellevue Neighborhood Association.
Schools
Children living in Bellevue are enrolled in the Schenectady City School District, attending Van Corlaer Elementary School or one of the district's magnet schools, the Mont Pleasant Middle School and the Schenectady High School. According to the 2005-06 state Report Card on the Schools, Schenectady had an enrollment of 9,248 students. The high school had 2,814 students enrolled that year, with 515 seniors. In 2005-06, 63 percent of graduates earned a Regents diploma.
Commuting
Bellevue is one of the city's biggest neighborhoods, encompassing 826 acres in the southwestern part of Schenectady. The neighborhood is very accessible, with Fairview Avenue, Guilderland Avenue, Olean Street and a number of side streets intersecting with to Broadway, which leads north toward downtown Schenectady. Bellevue is a short car ride from several sections of Rotterdam via Broadway, and Guilderland and Campbell avenues.
Shopping and recreation
A number of restaurants, gas stations, churches and drug and convenience stores can be found on Broadway and Guilderland Avenue. The Broadway Diner, a noted local eatery, is located on Broadway, as is Crazy Nick's Videos and Capri Imports, an Italian deli. The Rotterdam Square mall, on Campbell Road near the Interstate 890 on-ramp in Rotterdam, is about a 10-minute drive from Bellevue.
Bellevue has two parks, Fairview Park and Hillhurst Park; Hillhurst is located just north of Campbell Avenue between First Street and 11th Street. The 21-acre park has a swimming pool, a ball field and playground equipment. Fairview Park has tennis courts and a few picnic tables.
Mortgages and rents.A 1,000-square-foot bungalow with three bedrooms, one bathroom and a detached one-car garage at 229 Cherry St. is selling for $119,900. A 1,279-square-foot cottage with three bedrooms and 1.5 bathrooms at 1953 Euclid Ave. is on the market for $88,800.
Two-family homes now on the market run between $100,000 and $150,000. It costs around $400 plus utilities to rent a one-bedroom apartment in Bellevue; a two-bedroom apartment with off-street parking goes for between $600 and $625 plus utilities.
Taxes
Homeowners pay $31.20 per $1,000 of assessed valuation for city, Schenectady County and special district property taxes; Schenectady currently assesses property at about 68 percent of actual market value. The school property tax rate for 2007-08 is $31.60 per $1,000. Taxes on a home valued at $120,000 are approximately $5,124 annually.
Michael Lisi is a freelance writer from Rotterdam and a frequent contributor to the Times Union.