Saratoga Springs, city in eastern New York, a famous health resort and horse-racing center. The city, in Saratoga County, was incorporated in 1915. Bottled mineral water, textiles, clothing, and electrical equipment are produced here. In the city are Skidmore College (1903) and Empire State College of the State University of New York (1971); the Saratoga Performing Arts Center, the summer home of the New York City Ballet and the Philadelphia Orchestra; the Casino (1870-71), a former gaming center now housing two museums; the National Museum of Racing; and Saratoga Race Course (1864), the oldest active Thoroughbred racetrack in the United States. Nearby are Saratoga National Historical Park, the scene of two major battles (1777) of the American Revolution; Mount McGregor, the site of the cottage where President Ulysses S. Grant died; Yaddo, a large private estate used by creative artists; and Saratoga Lake.
The community, settled about 1775, grew around its medicinal mineral springs. In the late 19th century, it was one of the nation's most fashionable resorts. Its name derives from an Iroquois word perhaps meaning “place of swift water.” Population 23,906 (1980); 25,001 (1990); 26,186 (2000).
