[4] The name reflects the presence of mineral springs in the area, which has made Saratoga a popular resort destination for over 200 years.

[8] Shortly thereafter, British colonists settled the current village of Schuylerville approximately one mile south; it was known as Saratoga until 1831.

(In 1756, Johnson had been appointed British Superintendent of Indian Affairs in the Northeast region due to his success in building alliances with the Mohawk and other Iroquois nations.

The British encampment before the surrender at Saratoga took place 10 miles (16 km) east of the city, in Schuylerville, where several historical markers delineate points of interest.

Tourism was greatly aided by the 1832 arrival of the Saratoga and Schenectady Railroad, which brought thousands of travelers to the famous mineral springs.

Patronage of the railroad increased after the Delaware and Hudson Canal Company assumed control in 1870 and began running the Empire State Express directly between New York City and the resort.

[14] In the 19th century, doctor Simon Baruch encouraged the development of European-style spas[15] in the United States as centers for health.

[citation needed] By 1870, it was considered a top upscale resort relying on natural mineral springs, horse racing, gambling, and luxury hotels.

[citation needed] World War II imposed travel restrictions which impacted the tourist industry.

[18] The mineral springs occur along the east side of the Saratoga Fault which allows water trapped in subsurface shale layers to reach the surface.

[19] The Mohawk Indigenous peoples who inhabited this area used the springs for several hundred years before the arrival of European settlers.

Currently, visitors can soak in the mineral waters at the historic Roosevelt Bath house, which also provides spa treatments.

However, scientists, dispute any medicinal properties from consuming the water due to the high levels of sodium and radium in some of the spring sources.

[dubious – discuss] The sulfur is in the form of the gas hydrogen sulfide, which degasses from the water very quickly.

[citation needed] The Saratoga Spring Water Co. (a division of Anheuser-Busch) is located on Geyser Road.

SPAC is the summer home of the Philadelphia Orchestra and the New York City Ballet, and has hosted a weekend-long jazz festival since 1978.

Leonard Bernstein, Truman Capote, Aaron Copland, Sylvia Plath, and David Sedaris have all been artists-in-residence.

[36] Saratoga Springs has sixteen places listed in the National Register of Historic Places: Horses Saratoga Style were two public art events held in 2002 and 2007 where local artists decorated fiberglass horse sculptures that were displayed throughout the city from June through October of the respective years the event was held; some remain on display in front of the businesses that sponsored them.

The park and includes hiking trails, picnic areas, pools, former and current historic bathhouses and mineral springs.

The Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC), Hall of Springs, National Museum of Dance and Hall of Fame, the Saratoga Automobile Museum, the Lincoln Mineral Bathhouse building, Roosevelt Mineral Baths and Spa, and the Gideon Putnam Resort are also located in the park.

In 2010 the city filled the pool with dirt, citing problems with graffiti, vandalism and "structural gaps" affecting the skating surface.

The most recent charter change proposal appeared on the ballot in the November 2020 election and was overwhelmingly defeated.

Eastern Nazarene College, located in Quincy, Massachusetts, was founded in Saratoga Springs as the Pentecostal Collegiate Institute and Biblical Seminary at the turn of the 20th century.

A general aviation facility, Saratoga County Airport, is located west of the city in Milton.