AMSTERDAM  , a

city of Montgomery county, New York, U.S.A., on the north bank of the Mohawk river, about 33 M . N.W. of Albany . Pop . (189o) 17,336; (1900) 20,929, of whom 5575 were foreign-born; (1910) 31,267 . It is served by the New York Central & Hudson River and the West Shore railways, and by the Erie Canal . Hills on both sides of the river command fine views of the Mohawk Valley . Amsterdam has two hospitals, a free public library and St Mary's Institute (Roman Catholic) . Manufacturing is the most important industry, and carpets and rugs, hosiery and knit goods are the most important products . In 1905 the city's factory products were valued at $15,007,276 (an increase of 41 % over their value in 1900); carpets and rugs being valued at $5,667,742, and hosiery and knit goods (in the manufacture of which Amsterdam ranked third among the cities of the country) at $4,667,022, or 3.4 % of the total product of the United States . Among the other manufactures are brushes, brooms, buttons, silk gloves, paper boxes, electrical supplies, dyeing machines, cigars, and wagon and carriage springs . Amsterdam was settled about 1775, and was called Veedersburg until 1804, when its present name was adopted . It was incorpor ated as a village in 183o, and was chartered as a city in 1885 .