With idyllic lakeside scenes and its reputation as a two-time Winter Olympics host – both in 1932 and 1980 – the village of Lake Placid is a center for tourism in the Adirondacks and home to a tight-knit community.
The village’s Main Street runs alongside the iconic Mirror Lake, lined with dozens of local businesses, hotels and Olympic venues like the James Sheffield Speed Skating Oval and the Olympic Center – where Team USA won a crucial hockey game against the Soviet Union, often dubbed “The Miracle on Ice,” before ultimately winning gold in the 1980 Winter Olympics.
Community roots
Lake Placid includes two municipalities – the village of Lake Placid and the town of North Elba – which together boast a modest year-round population of just over 2,200 residents. In recent years, residents have grappled with housing and worker shortages, a short-term vacation rental boom and an overall decline in school enrollment. The village is a state-certified Climate Smart Community.
A tourist town long before it was incorporated as a village in around 1900, when early settler Benjamin Brewster built the village’s first-ever hotel, the Lake Placid Inn, in around 1871.
Olympic upgrades
In recent years, the state has invested hundreds of millions of dollars in upgrading its Olympic venues. In Lake Placid, that includes the Olympic Center and speed skating oval, the bobsled and skeleton track and trails at Mount Van Hoevenberg, the ski jumps at the Olympic Jumping Complex, and Whiteface Mountain. The upgrades have brought international recognition and competitions, including world cups and the 2023 FISU Winter World University Games, to the area.
Popular events
The village is also a longtime host of the Ironman Triathlon race, the Empire State Winter Games, CAN/AM Hockey tournaments, the Lake Placid Horse Shows, the Lake Placid Marathon and the Lake Placid Summit Classic, as well as annual events like the I Love BBQ Festival and the Lake Placid Film Festival.
The John Brown Farm, former farm of the famed abolitionist, is a local state-recognized historic site that still plays host to events through the nonprofit organization John Brown Lives! A thriving arts center, established in 1972, offers classes and camps to local artists and hosts touring musicians and artists from across the world. The community is a final pitstop on the Adirondack Rail Trail, and it’s home to the Cobble Hill, Mount Jo, Pitchoff Mountain and Mount Van Hoevenberg trailheads.
Stories featuring Lake Placid
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