Holy Name of Jesus has been part of the Mont Pleasant neighborhood in Schenectady since 1930.
Mont Pleasant is located in the south central part of the city and is the most populated of Schenectady’s neighborhoods. Mont Pleasant was annexed by the city of Schenectady in 1903 from the neighboring town of Rotterdam.
Mont Pleasant has always been a neighborhood of immigrants. Its multicultural and multiethnic diversity continues to this day. From early Dutch settlers in about 1831 to late 1800’s blue collar Italian, Polish, and Jewish emigres, to today’s African American and Guyanese residents, each community has contributed to the neighborhood and to supporting each other.
Mont Pleasant is predominantly a residential neighborhood filled with one and two family homes, small businesses, and a diversity of Churches and Temples. The neighborhood once housed at least two synagogues.
Mont Pleasant has several schools. Hamilton Elementary serves students in pre-kindergarten to fifth grades and The Academy of Culture & Communication Magnet School at Pleasant Valley serves students from kindergarten to fifth grades. Mont Pleasant Middle School serves students from sixth to eighth grades, after which students go on to Schenectady High. The Career Center at Steinmetz is provides academic programs for students in ninth to twelfth grades. A branch of the Schenectady County Public Library is located on Crane Street in Mont Pleasant.
There are many parks and ballparks within Mont Pleasant. Stelmack Park is a passive park; Tenth & Webster Park and Orchard Park both include basketball courts and play equipment; Wallingford Park includes a basketball court, water mushroom, and play equipment; Michigan Avenue Park has tennis courts; the Quackenbush Park has a basketball court, swimming pool, and play equipment; the Mont Pleasant Athletic Field includes a baseball field; and Grout Park offers basketball court, tennis courts, baseball field, play equipment, and a rugby field.