Rensselaer County, New York






































































Rensselaer County, New York

County of New York State

County of Rensselaer

RensCoCourthouse.png
Rensselaer County Courthouse






Flag of Rensselaer County, New York
Flag

Seal of Rensselaer County, New York
Seal


Map of New York highlighting Rensselaer County
Location in the U.S. state of New York

Map of the United States highlighting New York
New York's location in the U.S.
Founded
1791
Named for
Kiliaen van Rensselaer
Seat
Troy
Largest city
Troy
Area
 • Total
665 sq mi (1,722 km2)
 • Land
652 sq mi (1,689 km2)
 • Water
13 sq mi (34 km2), 1.9%
Population
 • (2010)
159,429
 • Density
244/sq mi (94/km2)
Congressional districts
19th, 20th
Time zone
Eastern: UTC−5/−4
Website
www.rensco.com

Rensselaer County /rɛnsəˈlɪər/ is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2010 census, the population was 159,429.[1] Its county seat is Troy.[2] The county is named in honor of the family of Kiliaen van Rensselaer, the original Dutch owner of the land in the area.


Rensselaer County is part of the Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY Metropolitan Statistical Area.




Contents






  • 1 History


  • 2 Geography


    • 2.1 Adjacent counties




  • 3 Demographics


  • 4 Government and politics


  • 5 Education


  • 6 Communities


    • 6.1 Cities


    • 6.2 Towns


    • 6.3 Villages


    • 6.4 Census-designated places


    • 6.5 Hamlets




  • 7 See also


  • 8 References


  • 9 Further reading


  • 10 External links





History





Map of Rensselaer County in 1829


The area that is now Rensselaer County was inhabited by the Algonquian-speaking Mohican Indian tribe at the time of European encounter. Kiliaen van Rensselaer, a Dutch jeweler and merchant, purchased the area in 1630 and incorporated it in his patroonship Rensselaerswyck. (It was part of the Dutch colony New Netherland).[3]


The land passed into English rule in 1664; the Dutch regained control in 1673, but the English took it back in 1674. Until 1776, the year of American independence, the county was under English or British control.[4] The county was not organized as a legal entity until after the Revolution in 1791, when it was created from an area that was originally part of the very large Albany County.[5][6]


In 1807, in a county re-organization, the rural sections of Troy were set off as Towns, and the city was incorporated. The two towns created were Brunswick (named for Duke Friedrich Wilhelm of Braunschweig-Lüneburg) and Grafton (named for Henry FitzRoy, 5th Duke of Grafton). A third town, Philipstown, was set off in 1806. In 1808 it was renamed Nassau after the duke of that area.



Geography




A farm in Brunswick


According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 665 square miles (1,720 km2), of which 652 square miles (1,690 km2) is land and 13 square miles (34 km2) (1.9%) is water.[7]


Rensselaer County is in the eastern part of New York State. The eastern boundary of Rensselaer County runs along the New York–Vermont and New York–Massachusetts borders.


The terrain runs from level and flat near the Hudson and then rises into the Rensselaer Plateau around Poestenkill and Sand Lake, then to the Taconic Mountains along the Massachusetts state line.


The highest point is Berlin Mountain, 2,818 feet (859 m) above sea level, in the town of Berlin. The lowest point is sea level at the Hudson.


The Hoosic River, a tributary of the Hudson River, is in the north part of the county.


Depending on precise location within the county, road travel distance to New York City ranges between 132 miles (212 km) and 178 miles (286 km).



Adjacent counties




  • Washington County — north


  • Bennington County, Vermont — northeast


  • Berkshire County, Massachusetts — east


  • Columbia County — south


  • Greene County — southwest


  • Albany County — west


  • Saratoga County — northwest



Demographics





















































































































































Historical population
Census Pop.

1800 30,442
1810 36,309 19.3%
1820 40,153 10.6%
1830 49,424 23.1%
1840 60,259 21.9%
1850 73,363 21.7%
1860 86,328 17.7%
1870 99,549 15.3%
1880 115,328 15.9%
1890 124,511 8.0%
1900 121,697 −2.3%
1910 122,276 0.5%
1920 113,129 −7.5%
1930 119,781 5.9%
1940 121,834 1.7%
1950 132,607 8.8%
1960 142,585 7.5%
1970 152,510 7.0%
1980 151,966 −0.4%
1990 154,429 1.6%
2000 152,538 −1.2%
2010 159,429 4.5%
Est. 2016 160,070 [8] 0.4%
U.S. Decennial Census[9]
1790-1960[10] 1900-1990[11]
1990-2000[12] 2010-2013[1]

As of the census[13] of 2010, there were 161,129 people, 62,694 households, and 39,989 families residing in the county. The population density was 233 people per square mile (90/km²). There were 69,120 housing units at an average density of 109 per square mile (39/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 88.73% White, 7.14% Black or African American, 0.23% Native American, 1.71% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.89% from other races, and 1.34% from two or more races. 5.01% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 22.3% were of Irish, 14.7% Italian, 12.8% German, 7.5% English, 6.2% French, 5.3% American and 2.3% Puerto Rican ancestry according to Census 2010. 95.4% spoke English and 2.7% Spanish as their first language.


There were 61,094 households out of which 33.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.80% were married couples living together, 12.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.80% were non-families. 27.90% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 3.02.


In the county, the population was spread out with 24.20% under the age of 18, 10.10% from 18 to 24, 29.10% from 25 to 44, 23.00% from 45 to 64, and 13.60% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 95.90 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.70 males.


The median income for a household in the county was $42,905, and the median income for a family was $52,864. Males had a median income of $36,666 versus $28,153 for females. The per capita income for the county was $21,095. About 6.70% of families and 9.50% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.90% of those under age 18 and 6.60% of those age 65 or over.



Government and politics




Rensselaer County Office building, which houses county offices, including that of the County Executive




Rensselaer County Courthouse located on the corner of Congress and 2nd Streets in Troy

























































































































































































































Presidential elections results[14]
Year

Republican

Democratic

Third parties

2016

47.1% 33,726
45.7% 32,717
7.2% 5,119

2012
42.8% 29,113

55.0% 37,408
2.3% 1,540

2008
44.4% 32,840

53.7% 39,753
1.9% 1,393

2004
47.9% 34,734

49.8% 36,075
2.4% 1,705

2000
43.2% 29,562

50.9% 34,808
5.9% 4,066

1996
34.7% 23,482

50.7% 34,273
14.6% 9,870

1992
38.8% 28,937

40.0% 29,793
21.3% 15,850

1988

51.2% 35,412
47.8% 33,066
1.0% 719

1984

61.9% 43,892
37.8% 26,755
0.3% 217

1980

45.9% 32,005
42.8% 29,880
11.3% 7,862

1976

57.8% 40,229
41.6% 28,979
0.6% 445

1972

66.9% 48,864
32.9% 24,019
0.3% 188

1968

50.5% 34,674
44.0% 30,232
5.5% 3,775

1964
28.9% 20,814

71.0% 51,170
0.1% 76

1960

52.6% 40,124
47.3% 36,109
0.1% 61

1956

72.9% 55,186
27.1% 20,516
0.0% 0

1952

66.6% 51,453
33.3% 25,734
0.1% 109

1948

56.7% 40,375
40.0% 28,468
3.3% 2,354

1944

55.5% 37,819
44.3% 30,173
0.2% 139

1940

55.0% 39,648
44.9% 32,387
0.1% 97

1936

50.7% 34,772
46.3% 31,754
3.1% 2,095

1932
47.7% 30,606

51.1% 32,783
1.3% 828

1928
48.9% 32,370

50.0% 33,094
1.1% 727

1924

55.9% 30,549
36.2% 19,783
7.9% 4,341

1920

56.1% 28,810
39.4% 20,224
4.6% 2,337

1916

51.2% 14,968
47.3% 13,822
1.5% 440

1912
39.5% 10,853

42.5% 11,684
18.0% 4,954

1908

54.9% 17,196
42.0% 13,162
3.0% 953

1904

56.7% 17,631
40.3% 12,529
3.0% 925

1900

55.0% 17,228
43.0% 13,464
2.0% 614

1896

55.7% 17,221
42.4% 13,119
1.9% 574

1892
45.6% 13,666

49.7% 14,879
4.7% 1,397

1888

49.6% 15,718
48.7% 15,410
1.7% 549

1884

48.7% 13,759
47.4% 13,414
3.9% 1,102

Beginning in 1791, Rensselaer County was governed by a Board of Supervisors, which acted as the Legislature, with the chairman of the board serving as a de facto Executive.


In 1970, the Rensselaer County Legislature was created, which elected Edward J. "Ned" Quinn as Chairman. The Chairman served as the equivalent to an executive until the office of County Executive was created in 1972. Since its creation, Democrats have never won the office, although they controlled the Legislature until 1994. One notable candidate for Executive was Edward Pattison who was later elected to Congress, and whose son Mark served two terms as Mayor of Troy. The current county executive-elect is Steve McLaughlin (R). Legislative authority is vested in the County Legislature, which consists of 20 members representing 17 different communities, separated into six districts. The current composition of the Legislature is as follows (11 Republicans, 5 Democrats and 4 Conservatives that caucus with the Republicans):


District 1 – Troy:




  •    Cindy Doran (C)


  •    Mark Fleming (D)


  •    Peter Grimm (D), Minority Leader


  •    Edward Manny (D)


  •    Gary Pavlic (D)


  •    Leonard Welcome (D)


District 2 – North Greenbush, East Greenbush, and Poestenkill:




  •    Robert W. Bayly (R)


  •    Philip Danaher (C)


  •    Louis Desso (C)


  •    Leon Fiacco (R)


  •    Kelly Hoffman (C)


District 3 – Brunswick, Schaghticoke, and Pittstown:




  •    Thomas Walsh (R)


  •    Todd J. Tesman (R)


  •    Kenneth Herrington (R), Majority Leader


District 4 – Schodack, Sand Lake, and Nassau:




  •    Judith Breselor (R)


  •    Martin Reid (R)


  •    Alex Shannon (R), Vice Chairman [15]


District 5 – Hoosick Falls, Hoosick, Grafton, Berlin, Stephentown, & Petersburgh:




  •    Stanley Brownell (R), Chairman


  •    Lester Goodermote (R)


District 6 – Rensselaer:



  •    Mike Stammel (R)




































Rensselaer County Executives
Name
Party
Term
William J. Murphy

Republican
January 1, 1974 – December 31, 1985

John L. Buono

Republican
January 1, 1986 – May, 1995

Henry F. Zwack

Republican
May, 1995 – May 13, 2001

Kathleen M. Jimino

Republican
May, 2001 – December 31, 2017

Steven F. McLaughlin

Republican
January 1, 2018 – present


Education


The county is serviced by 16 school districts. Some are completely contained in the county while some cross county lines into other counties. No school districts cross either the Vermont or Massachusetts state borders. Below is a table that shows the districts within the county, which BOCES they belong to, and which other counties they may serve.[16]

























































































District
BOCES[17][18]
Other counties
district serves
Averill Park Central School District Questar III None
Berlin Central School District Questar III None
Brunswick (Brittonkill) Central School District Questar III None
Cambridge Central School District WSWHE BOCES
Washington County
East Greenbush Central School District Questar III
Columbia County
Hoosic Valley Central School District Questar III Washington County
Hoosick Falls Central School District N/A Washington County
Ichabod Crane Central School District Questar III Columbia County
Lansingburgh Central School District Questar III None
Mechanicville City School District WSWHE BOCES
Saratoga County
New Lebanon Central School District Questar III Columbia County
North Greenbush Common School District Questar III None
Rensselaer City School District Questar III None
Schodack Central School District Questar III Columbia County
Troy City School District Questar III None
Wynantskill Union Free School District Questar III None

The private, coeducational Doane Stuart School is also located in Rensselaer County.[19]




Communities




Map of towns, cities and villages within Rensselaer County



Cities



  • Rensselaer


  • Troy (county seat)



Towns




  • Berlin

  • Brunswick

  • East Greenbush

  • Grafton

  • Hoosick

  • Nassau

  • North Greenbush

  • Petersburgh

  • Pittstown

  • Poestenkill

  • Sand Lake

  • Schaghticoke

  • Schodack

  • Stephentown




Villages



  • Castleton-on-Hudson (Castleton)

  • East Nassau

  • Hoosick Falls

  • Nassau

  • Schaghticoke

  • Valley Falls



Census-designated places



  • Averill Park

  • East Greenbush

  • Hampton Manor

  • Poestenkill

  • West Sand Lake

  • Wynantskill



Hamlets




  • Cherry Plain

  • Cropseyville

  • Defreestville

  • Eagle Bridge

  • East Schodack

  • Johnsonville

  • Melrose

  • Schodack Center

  • Speigletown

  • Taborton

  • Wyomanock




See also




  • List of counties in New York

  • List of county routes in Rensselaer County, New York

  • National Register of Historic Places listings in Rensselaer County, New York



References





  1. ^ ab "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved October 13, 2013..mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit}.mw-parser-output q{quotes:"""""""'""'"}.mw-parser-output code.cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:inherit;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-free a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/65/Lock-green.svg/9px-Lock-green.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-registration a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-gray-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-subscription a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-red-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration{color:#555}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription span,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration span{border-bottom:1px dotted;cursor:help}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration,.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-right{padding-right:0.2em}


  2. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved 2011-06-07.


  3. ^ "Freedoms, as Given by the Council of the Nineteen of the Chartered West India Company to All those who Want to Establish a Colony in New Netherland". World Digital Library. 1630. Retrieved 2013-07-28.


  4. ^ The Kingdom of England existed until the Acts of Union 1707, when Scotland and England (including Wales) came together to form the Kingdom of Great Britain.


  5. ^ "Rensselaer County History". Rensselaer County Historical Society. Retrieved July 3, 2018.


  6. ^ (N.Y. Laws 1791, 14th sess., ch. 4/p. 201).


  7. ^ "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Archived from the original on May 19, 2014. Retrieved January 7, 2015.


  8. ^ "Population and Housing Unit Estimates". Retrieved June 9, 2017.


  9. ^ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 7, 2015.


  10. ^ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved January 7, 2015.


  11. ^ "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 7, 2015.


  12. ^ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 7, 2015.


  13. ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.


  14. ^ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org.


  15. ^ Albany Politics blog – Capital Region – Rensselaer – Saratoga – Schenectady – Albany County – NY – timesunion.com – Local politics » New legislator seated


  16. ^ Rensselaer County School Districts. Archived 2009-02-07 at the Wayback Machine. Capital District Regional Planning Commission. Retrieved 14 October 2008.


  17. ^ Questar III Component School Districts. Archived 2010-07-07 at the Wayback Machine. Questar III. Retrieved 14 October 2008.


  18. ^ Washington-Saratoga-Warren-Hamilton-Essex BOCES Component Districts. Washington-Saratoga-Warren-Hamilton-Essex BOCES. Retrieved 14 October 2008.


  19. ^ "Doane Stuart School Profile - Rensselaer, New York (NY)". www.privateschoolreview.com.




Further reading




  • Anderson, George Baker (1897). Landmarks of Rensselaer County New York. Syracuse, New York: D. Mason and Company. OCLC 1728151.(Full text via the Internet Archive.)


  • Hayner, Rutherford (1925). Troy and Rensselaer County New York: A History. New York: Lewis Historical Publishing Company, Inc. OCLC 22524006.


  • Sylvester, Nathaniel Bartlett (1880). History of Rensselaer Co., New York with Illustrations and Biographical Sketches of its Prominent Men and Pioneers. Philadelphia: Everts & Peck. OCLC 3496287.


  • Weise, Arthur James (1880). History of the Seventeen Towns of Rensselaer County from the Colonization of the Manor of Rensselaerwyck to the Present Time. Troy, New York: J. M. Francis & Tucker. OCLC 6637788.(Full text via the Internet Archive.)



External links







  • Rensselaer County homepage


  • Rensselaer County at Curlie


  • Hudson Valley Directory, listings pertaining to Rensselaer County, New York

  • Rensselaer County Sheriff's Department






Coordinates: 42°41′N 73°17′W / 42.683°N 73.283°W / 42.683; -73.283







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