Rensselaer County, New York facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Rensselaer County
County
Rensselaer County Courthouse
Flag Seal
Location within the U.S. state of New York
New York's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	New York
Founded	February 7, 1791; 233 years ago (1791-02-07)
Named for	Kiliaen van Rensselaer
Seat	Troy
Largest city	Troy
Area
• Total	665 sq mi (1,720 km2)
• Land	652 sq mi (1,690 km2)
• Water	13 sq mi (30 km2)  1.9%
Population  (2020)
• Total	161,133
• Density	247.0/sq mi (95.4/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional districts	20th, 21st

Rensselaer County /rɛnsəˈlɪər/ is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 161,130. Its county seat is Troy. The county is named in honor of the family of Kiliaen van Rensselaer, the original Dutch owner of the land in the area. The county is part of the Capital District region of the state.

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

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).

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. 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.

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.

Rensselaer County is located in the far eastern part of New York State. The eastern boundary of the 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 62 feet (19 m) above sea level at the Hudson River's southernmost extent in the county.

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

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

As of the census of 2010, there were 159,429 people, 62,694 households, and 39,989 families residing in the county. The population density was 233 inhabitants per square mile (90/km²). There were 69,120 housing units at an average density of 109 units per square mile (42/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.

2020 census

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.

The county is also home to Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, the oldest operating technological college in America.

Communities

Map of towns, cities and villages within Rensselaer County

Cities

• Rensselaer
• Troy (county seat)

Towns

Villages

• Castleton-on-Hudson (Castleton)
• East Nassau
• Hoosick Falls
• Nassau
• Schaghticoke
• Valley Falls

Census-designated places

• Averill Park
• East Greenbush
• Hampton Manor
• Nassau Lake
• Poestenkill
• West Sand Lake
• Wynantskill

Hamlets

See also

In Spanish: Condado de Rensselaer para niños