Rensselaer County, New York


Rensselaer County 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.
WWW Official Site𝕏 RenscoExecutiveFB rensselaercounty

History

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..
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 and Grafton. A third town, Philipstown, was set off in 1806. In 1808, it was renamed Nassau after the duke of that area.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of, of which is land and 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, above sea level, in the town of Berlin. The lowest point is 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.

Adjacent counties

Demographics

2010 census

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. There were 69,120 housing units at an average density of. 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.

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.
DistrictBOCESOther counties
district serves
Averill Park Central School DistrictQuestar III-
Questar III-
Brunswick (Brittonkill) Central School DistrictQuestar III-
WSWHE BOCESWashington County
Questar IIIColumbia County
Questar IIIWashington County
N/AWashington County
Questar IIIColumbia County
Questar III-
WSWHE BOCESSaratoga County
Questar IIIColumbia County
North Greenbush Common School DistrictQuestar III-
Questar III-
Questar IIIColumbia County
Capital Region Boces-
Questar III-

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

Communities

Larger Settlements

† - County seat

Towns

Hamlets