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New York Counties

There are 62 counties in the State of New York. The first twelve counties in New York were created immediately after the British annexation of the Dutch colony of New Amsterdam, although two of these counties have since been abolished. The most recent county formation in New York was in 1912, when Bronx County was created from the portions of New York City that had been annexed from Westchester County. New York's counties are named for a variety of Native American words, British provinces, cities, and royalty, early American statesmen and generals, and state politicians.

Albany County, New York

Albany County History, Geography, Demographics, Cities and Towns, and Education

County Seat: Albany
Year Organized: 1683
Square Miles: 524

Court House:

112 State Street
County Office Building
Albany, NY 12207-2005

Etymology - Origin of County Name

in honor of the Duke of York and Albany, who later became James II of England

Demographics:

County QuickFacts: Census Bureau Quick Facts

History

Albany was one of the twelve origional counties of colonial New York as established by Governor Thomas Dongan in 1683.

By definition, Albany County was to "containe the Towns of Albany, the Collony Renslaerwyck, Schonecteda, and all the villages, neighborhoods, and Christian Plantacons on the east side of Hudson River from Roelof Jansen's Creeke, and on the west side from Sawyer's Creeke to the Sarraghtoga." In time, its boundary lines would become more closely defined!

But practicaly speaking, until the late 1760s, most people thought of Albany County as the entire upriver region of the province. Any more precise definition of its boundaries was the subject of much controversy involving Yankees and Yorkers, the French, and Native peoples. However, its expansive nature is depicted on a number of contemporary maps.

Albany County was composed of a number of political sub-divisions. Located on a map of the province dated 1776, they included the City of Albany, the Manor of Rensselaerswyck (later broken into Watervliet, Bethlehem, the hilltowns, and the East Manor), the town or borough of Schenectady, the village of Kinderhook, Schaghticoke, Livingston Manor, Saratoga, Hoosick, Great Imboght, Catskill and Coxsackie, Schoharie, Claverack, King's District, German Camp, and Cambridge.

For most of the colonial period, the city and county of Albany sent two and then three delegates to the Provincial Assembly. Rensselaerswyck and later Schenectady (beginning in 1726) also were allowed one delegate each. From its earliest days, the Albany County militia was composed of residents of the county's community and was organized by locale.

In 1774, Albany County was the most populated county in colonial New York with 42,706 settlers. In 1790, the count had reached 75,921 inhabitants and it still was the most populated county in what now was New York State. By 1800, Albany County had achieved its present boundaries as Rensselaer, Saratoga, Schenectady, Schoharie, Greene, and Columbia Counties had been split off from it. Albany County was now confined to the west side of the Hudson River and south of the Mohawk. Consequently, its population had dipped to 25,155 people!

Henry Hudson’s 1609 voyage northward ended near Albany, where the river that bears his name became impassible for his ship. His Dutch sponsors built Fort Nassau on Westerlo Island in 1614, serving as an administrative outpost for the fur trading ventures of the Dutch West India Company in Manhattan. Full History at NYSAC

Geography

Albany County is in the east central part of New York State, extending southward and westward from the point where the Mohawk River joins the Hudson. Its eastern boundary is the Hudson River; a portion of its northern boundary is the Mohawk River.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 533 square miles (1,381 km²), of which, 523 square miles (1,356 km²) of it is land and 10 square miles (25 km²) of it (1.83%) is water.

The terrain of the county ranges from flat near the Hudson and Mohawk Rivers to high and hilly to the southwest, where the Catskills begin. The highest point is one of several summits near Henry Hill at approximately 2,160 feet (658 m) above sea level; the lowest point is slightly above sea level along the Hudson.

Neighboring Counties:

Schenectady County, New York - north
Saratoga County, New York - northeast
Rensselaer County, New York - east
Columbia County, New York - southeast
Greene County, New York - south
Schoharie County, New York - west

Cities and Towns:

- Albany (County Seat)	city	Incorporated Area
- Altamont	village	Incorporated Area
- Berne	town
- Bethlehem	town
- Clarksville	town
- Coeymans	town
- Cohoes	city	Incorporated Area
- Colonie	village	Incorporated Area
- Green Island	village	Incorporated Area
- Guilderland	town
- Knox	town
- Menands	village	Incorporated Area
- New Scotland	town
- Ravena	village	Incorporated Area
- Rensselaerville	town
- Troy	city	Incorporated Area
- Voorheesville	village	Incorporated Area
- Watervliet	city	Incorporated Area
- Westerlo	town

County Resources:

Enter County Resources and Information Here

County Resource Guide

Counties: US Map

The history of our nation can be seen as a prolonged struggle to define the relative roles and powers of our governments: federal, state, and local. And the names we've given our counties, our most locally based jurisdictions, reflects the "characteristic features of our country!"

But age, size and colorful names of our counties isn't the only reason to explore counties' role in American history, or the history of county government itself. In fact, the story of county government reflects the larger meanings of American history.

Today's counties are the most flexible, locally responsive and creative governments in the US. They are the most diverse, varying in size, population, geography, and governmental structure. In their politics and policies, they express a 1990's political slogan "Think globally, act locally."

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