Rensselaer

Formed February 16, 1791 (18^th county)

Rensselaer County (161,138), Troy (51,414)

An 1898 masonry Classical Revival courthouse serves Rensselaer County.  The courthouse is at 2^nd and Congress streets.  United States Highway 4 is one block to the east of the courthouse.  Marcus Cummings and Frederick Cummings provided the building designs.  The building was enlarged in 1915 and 1967.  There was a 1793 courthouse previously.  The county was formed from Albany County on February 16, 1791 as the 18^th county with Troy as the only county seat.  The county is named for founder Kiliaen van Rensselaer.  Troy is named for the ancient city. 

Rensselaer County government consists of a sheriff and 19 Legislators.  Two County Court Judges, Two Family Court Judges, and One Surrogate Court Judge serve Rensselaer County.  The county is on the eastern border with Vermont and Massachusetts.  Albany, New York is directly west of the county.  The Hudson River forms its western border.  The county center is 9.4 miles Southeast of Troy nearer Poestenkill.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Washington County and Vermont and Massachusetts and Columbia, Greene, Albany, and Saratoga counties. 

The area of the county is 665 square miles.  It is 34 out of 62 in the state.  It ranks 21 out of 62 in population in the state.  It has a density of 242.3 persons per square mile making it 20 out of 62 in the state.  Rensselaer County has 42.2% of its population in its incorporated areas.  Interstate Highway 90 enters the county from the south, Columbia County, and exits west, Albany County.  United States Highway 4 comes from Saratoga County, northwest, and terminates.  United States Highway 9 is joined with Interstate Highway 90 from Columbia to Albany counties.  United States Highway 20 parallels Interstate Highway 90 from Columbia to Albany counties.  The county looks like a tall rectangle leaning eastward.  Troy is located on the western border.  Troy is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 31.9% of the county population.  The county is pronounced REN-SE-LAER.  This county is in the Albany-Schenectady-Troy Metropolitan Statistical Area.