Colonie

History

This area was once part of the Rensselaerwyck manor. The town of Colonie was formed in 1895 after the rural residents of the town of Watervliet opposed the state's proposal to transform the entire town into the city of Watervliet. The town and village of Green Island was also split off as a town from the town of Watervliet a year later and the village of West Troy that remained became the current city of Watervliet. All debts from the original town were divided proportionally between Green Island, Watervliet, and Colonie. Several lawsuits worked their way through the court system from the results of division. The original town of Watervliet was the "mother of towns" in Albany County, having once been all the land outside of the city of Albany within the county. All current towns either were formed directly or indirectly from a town formed from Watervliet. The central part of the town was once the location of the extensive Shaker community farms. The Watervliet Shaker Historic District is located in Colonie. Much of that land is now occupied by the Albany International Airport. Through to the 1930s, Colonie was a simple series of extensive farms and a few hamlets. However, in the post-war years, there was intensive suburban development, originally on the corridor that connected Albany and Schenectady, but quickly following throughout the entire township. By 1980, suburban development had saturated the community. At the same time, there were large highways (I-87, I-787, US Rt. 9 and NY Rt. 7) constructed which drastically changed the nature of the town and life there. The Colonie of the 1990s and beyond has become an entirely-different community from the town of the 1930s and 1940s. The Casparus F. Pruyn House at Newtonville is open to the public as the historical…

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 57.9 square miles (149.9 km2), of which 56.1 square miles (145.2 km2) is land and 1.8 square miles (4.7 km2) (3.11%) is water. The northern town line borders Schenectady County, and Saratoga County, marked by the Mohawk River. The eastern town boundary is the border of Rensselaer County, marked by the Hudson River. The town lies near the junction of the Hudson and the Mohawk rivers. Interstate 87, Interstate 787, Interstate 90, and U.S. Route 9 pass through the town. State routes 2, 5, 7, 32, and 155 are also important arterials within the town.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  33,390
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  32,376
• Black-capped Chickadee

  Poecile atricapillus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  31,456
• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  30,510
• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  26,877
• Tufted Titmouse

  Baeolophus bicolor (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  26,473
• Downy Woodpecker

  Dryobates pubescens (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  25,758
• American Goldfinch

  Spinus tristis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  25,639

Most recent

• M 3.1 — 2020-03-11
  0 km SSW of South Glens Falls, New York
• M 2.79 — 2015-09-27
  New York
• M 2.76 — 2011-08-27
  5 km WSW of Altamont, New York
• M 2.69 — 2011-08-25
  5 km WSW of Altamont, New York
• M 3.15 — 2009-12-13
  15 km N of Medusa, New York
• M 2.56 — 2009-12-13
  14 km N of Medusa, New York