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Colonie (town), New York

Colonie
Town
ColonieTownHall.JPG
Colonie Memorial Town Hall, Newtonville, NY
Seal
Official name: Town of Colonie
Name origin: From Dutch Colonie meaning a colony, referring to the Colony of Rensselaerswyck surrounding Albany
Country United States
State New York
Region Capital District
County Albany
River Mohawk, Hudson
Center Colonie Town Hall
 - elevation 344 ft (105 m)
 - coordinates 42°43′10″N 73°45′22″W / 42.71944°N 73.75611°W / 42.71944; -73.75611Coordinates: 42°43′10″N 73°45′22″W / 42.71944°N 73.75611°W / 42.71944; -73.75611
Highest point Locust Lane Loudonville
 - elevation 413 ft (126 m)
 - coordinates 42°42′26″N 73°45′54″W / 42.70722°N 73.76500°W / 42.70722; -73.76500
Lowest point sea level
 - elevation 0 ft (0 m)
Area 57.9 sq mi (150 km2)
 - land 56.1 sq mi (145 km2)
 - water 1.8 sq mi (5 km2)
Population 81,591 (2010)
Density 1,413.6/sq mi (546/km2)
Incorporation as town 1895
Government
 - location Town Hall
Town supervisor Paula A. Mahan (D)
Timezone EST (UTC-5)
 - summer (DST) EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP Code 12047, 12110, 12189, 12204, 12205, 12211, 12303, 12304, 12309
Area code 518
FIPS code 36-17343
GNIS feature ID 0978853
Albany County New York incorporated and unincorporated areas Colonie highlighted.svg
Location in Albany County and the state of New York.
Website: www.colonie.org

Colonie /ˌkɒləˈn/ is a town in Albany County, New York, United States. It is the most populous suburb of Albany, New York, and is the third largest town in area in Albany County, occupying about 11% of the county. Several hamlets exist within the town. As of the 2010 census, the town had a total population of 81,591.

The name is derived from the Dutch Colonye or "Colonie", derived from the Colonie of Rensselaerswyck. All the land outside the Village of Beverwyck (now Albany) was referred to as the "Colonie". The town of Colonie is north of Albany and is at the northern border of the county. Within the town of Colonie are two villages, one also known as Colonie and the other known as Menands.

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 a city of Watervliet. The town/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.


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