Rensselaer, New York
| Rensselaer | |
| City | |
 |
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| Official name: City of Rensselaer | |
| Name origin: From Kiliaen van Rensselaer, patroon of the region | |
| Country | United States |
|---|---|
| State | New York |
| Region | Capital District |
| County | Rensselaer |
| Landmark | Fort Crailo |
| River | Hudson |
| Elevation | 16 ft (5 m) |
| Coordinates | 42°38′48″N 73°44′01″W / 42.64667°N 73.73361°WCoordinates: 42°38′48″N 73°44′01″W / 42.64667°N 73.73361°W |
| Lowest point | sea level |
| - elevation | 0 ft (0 m) |
| Area | 3.3 sq mi (9 km2) |
| - land | 3.0 sq mi (8 km2) |
| - water | 0.3 sq mi (1 km2) |
| Population | 9,392 (2010) |
| Density | 2,579.2/sq mi (996/km2) |
| Settled | 1630 |
| Incorporated | 1897 |
| Government | |
| - location | City Hall |
| Mayor | Daniel J. Dwyer (Democrat) |
| Timezone | EST (UTC-5) |
| - summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| ZIP Code | 12144 |
| Area code | 518 |
| FIPS code | 36-61148 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0962384 |
 Location in Rensselaer County and the state of New York.
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| Website: Official website | |
Rensselaer /rɛnsəˈlɪər/ is a city in Rensselaer County, New York, United States, and is located on the Hudson River directly opposite Albany. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 9,392. Rensselaer is on the west border of the county. Earliest settlement occurred as early as 1628. The city has a rich industrial history stretching back to the 19th century, when it became a major railroad hub, a distinction which it maintains as the location of the 14th busiest Amtrak station. It was one of the earliest locations of the dye industry in the United States, and the first American location for the production of Aspirin.
The natives of the area called it Petuquapoern and Juscum catick, and the Dutch claimed the land in 1609 based on Henry Hudson's exploration of the Hudson River. Later the area was called "De Laet's Burg" in honor of one of the directors of the Dutch West India Co. Settlement occurred at least as early as 1628. By 1642 there was a brewery and many farms, also a ferry was established by Hendrick Albertsen running from the mouth of Beaver Creek in Beverwyck (Albany) to the future Rensselaer. Greenbush (originally t'Greyn Bos in Dutch) was the earliest settlement from Dutch times. The hamlet of East Albany was part of the village of Greenbush. The second hamlet that would be incorporated was Bath (also Bath-on-Hudson), which was laid out in 1795 and incorporated as a village prior to 1874.
The Van Rensselaer family, which were the feudal landholders of the entire future Rensselaer County built a residence in the future city of Rensselaer. This property was inherited by Hendrick van Rensselaer, Kiliaen van Rensselaer's grandson, who built Fort Crailo in approximately 1712. It was built on the site of where Dominie Megapolensis built his own house in 1642. Crailo was expanded in 1762-1768. At various times, the grounds were used as a campground for British and colonial troops. It is reportedly the place where, in 1755, British Army surgeon Richard Shuckburgh, quartered in the home, wrote the ditty "Yankee Doodle" to mock the colonial troops who fought with the British in the French and Indian Wars. Fort Crailo was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1961.
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