Sand Lake, New York

Sand Lake, New York
Town
Sign at the west entrance to Sand Lake
Motto: A Place of Picnics, Porches and Progress
Location in Rensselaer County and the state of New York.
Coordinates: 42°37′34″N 73°34′2″W / 42.62611°N 73.56722°W / 42.62611; -73.56722
Country	United States
State	New York
County	Rensselaer
Government
• Type	Town Board and Council
• Town Supervisor	Flora Fasoldt
Area
• Total	36.1 sq mi (93.6 km2)
• Land	35.2 sq mi (91.2 km2)
• Water	0.9 sq mi (2.5 km2)
Elevation	823 ft (251 m)
Population
• Total	10,135
• Density	287.9/sq mi (87.6/km2)
Time zone	Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
• Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code	12153
Area code(s)	518
FIPS code	36-65013
GNIS feature ID	0979455
Website	Town of Sand Lake

Sand Lake is a town in Rensselaer County, New York, United States. As of the 2010 census, the town had a population of 10,135. The town is in the south-central part of the county. Sand Lake is east of Albany, New York.

The town of Sand Lake was formed from Greenbush and Berlin June 19, 1812. In 1843 a part of Greenbush was taken off, and in 1848 the northern half was set off as a separate town under the name of Poestenkill. Sand Lake is south of the centre of Rensselaer county. It is bounded on the north by Poestenkill, on the east by Berlin, on the south by Nassau and Schodack and on the west by East Greenbush and North Greenbush.

While the surface of the town is undulating in the west, it is quite mountainous in the east, a part of the Rensselaer Plateau extending through that section of the town. Oak hill, near the centre of the town, and Perigo hill, in the northeast corner, rise to a height of about 900 feet (270 m) above the level of the sea. The soil is very fertile in many parts of Sand Lake, especially in the comparatively low land in the eastern portion. Agriculture and grazing have always been carried on with success. In recent years numerous garden farms have been established, the markets of Troy being supplied largely by these in the proper season. Sand Lake strawberries and other berries and small fruits are among the finest produced in Eastern New York. One of the principal characteristics of the town is its numerous small lakes, in which fish of nearly all kinds inhabiting still fresh water abound, and the number of summer guests in all parts of the town is constantly increasing. Crystal Lake is near the centre of the town, and is the largest body of water lying entirely within the limits of the town. Burden Lake and Crooked Lake are in the southern part, the former lying partly in the town of Nassau. Glass Lake is between Crystal Lake and Crooked Lake. Big Bowman and Little Bowman ponds are close together in the eastern part, and Richard Pond is in the northwestern part near Averill Park. The Wynants Kill and the Tsatsawassa are the principal streams. The former rises in Crooked Lake and flows through Glass Lake and Burden Lake into the Hudson River at North Greenbush. It also drains Richard Pond. The latter drains the eastern part of the town and flows southerly into Nassau. The Wynants Kill furnishes one of the finest water powers in eastern New York.