Colonie (town), New York

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Colonie is a town in Albany County, New York, USA (IPA pronunciation: [ˌkɑləˈni]). As of the 2000 census, the town had a total population of 79,258. 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, New York, and is at the northern border of the county. Within the Town of Colonie is a village, also known as Colonie.

Contents 1 History 2 Geography 3 Demographics 4 Education 5 Media 6 Communities and locations in or near Town of Colonie 7 External links

[edit] History

This area was once part of the Rensselaerwyck manor. The Town of Colonie was formed in 1895 from most of what remained of the former "Town of Watervliet," leaving only the City of Watervliet, New York. The original Town of Watervliet was the "mother of towns" in Albany County, and Colonie is its historical successor. In October 2006, the Town of Colonie was ranked the sixth safest place to live in a Morgan Quitno Publishing study of crime rates across the United States.

[edit] Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 149.9 km² (57.9 mi²). 145.2 km² (56.1 mi²) of it is land and 4.7 km² (1.8 mi²) of it (3.11%) is water. This makes Colonie the largest town by area in the Northeast.

The north town line is the border of Schenectady County, partly marked by the Mohawk River. The east town line is the border of Rensselaer County, marked by the Hudson River. The town lies near the junction of the Hudson and the Mohawk.

Interstate 87 and US Route 9 pass through the town. State Routes 5 and 7 also carry a tremendous amount of traffic. The presence of these highways, along with Colonie Center (a large mall), Albany International Airport, and the Albany County Jail mean that Colonie Town Court is one of the busiest courts in the Albany area.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census² of 2000, there were 79,258 people, 30,980 households, and 20,539 families residing in the town. The population density was 545.8/km² (1,413.6/mi²). There were 32,280 housing units at an average density of 222.3/km² (575.7/mi²). The racial makeup of the town was 90.55% White, 3.96% Black or African American, 0.15% Native American, 3.59% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.61% from other races, and 1.13% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.86% of the population.

There were 30,980 households out of which 29.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.3% were married couples living together, 9.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.7% were non-families. 28.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 3.00.

In the town the population was spread out with 21.8% under the age of 18, 8.9% from 18 to 24, 27.8% from 25 to 44, 25.1% from 45 to 64, and 16.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 92.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.6 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $51,817, and the median income for a family was $62,649. Males had a median income of $41,453 versus $30,763 for females. The per capita income for the town was $25,231. About 3.0% of families and 4.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.5% of those under age 18 and 6.0% of those age 65 or over.

[edit] Education

There are two public school districts that serve the Town of Colonie, the South Colonie Central School District and North Colonie Central Schools. South Colonie (Colonie Central High School) actually serves much of the western part of the town, including West Albany, the Village of Colonie, and a small part of the adjoining Town of Niskayuna. North Colonie (Shaker High School) serves Latham and the smaller, rural hamlets to the north of Latham, as well as most of Loudonville and Newtonville. Siena College, a liberal arts college, is located in the hamlet of Loudonville.

[edit] Media

There are two dedicated newspapers for parts of the town, the Colonie Spotlight and Loudonville Spotlight. Also, Channel 17 on Time Warner Cable in the town is a community station devoted to Town news, programming, and events. The studios are located inside the town library TU Story.

[edit] Communities and locations in or near Town of Colonie

• Albany -- The City of Albany is at the south border of the town.
• Albany International Airport (ALB) -- An airport servicing Albany and the region.
• Boght Corners -- A hamlet in the northeast part of the town.
• Cohoes -- The City of Cohoes is at the northeast corner of the town.
• Colonie -- The Village of Colonie.
• Crescent Station -- A hamlet at the northernmost point of the Town of Colonie.
• Green Island, New York -- A town and village east of the Town of Colonie.
• Karner -- A hamlet northwest of Colonie village.
• Dunsbach Ferry -- A hamlet in the northwest part of the town at the Mohawk River.
• Latham -- A hamlet near the center of the town.
• Loudonville -- A suburban community near the city line of Albany.
• Mansville -- A hamlet west of Watervliet.
• Maplewood -- A small community adjacent to Cohoes, Watervliet and Green Island with its own K-8 school system [http://www.maplewoodschool.org/ Maplewood-Colonie Common School District.
• Maywood -- A hamlet northwest of Colonie village on Route 5.
• Menands -- The Village of Menands is in the south-eastern part of town.
• Newtonville -- A hamlet between Latham and Loudonville.
• Roessleville -- A suburban community near the city line of Albany
• Shakers -- A hamlet southwest of the Albany airport.
• Stanford Heights -- A hamlet on the north town line.
• Verdoy -- A hamlet north of Albany airport.
• Watervliet -- The City of Watervliet is at the east town line.

[edit] External links

• Town of Colonie, New York, webpage
• Early history of Colonie region
• Colonie Town Court information