Colonie, New York
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| Colonie, New York | |
| Coordinates: | |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| State | New York |
| County | Albany |
| Area | |
| - Total | 57.9 sq mi (149.9 km²) |
| - Land | 56.1 sq mi (145.2 km²) |
| - Water | 1.8 sq mi (4.7 km²) |
| Elevation | 299 ft (91 m) |
| Population (2000) | |
| - Total | 79,258 |
| - Density | 1,413.6/sq mi (545.8/km²) |
| Time zone | Eastern (EST) (UTC-5) |
| - Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| ZIP codes | 12047, 12110, 12189, 12204, 12205, 12211, 12303, 12304, 12309 |
| Area code(s) | 518 |
| FIPS code | 36-17343 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0978853 |
| Website: http://www.colonie.org | |
Colonie is a town in Albany County, New York, United States (pronounced /ˌkɒləˈniː/). 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 |
[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.
The central part of the town was once the location of the extensive Shaker community farms. Much of that land is now occupied by the Albany International Airport.
Through to the 1930's, 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 Schnectady, but quickly throughout the entire township. By 1980, suburban development had saturated the community. At the same time, there were large highways (I-87, I-787, NY Rts. 7 & 9) which drastically changed the nature of the town and life there. The Colonie of the 1990's was an entirely different community from the town of fifty years before.
In November 2007, 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.
The north town line borders Schenectady County, and Saratoga County, 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 census[1] 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.
Law Enforcement in the town is primarily provided by the Colonie Police Department and Village of Menands Police Department.
Emergency Medical Service (Advanced and Basic) in the town is primarily provided by the Colonie Emergency Medical Services Department. The EMS Department also serves as an integral part of any heavy or light rescue operations in the town.
Firefighting service in the town is primarily provided by one of twelve (mostly voluteer) firefighting agencies:
- Six Fire Districts (Boght Community, Midway, Schuyler Heights, Stanford Heights, Verdoy, and West Albany)
- Four Fire Protection Districts (Fuller Road, Latham, Maplewood, and Shaker Road-Loudonville Fire Department)
- Two Village Fire Departments (Colonie and Menands)
These agencies encompass thirteen fire companies (West Albany Fire District has two companies), seventeen fire stations, two small rescue boats (Boght & Verdoy), six ladder trucks (Fuller Road, Latham, Menands, Midway, Schuyler Heights, and Shaker Road-Loudonville), one Hazardous Materials Specialty Rescue (West Albany), one Trench Specialty Rescue (Village of Colonie), one Confined Space Specialty Rescue (Latham), and eight General/Light Rescue apparatus.
[edit] Education
There are four public school districts that serve the Town of Colonie, the South Colonie Central School District, North Colonie Central Schools, Watervliet City School District, and Menands Union Free School District. 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. The Watervliet City School District (Watervliet High School)serves some students from Menands as well as a very small part of the town within the hamlets of Port Schuyler/Schuyler Heights and Mannsville. The Menands Union Free School District is a single building school district serving the Village of Menands and educates students from Kindergarten to eighth grade. Upon completion of eighth grade, Menands Union Free School District Students choose from a list (developed by the Menands UFSD) of local high schools to attend[1]. As of 2008, a fifth public school district Maplewood-Colonie Common School District is in the midst of merging with the North Colonie School District. Siena College, a liberal arts college, is located in the hamlet of Newtonville (but has a Loudonville mailing address).
[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.
Although not dedicated to the Town of Colonie, the offices and distribution center for the major daily local newspaperAlbany Times Union, (owned by the Hearst Corporation) lies within the town.
The town was the site of the fourth season finale of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition in 2007. Many businesses in the Capital District contributed to building a new home for the Oatman-Gaitan Family, consisting of a mother with three children, two of whom were HIV-positive.
[edit] Communities and locations in or near Town of Colonie
- Albany -- The City of Albany is at the south and east borders 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 southwest 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 hamlet near the city line of Albany.
- Mannsville -- A hamlet west of Watervliet. Part of the Schuyler Heights Fire District and Watervliet City School District.
- Maplewood -- A hamlet adjacent to Cohoes, Watervliet and Green Island.
- Maywood -- A hamlet northwest of Colonie village on Route 5.
- Menands -- The Village of Menands is in the eastern part of town.
- Newtonville -- A hamlet between Latham and Loudonville.
- Port Schuyler/Schuyler Heights -- A hamlet north of Menands; south and west of Watervliet; east of Loudonville; lying on the west bank of the Hudson River. Part of the Schuyler Heights Fire District and Watervliet City School District and North Colonie School District.
- Roessleville -- A suburban community near the city line of Albany
- Shakers -- A hamlet southwest of the Albany airport.
- Stanford Heights -- A hamlet on the west town line with Schenectady County.
- Verdoy -- A hamlet north of Albany airport.
- Watervliet -- The City of Watervliet is at the east town line.
- West Albany -- A hamlet in the southeast corner of the town, on the town/city line with the City of Albany.
[edit] References
- ^ American FactFinder. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
[edit] External links
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