About the town » Rensselaer, Rensselaer County, New York, United States

Rensselaer is a city in Rensselaer County, New York, located along the Hudson River directly opposite Albany, New York. As of the 2010 U.S. census, the population was about 9,400 people. In the year 1920, it was about 10,840. The name is from Kiliaen van Rensselaer, the original landowner of the region in New Netherland. Rensselaer is on the west border of the county. Earliest settlement occurred as early as 1628. This town has a rich industrial history stretching back to the 19th century, when it became a major railroad junction. It is still important in railroading as the location of the 14th busiest AMTRAK station in the country. 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.