RENSSELAER

city, Rensselaer county, eastern New York, U.S. It is situated along the east bank of the Hudson River, opposite Albany. Settled by the Dutch in the 17th century, it was the site of the most successful of the patroonships (estates) under Kiliaen van Rensselaer, an Amsterdam diamond merchant. The city was formed through the amalgamation of the villages of East Albany, Greenbush, and Bath-on-the-Hudson and was incorporated in 1897. Crailo, an early 18th-century brick house, is allegedly where the British surgeon Dr. Richard Shuckburgh composed Yankee Doodle, adopted as a popular song during the American Revolution. The house has been restored as a museum of early Dutch life in the Hudson River valley. Part of the Port of Albany, Rensselaer has light industries producing textiles, chemicals and dyes, and electronic power supplies. Pop. (1990) 8,255; (1998 est.) 7,741. county, eastern New York state, U.S., bounded by the Hudson River to the west and Vermont and Massachusetts to the east. The land rises from the low hills of the Hudson valley to the Taconic Range along the county's eastern border. Other waterways include the Hoosic and Little Hoosic rivers, Wynants Kill, and Tomhannock Reservoir. The eastern half of the county is the more heavily forested section, comprising a mix of northern hardwoods. Among the state parks are Grafton Lakes and Cherry Plain. Mahican (Mohican) and Mohawk Indians were inhabitants of the region when white settlers arrived in the 17th century; in 1776 an epidemic ravaged a Mohawk village. Walloomsac was the site of the Battle of Bennington (Aug. 16, 1777) during the U.S. War of Independence. In the 19th century Troy (the county seat) was a centre of the iron and steel and textile industries. Other communities include East Greenbush, Hoosick Falls, Lansingburgh, and Rensselaer. The county was created in 1791 and named for Kiliaen van Rensselaer, who organized the Dutch West India Company. County residents are employed primarily in service industries. Area 654 square miles (1,694 square km). Pop. (1990) 154,429; (1996 est.) 155,098.