About the Albany County, New York Area 

Albany County, with a population of 298,432 is a region accommodating just about every lifestyle and recreational choice. It has a wide variety of pleasures to enjoy; entertaining cultural venues, rich history and architecture, unlimited indoor and outdoor sports. The region also boasts affordable housing, a low cost of living, excellent school systems and easy commutes. It would be hard to find a better place to live, work and play.

Location
Albany County is located in the Albany metro area of the State of New York. Situated in the east central part of New York State, the County extends southward and westward from the point where the Mohawk River joins the Hudson. It is bounded on the east by the Hudson River and a portion of its northern boundary is the Mohawk River. It encompasses the cities of Albany, Cohoes and Watervliet, as well as 10 towns and six villages. 

Albany County is located approximately 132 miles northwest of New York City, 139 miles west of Boston, and 196 miles southeast of Montreal, Canada. 

Geography
Albany County has a total area of 533 square miles, 523 square miles of it is land and 10 square miles, or 1.83% of it, is water.  

The terrain of the county varies from flat near the Hudson and Mohawks to high and hilly to the southwest, where the Catskills begin. The highest point is one of several summits near Henry Hill at approximately 2,160 feet above sea level; the lowest point is slightly above sea level along the Hudson. 

The two major waterways bordering the region are the Hudson River and the Mohawk River. The Hudson River is approximately 315 miles long. It originates at Lake Tear of the Clouds, on the northwest slope of Mount Marcy, flowing south past Glens Falls, Albany, Kingston and Newburgh, culminating at the Atlantic Ocean. The Mohawk River flows about 143 miles southeast from central New York past Amsterdam and Schenectady, connecting with the Hudson River in Troy. 

Jobs
Albany County has been well recognized for its business acumen. Forbes ranked Albany as the 34th best city in the nation, and first in New York State for business and careers. Inc. Magazine listed Albany-Schenectady-Troy area as the 25th best place in the country for doing business, while Entrepeneur Magazine named Albany-Schenectady-Troy as the 4th on the east coast for entrepeneurs.  

Expansion Management Magazine ranked Albany-Schenectady-Troy 15th out of 331 areas for "High-Value" labor and named it a "Five-Star Knowledge Worker Metro".

Albany County is an integral part of New York’s, “Tech Valley”, and as such, is home to five main high tech industries: nanotechnology, biotechnology, advanced materials, energy and information technology. 

Albany Nanotech has received more than $1 billion in state and industry support. It is also home to the University at Albany’s College of NanoScale Science and Engineering, the first college in the world devoted exclusively to nanoscale science.

Public administration was the largest of 20 major employment sectors in the county, with an average annual wage of $51,536. The average household income in the County is $44,245.

Housing
Albany County residents enjoy housing costs that are a great value --- lower than the national average. Albany's business districts and neighborhoods abound with exciting architecture styles, everything from urban brownstones to suburban colonials to country estates and farms. The average price of a home in the County is $192,800. 

Recreation
Albany County offers year-round fun for everyone. Recreational activities can take you anywhere from 156 feet underground to 42 stories high; from riverboat cruises to high speed race cars. There is boating on the Hudson or a round of golf on warm weather days. In the winter there is skating or nearby skiing resorts. 

For golfer’s, Orchard Creek, in Altamont, is rated by Golf Digest to be one of the best public golf courses in New York State, receiving 4 1/2 stars in both 2004 and 2005. It is an 18-hole championship course at the base of the Helderbergs. In Albany there is Capital Hills Golf Course, an 18-hole course. Guilderland is home to French Hollow Fairways, a 9-hole course, and Western Turnpike, a 27-hole course. Colonial Acres Country Club is a 9-hole course in Glenmont, Mills Road Acres is an 18-hole course in Latham, and the Town of Colonie Golf Course is a 36-hole course. 

Albany County has many scenic, outstanding parks for its residents and visitors. 

The Albany Pine Bush Preserve is 3,010 acres of gently rolling sand plain and protected pine bush available for outdoor recreation, research, nature study and respite. It is home to a unique and wide range of animals and plants, including 20 rare species and two rare natural communities. 

The Crossings of Colonie is a 130 acre park featuring a three-acre pond for fishing and ice skating. It has many acres of meadows, marshy wetlands and extensive wooded and wildflower areas connected by 6.5 miles of multiuse trails for walking, running, biking and in-line skating. 

The Department of Environmental Conservation operates 52 campgrounds located in the Adirondack and Catskill Parks, which offer island camping, tent and trailer camping, back country camping, boat launching facilities, hiking trails, beaches and day use areas with picnic tables and grills.  

Thompson´s Lake State Park is a popular camping ground and recreation area that provides a volleyball court, horseshoe pits, a playing field, rental row boats, fishing areas, and nature trails. During the winter, visitors can cross-country ski and ice fish. 

John Boyd Thacher State Park, is situated along the Helderberg Escarpment, one of the richest fossil-bearing formations in the world. The park provides a panoramic view of the Hudson-Mohawk Valleys and the Adirondack and Green Mountains, as well as an Olympic-sized pool, volleyball courts, playgrounds, ball fields There are over twelve miles of trails for summer hiking and mountain biking, and winter cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, hiking, and snowmobiling. 

Special Attractions/Events
Exciting attractions and historic locations are everywhere in Albany County.
Fairs and festivals abound all year ‘round, often against a background of The Hudson River, Washington Park, the Empire State Plaza or historic streets.  

The year begins with First Night Albany, a fabulous New Year's Eve celebration in historic downtown Albany. For over 50 years, the Albany Tulip Festival has welcomed spring, reflecting the area’s Dutch heritage. Every winter there is a fabulous light display in historic Washington Park, house tours and special performances. 

The County has many unique shops, antiquarian bookstores and seasonal marketplaces, as well as several extensive malls with hundreds of stores. 

There is a strong cultural presence in the area, with a multitude of performing arts, concerts, musicals, theater and visual arts productions.  

The expansive Empire State Plaza holds the nation’s largest public display of modern art as well as providing a panoramic view of the city from the observation deck in the Corning Tower. 

The area is rich in history, with many intriguing museums and magnificent historic homes within the region.

Interesting Facts
Albany County is home to many diverse examples of historic house sites such as the Pruyn House and the first Shaker Meeting House.  

The Albany Heritage Area Visitors Center is located in historic Quackenbush Square, and has many exhibits of Albany's rich heritage. Quackenbush House, located directly next to the Visitors Center was built in 1736, and is the oldest remaining Dutch building in the city of Albany.  

There are guided tours by trolley, on foot or by horse drawn-carriages through historic sites, neighborhoods, and attractions. Much of the area’s history lies in its robust 19th and early 20th century architecture.  

The State Capitol building itself, was under construction from 1867 until 1897, one of the longest running public works projects in the state's history. It remains the historic centerpiece of New York State.  

The name Albany comes from the title of the Duke of York and Albany, who became James II of England. 

Albany County has a top-notch educational system. It has 13 public school systems with an average pupil-to-teacher ratio of 14:1. The average percentage of its students continuing on to college is estimated at 80.4% and it boasts a number of excellent private schools. Out of the 21 institutions of higher learning in the Capital Region, 10 are located in Albany County. Also, of the 15 licensed proprietary schools that provide training in a variety of fields, 11 are located in Albany County.

Forbes ranked the Albany-Schenectady-Troy area as the third "Best Place with the Best Education" in the nation. This rating is based on factors such as local school funding, the mix of private and public schools, and student-to-teacher ratio. Newsweek placed three Albany-area schools in its rankings of the top 1,000 U.S. schools; Bouton in Voorheesville, Bethlehem Central and Shaker in Latham.  

Business Development Outlook Magazine named Albany as the ninth most-educated city in the country. 

The city of Albany is the oldest continuing settlement in the nation, still serving under its original charter of July 22, 1686. 

The first Shaker community in America was founded in1776 at a location near the Albany International Airport. The original meeting house, cemetery, orchard and a neighboring farm are still standing and the burial site of Ann Lee, founder of the Shaker Movement and first Shaker Settlement, is in the Shaker Cemetery. 

Since 1831, two Egyptian mummies have been displayed at the Albany Institute of History and Art. 

A room in the basement of Ten Broeck Mansion, which had been boarded and bricked up for 50 to 60 years, was opened to reveal a wine cellar with bottles dating back to 1875. 

The Watervliet Arsenal Museum is located in the cast iron storehouse built by Major Mordecai in 1859, before the Civil War. 

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