Established by an act of the New York State Legislature on June 7, 1895, the Town of Colonie received its name from the Dutch "Colonye," meaning "the settlement outside the city." It was created from the Town of Watervliet when farmers living in the rural part of the Town of Watervliet were dissatisfied with being governed by the Village of West Troy. The New York State Legislature, after listening to their concerns, allowed the rural portion of the Town to secede. Subsequently, most of the former Township of Watervliet, except for the City of Watervliet, became the Town of Colonie.
Since its inception, the Town has steadily grown to become the largest and most populous suburb in Albany County with 57.2 square miles and nearly 80,000 residents.
The newly renovated and expanded Albany International Airport is located within the borders of the Town, and the Amtrak Railway is a short drive away. Colonie is bounded on the north by the Mohawk River and on the East by the navigable Hudson River.
The Town of Colonie, a Town of the first class (in New York, towns are either first or second class depending upon their size), is one of 932 towns in the State of New York. It ranks 16th in population, and is the largest of the 10 towns in Albany County.
The Town has a low tax rate and a strong economy. As a result of careful fiscal planning Town residents have seen very few tax increases over the past seven years and actually saw decreases two of those years. Also, as a result of our strong financial position we have been assigned a very high credit rating of AA3, one of the highest in the Capital Region by Moody's Investor's Services. This results in substantial savings to the Town, passed on to the residents, from lower interest rates.
When one decides to live in the Town, they can be assured of the finest police protection, excellent youth and a wide variety of recreational opportunities.
The Town was recently named the 7th Safest Community in the United States in a ranking compiled by Morgan Quinto Press, a Lawrence, Kansas based research company. All 350 communities with populations of 75,000 and above that report crime data to the FBI are included in this study.
Of course, much of this is attributed to our Police Department who develop and foster relationships with the residents of our community. The Colonie Police Department provides programs that are geared towards participation and activity. Some of the programs that the Department provides are the Civilian Police Academy, Police Explorer Post, Community Initiatives, Crime Prevention, Child Safety Seat Installation, School Resource Officers and School D.A.R.E. Programs.
The goal of the Police Department is to try and prevent crimes from occurring in the first place. Through constant contact with residents, youth and businesses relationships are formed and a level of trust established.
With regard to youth and senior programs the Town has a Youth Bureau, the Parks and Recreation Department, the Senior Resources Department and Senior Clubs that provide numerous and diverse programs and services to residents of all ages.
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