Change is in the air in Rensselaer County, named for a Dutch family that owned much of the land in the 18th century. Bordering both Vermont and Massachusetts and located at the junction of the Hudson River and the Erie Canal, this former industrial giant has morphed into our very own Tech Valley, buzzing with entrepreneurs, high-tech start-ups, and global companies feeding off the energy of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute — one of the highest ranked engineering schools in the country, which is well-established in the county seat of Troy.
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Data
Population Density: 244.36 people per square mile
Median Home Value: $165,000
Median Annual Property Tax Payment: $4,207
Median Household Income: $60,709
DoVisit the Troy Victorian Stroll in early December to mingle with Santa himself. It’s free! - Advertisement -
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DineHead to Peck’s Arcade for produce-forward plates. |
Did you know?Two literary giants took inspiration from Troy. Kurt Vonnegut lived in and around the city, setting many of his novels in Ilium (an alternate name for Troy). Herman Melville wrote his first two novels (Typee, 1846, and Omoo, 1847) in his study overlooking the Hudson. |
