Troy

History

1500 to 1700: the Mohican and the Skiwia Native Americans

Prior to the arrival of Europeans, the Mohican Indians had a number of settlements along the Hudson River near its confluence with the Mohawk River. The land comprising the Poesten Kill and Wynants Kill areas—"kill" being the Dutch word for "creek" or small stream—were owned by two Mohican groups. The land around the Poesten Kill was owned by Skiwias and was called Panhooseck. The area around the Wynants Kill, known as Paanpack, was owned by Peyhaunet. The land between the creeks, which makes up most of today's downtown and South Troy neighborhood along the Hudson River, was owned by Annape. South of the Wynants Kill and into present-day Town of North Greenbush, the land was owned by Pachquolapiet. These parcels of land were sold to the Dutch between 1630 and 1657, and each purchase was overseen and signed by Skiwias, the sachem—the political leader of the Indigenous people—at the time. In total, more than 75 individual Mohicans were involved in deed signings in the 17th century.

1700: Dutch and British settlement

The site of the city was a part of Rensselaerswyck, a patroonship created by Kiliaen van Rensselaer. Dirck Van der Heyden was one of the first settlers. In 1707, he purchased a farm of 65 acres (26 ha), which in 1787 was laid out as a village.

1800s: Canals, shipping, early industrialization

The name Troy, after the legendary Greek city of Troy made famous in Homer's Iliad, was adopted in 1789, before which the tiny community had been known as Ashley's Ferry. The area was formed into the Town of Troy in 1791 from part of the Manor of Rensselaerswyck. The township included today's towns of Brunswick and Grafton. Troy became a village in 1801 then was chartered as a city in 1816. In the post–Revolutionary War years, as Central New York was first settled, a strong trend to classical names existed, and Troy's naming fits the same pattern as the New York cities of Syracuse, Rome, Utica, Ithaca, and the towns of Sempronius and Manlius, and dozens of other similarly named towns to the west of Troy. Troy's Latin motto is Ilium fuit, Troja est, which means "Ilium was, Troy is".

Northern and Western New York was a theater of the War of 1812, and militia and regular army forces were led by Stephen Van Rensselaer of Troy. Quartermaster supplies were shipped through Troy. A local butcher and meatpacker named Samuel Wilson supplied the military, and according to local lore, stamped the meat barrels "U.S." which alternately was interpreted as "United States" and "Uncle Sam," meaning Wilson. Troy has since claimed to be the historical home of Uncle Sam, who is buried in the historic Oakwood Cemetery located on the northern outskirts of the city and the burial site of numerous local luminaries. The iconic Uncle Sam caricature was created by political newspaper cartoonist Thomas Nast.

On December 23, 1823, The Troy Sentinel newspaper was the first publisher of the world-famous Christmas poem "A Visit from St. Nicholas" (also known as "The Night Before Christmas" or "'Twas the Night Before Christmas"). The poem was published anonymously. Its author has long been believed to have been Clement Clarke Moore, but now is regarded by some as having been Henry Livingston Jr.

Scientific and technical proficiency was supported by the presence of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), one of the highest-ranked engineering schools in the country. RPI originally was sponsored by Stephen Van Rensselaer, one of the most prominent members of that family of Dutch colonial origins. RPI was founded in 1824, and eventually absorbed the campus of the short-lived liberal arts-based Troy University, which closed in 1862 during the Civil War. Rensselaer founded RPI for the "application of science to the common purposes of life," and it is the oldest technological university in the English-speaking world. The institute is known for its success in the transfer of technology from the laboratory to the marketplace.

20th century: Industrialization and growth

In 1900, Troy annexed Lansingburgh, a former town and village whose standing dates back prior to the War of Independence, in Rensselaer County. Lansingburgh is thus often referred to as "North Troy." However, prior to the annexation that portion of Troy north of Division Street was called North Troy and the neighborhood south of Washington Park was referred to as South Troy. To avoid confusion with streets in Troy following the annexation, Lansingburgh's numbered streets were renamed: its 1st Street, 2nd Street, 3rd Street, etc., became North Troy's 101st Street, 102nd Street, 103rd Street, etc. Lansingburgh was home to the Lansingburgh Academy.

In the early 1900s, the New York Central Railroad was formed from earlier railroads and established its "Water Level Route" from New York City to Chicago, via Albany. A Beaux-Arts station was constructed c. 1903. A short New York Central branch from Rensselaer connected at Troy. Also serving the station was the Boston and Maine Railroad to/from Boston and the Delaware and Hudson Railroad to/from Canada. The railroads quickly made obsolete the 1800s-constructed canals along the Mohawk. The former NYC operates today as CSX for freight service and Amtrak for passenger service, the latter operating from Albany–Rensselaer station, directly opposite downtown Albany on the east side of the Hudson River. The end of rail passenger service to Troy occurred when the Boston and Maine dropped its Boston–Troy run in January 1958. The Troy Union Station was demolished in 1958.

In addition to the strong presence of the early American steel industry, Troy also was a manufacturing center for shirts, shirtwaists, detachable collars and cuffs. In 1825, local resident Hannah Lord Montague was tired of cleaning her blacksmith-husband's shirts. She cut off the collars of his shirts since only the collar was soiled, bound the edges and attached strings to hold the false collars in place. This also allowed the collars and cuffs to be starched separately. Montague's idea caught on and changed the fashion for American men's dress for a century. Her patented collars and cuffs first were manufactured by Maullin & Blanchard, which eventually was absorbed by Cluett, Peabody & Company. Cluett's Arrow brand shirts still are worn by men across the country. The large labor force required by the shirt manufacturing industry also produced in 1864 the nation's first female labor union, the Collar Laundry Union, founded in Troy by Kate Mullany. On February 23, 1864, 300 members of the union went on strike. After six days, the laundry owners gave in to their demands and raised wages 25%. Further developments arose in the industry when, in 1933, Sanford Cluett invented a process he called Sanforization, a process that shrinks cotton fabrics thoroughly and permanently. Cluett, Peabody's last main plant in Troy, was closed in the 1980s, but the industrial output of the plant had long been transferred to facilities in the South.

21st century

Like many old industrial cities, Troy has faced the decline of its manufacturing base and the subsequent flight of residents and capital. This led to dilapidation and disinvestment until later efforts were made to preserve Troy's architectural and cultural past.

In 2014, Troy began updating its citywide comprehensive plan for the first time in more than 50 years. The two-year process is known as "Realize Troy" and was initiated by the Troy Redevelopment Foundation (with members from the Emma Willard School, RPI, Russell Sage College, and St. Peter's Health Partners). Urban Strategies Inc. (Toronto) is planning Troy's redevelopment.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 11.0 square miles (28 km2), of which 0.6 square miles (1.6 km2) (5.44%) is covered by water.

Troy is located several miles north of Albany near the junction of the Erie and Champlain canals, via the Hudson River, and is the terminus of the New York Barge Canal. It is the distributing center for a large area.

The city is on the central part of the western border of Rensselaer County. The Hudson River makes up the western border of the city and the county's border with Albany County. The city borders within Rensselaer County, Schaghticoke to the north, Brunswick to the east, and North Greenbush to the south; to the west, the city borders the Albany County town of Colonie, the villages of Menands and Green Island, and the cities of Watervliet and Cohoes. To the northwest, Troy borders the Saratoga County village of Waterford within the town of Waterford.

The western edge of the city is flat along the river, and then steeply slopes to higher terrain to the east. The average elevation is 50 feet, with the highest elevation being 500 feet in the eastern part of the city. The city is longer than it is wide, with the southern part wider than the northern section of the city (the formerly separate city of Lansingburgh). Several kills (Dutch for creek) pass through Troy and empty into the Hudson. The Poesten Kill and Wynants Kill are the two largest, and both have several small lakes and waterfalls along their routes in the city. Several lakes and reservoirs are within the city, including Ida Lake, Burden Pond, Lansingburgh Reservoir, Bradley Lake, Smarts Pond, and Wright Lake.

Climate

Troy has a humid continental climate (Köppen Dfa). The average temperature throughout the year is 50.9 °F (10.5 °C), with the highest average temperature in July being 74.9 °F (23.8 °C), and January being the coldest month with an average temperature of 25.5 °F (−3.6 °C). The annual precipitation is 42.09 inches (1,069 mm).

The highest temperature in New York State was recorded in Troy on July 22, 1926, when it reached 108 °F (42.2 °C).

Demographics

2020 census

As 2020, Troy had a population of 51,401. The median age was 31.0 years. 19.3% of residents were under the age of 18 and 12.2% were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 100.7 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 99.1 males age 18 and over.

All residents lived in urban areas.

There were 21,045 households in Troy, of which 24.4% had children under the age of 18. Of all households, 23.5% were married couples, 26.6% had a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 38.3% had a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 38.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

There were 24,325 housing units, of which 13.5% were vacant. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.3% and the rental vacancy rate was 7.9%.

2010 census

The 2010 census recorded 50,129 people, with 20,121 households and 10,947 families residing in the city. This was the first recorded population growth since the 1950 census. The population density was 4,840.1 people/sq mi, with 23,474 housing units. The racial makeup of the city was 69.7% White, 16.4% African American, 0.3% Native American, 3.4% Asian, and 4.1% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 7.9% of the population.

Income and economy

The median household income in 2013 was $37,805 (NY average of $57,369), and the median family income was $47,827 (NYS average of $70,485). The median per capita income for the city was $20,872 (NY average of $32,514). About 27.3% of the population were living in poverty as of 2013.

Economically in 2020, the city's median household income had increased to $45,728 per family, with each family reporting to have 2.25 persons residing in them. The per capita income in past 12 months (in 2019 dollars), taken 2015–2019, was $25,689 with 24.4% of the population living in poverty. The poverty rate overall has decreased 3.3% since 2013.

Selected economic indicators from the 2015–2019 American Community Survey were:

The education rate of Troy locals, 25 years or more, with a high school graduate or higher is 86.8% whereas the number of persons with a bachelor's degree or higher is 26.8%. Additionally, due to the increasing age of the internet, the percentage of households with a computer from 2015 to 2019 has increased to 88.5% and those with a broadband Internet subscription lies at 81.5%.

Economy

Troy is known as the "Collar City" due to its history in shirt, collar, and other textile production. Until the early 1990s, Troy was home to several textile manufacturers, including Cluett, Peabody, a subsidiary of the nation's largest publicly held textile manufacturer West Point-Pepperell Inc. The detachable collar was first established in Troy in 1820 by a Mrs. Montague. Her husband was a prominent blacksmith who complained to his wife that after coming home from work he had no clean white shirts for the next day. Mrs. Montague solved this problem by cutting collars off of her husbands shirts, and reattaching clean ones for him to wear when needed. This created the important industry of detachable collars and shirts in Troy. It also created the need for buttons, as a detachable collar often left gaps between the shirt and the collar, and buttons were used to snap collars in place. Other types of apparel invented in this time were Bishop collars, which were an upright modification of the turn-down collar, dickeys, detached shirt bosoms, and separate cuffs. This industry also gave rise to the laundry industry, when the first laundry store Troy Laundry was opened at 66 North Second St (Fifth Avenue today), and later on, the laundry industry in Troy would spark the creation of the first female union in the country. For close to a hundred years, Cluett, Peabody & Company was the largest industry in town, with a variety of products including detachable collars, arrow shirts, and other apparel. Around the early 20th century, Troy was responsible for making 90% of the collars worn in America. This was also the birthplace of the "white collar" social class, which was a more upscale working class community and the "blue collar" social class, which consisted of mostly factory workers. The industry had mostly died out by the 1960s, when most business had either gone out of business or moved south for cheaper land and labor costs.

At one point, Troy was also the second-largest producer of iron in the country, surpassed only by the city of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Troy, like many older industrial cities, has been battered by industrial decline and the migration of jobs to the suburbs. Nevertheless, the presence of RPI is helping Troy develop a small high-technology sector, particularly in video game development. The downtown core also has a smattering of advertising and architecture firms, and other creative businesses attracted by the area's distinctive architecture. Uncle Sam Atrium is an enclosed urban shopping mall, office space, and parking garage in downtown Troy. RPI is the city's largest private employer.

Institutions and Employers

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), with more than 470 faculty and 6,900 enrolled students in 2024, is a significant contributor to the local research and innovation economy. The 1250-acre Rensselaer Technology Park hosts 77 companies employing 2,157 people. Hudson Valley Community College, with approximately 1,000 employees in 2024 is also among the city's major employers. The community college had 10,000 students enrolled in the 2025 Spring semester. Russell Sage College, which maintains 15-acre campus in downtown Troy, employs 356 faculty and staff; and had 3,123 students enrolled in 2025.

Ten gaming studios, employing several dozen workers, operate within Troy Innovation District.

Arts and culture

Architecture

Troy is home to Victorian and Belle Époque architecture.

The Hudson and Mohawk Rivers play their part, as does the Erie Canal and its lesser tributary canal systems, and later the railroads that linked Troy to the rest of the Empire State, New York City to the south, and Utica, New York, Syracuse, New York, Rochester, New York, Buffalo, New York, and the myriad of emergent Great Lakes' cities in the burgeoning United States.

Notable buildings

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

The Emma Willard School for Girls aka Emma Willard School

The Hart-Cluett Mansion

Paine Mansion

Russell Sage College

Troy Public Library

Hudson Valley Community College

Natives of Troy expressed their passion for building, using the following materials, for an array of building features:

Iron: cast and structural iron works (facades, gates, railings, banisters, stairwells, rooftop crenellation, window grilles, etc.)

Stone: carved hard and soft stone foundations, facades and decorative elements

Glass: as well as in the vast array of ornate stained and etched glass works;

Wood: fine wood work in found in many of Troy's buildings.

Tiffany and La Farge created magnificent stained-glass windows, transoms and other decorative stained-glass treatments for their customers in Troy. With many examples of intact 19th-century architecture, particularly in its Central Troy Historic District, this has helped to lure several major movies to film in Troy, including Ironweed, The Age of Innocence (filmed partially in the Paine mansion), Scent of a Woman, The Bostonians, The Emperor's Club, and The Time Machine. In addition, the television series The Gilded Age filmed in Troy. There are many buildings in a state of disrepair, but community groups and investors are restoring many of them.

Troy's downtown historic landmarks include Frear's Troy Cash Bazaar, constructed on a steel infrastructure clad in ornately carved white marble; the Corinthian Courthouse constructed of gray granite; the Troy Public Library, built in an elaborate Venetian palazzo style with high-relief carved white marble; the Troy Savings Bank Music Hall, designed in the Second Empire style, with a recital hall with highly regarded acoustic properties. There is a rich collection of Colonial, Federal, Italianate, Second Empire, Greek Revival, Egyptian Revival, Gothic Revival and other Romantic period townhouses surrounding the immediate downtown. The Hart-Cluett Mansion displays a Federal facade executed in white marble, quarried in Tuckahoe, New York. Often with foundations of rusticated granite block. Medina sandstone, a deep mud-red color, from Medina, New York, was also used.

Recurring events

Troy Flag Day parade – was the largest Flag Day parade in the US. It started in 1967 and ended in 2017.

Troy River Fest – arts, crafts and music festival held every June in the downtown district.

Uncle Sam Parade – was held near Samuel Wilson's birthday in mid-September. It was held last in 2015 after 40 years.

The Victorian Stroll – held annually in December

Troy Turkey Trot – Thanksgiving Day run; the oldest race in the Capital District.

The Enchanted City – Steampunk festival in downtown Troy

Troy Night Out – monthly arts and cultural event in the streets of Downtown Troy

Rockin' on the River – outdoor concert series in June to August

Troy Pig Out – BBQ competition in Riverfront Park

Chowderfest – chowder festival in downtown Troy

Troy Waterfront Farmers Market – held weekly, during the summer at Monument Square and River Street, and in the winter in the Atrium

Government

Executive branch

The executive branch consists of a mayor who serves as the chief executive officer of the city. The mayor is responsible for the proper administration of all city affairs placed in his/her charge as empowered by the city charter. The mayor enforces the laws of New York State as well as all local laws and ordinances passed by the city council. She or he exercises control over all executive departments of the city government, including the Departments of Finance, Law, Public Safety, Public Works, Public Utilities, and Parks and Recreation.

The mayor's term of office is four years, and an incumbent is prohibited from serving for more than two consecutive terms (eight years).

The current mayor of Troy is Carmella Mantello (R), who is serving her first term, having been elected on November 7, 2023.

Results from the last seven mayoral elections (an asterisk* indicates the incumbent):

November 7, 2023 – Carmella Mantello (R) defeated Nina Nichols (D)

November 5, 2019 – Patrick Madden* (D, W) defeated Rodney Wiltshire (G, I), Tom Reale (R, C)

November 3, 2015 – Patrick Madden (D) defeated Jim Gordon (R, C, G, I, RF), Rodney Wiltshire (W), Jack Cox (REV)

November 8, 2011 – Lou Rosamilia (D, W) defeated Carmella Mantello (R, C, I)

November 6, 2007 – Harry Tutunjian* (R, I, C) defeated James Conroy (D), Elda Abate (TPP)

November 4, 2003 – Harry Tutunjian (R, I, C) defeated Frank LaPosta (D)

November 2, 1999 – Mark Pattison* (D, L, W) defeated Carmella Mantello (R, I, C)

Legislative branch

Troy's legislative branch consists of a city council composed of seven elected members: one at-large member who represents the entire city and acts as City Council President, and six district members who represent each of the six districts of Troy. Currently, all seats are held by Democrats.

Each of the six district council members serves a two-year term, and an incumbent is prohibited from serving for more than four consecutive terms (eight years). The City Council President serves a four-year term, and is prohibited from serving for more than two consecutive terms (eight years).

The current Troy City Council took office on January 1, 2026, and will serve until December 31, 2027. The council president is Susan Steele.

Political boundaries

The City of Troy is divided into twenty-nine (29) election districts, also known as EDs. An ED is the finest granularity political district that can be used, from which all other political districts are formed.

Other political districts that make use of these EDs include City Council Districts, County Legislative Districts, State Assembly Districts, State Senate Districts, and U.S. Congressional Districts.

The 29 EDs are grouped into six Council Districts, as follows:

Council District 1: ED1–ED6

Council District 2: ED7–ED10

Council District 3: ED11–ED14

Council District 4: ED15–ED18

Council District 5: ED19–ED24

Council District 6: ED25–ED29

All of the City of Troy is in the 43rd State Senate District, currently represented by Jake Ashby

All of the City of Troy is in the 108th Assembly District, currently represented by John McDonald III

All other political districts that exist in Troy consist of the entire city — all 29 EDs:

U.S. Congressional District 20: ED1–ED29

Rensselaer County Legislative District 1: ED1–ED29

Education

The Rensselaer School, which later became RPI, was founded in 1824 with funding from Stephen Van Rensselaer, a descendant of the founding patroon, Kiliaen. In 1821, Emma Willard founded the Troy Female Seminary. It was renamed Emma Willard School (America's first girls' high school and a high-academic boarding and day school) in 1895. The former Female Seminary was later reopened in 1916 as Russell Sage College (a comprehensive college for women). All of these institutions still exist today.

In addition, Troy is home to the 10,000-student Hudson Valley Community College (part of the State University of New York system); two public school districts (Troy and Lansingburgh); three private high schools: La Salle Institute (Catholic military-style), Emma Willard School, Catholic Central High School (a regional Catholic high school in Lansingburgh section), and one K-12 charter school system, Troy Prep.

Infrastructure

Transportation

Regional and local buses are operated by Capital District Transportation Authority (CDTA). CDTA Blue Line, Red Line and Purple Line also serves the city of Troy with Bus Rapid Transit, with regional connections to Albany, Cohoes, Waterford, and Watervliet

US 4 runs north–south through the city along River St and 3rd & 4th St. New York State Route 7 passes east–west through the city on Hoosick St, using the Collar City Bridge to cross the Hudson River. The segment of Route 7 along the Collar City Bridge overlaps with the northernmost section of Interstate 787, which officially terminates in Troy. New York State Route 2 also passes east–west on Congress St, crossing the Hudson River at the Congress Street Bridge.

The New York Central Railroad, Delaware and Hudson Railroad, Rutland Railroad and Boston and Maine Railroad provided passenger rail service to Troy. By the late 1950s, only the Boston & Maine passenger service remained. The last Boston and Maine passenger train arrived from Boston, Massachusetts in 1958. Troy Union Station closed and was demolished later that year. Amtrak serves Albany-Rensselaer station, 8.5 miles to the south of Troy.

Fire Department

Troy Fire Department's 124 uniformed personnel operate out of six fire stations located throughout the city and maintain five engine companies, a rescue-engine company, two truck companies, three ambulances, a Hazardous Material response unit and two rescue boats. The department responds to approximately 9,000 calls annually, and is the hazardous material response unit for Rensselaer County.

Health care

Troy is primarily served by Samaritan Hospital, a full service 277 bed community hospital providing emergency care, surgical services and inpatient treatment at its main campus on Burdett Avenue. Troy is also home to the Samaritan Hospital - St Mary's Campus, which provides outpatient and specialty services.

Notable people

Joe Alaskey (1952–2016), voice actor, known for various Looney Tunes characters

Dave Anderson (1929–2018), Pulitzer Prize-winning sportswriter for The New York Times, born in Troy

David Baddiel (1964), comedian

Garnet Douglass Baltimore (1859–1946), distinguished civil engineer and landscape designer, first African-American graduate of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

John C. Baker (1919–1996), US Army major general

Thomas Baker (1916–1944), U.S. infantryman, received Medal of Honor for Battle of Saipan

James A. Barker, Wisconsin state senator

Walton Wesley Battershall (1840–1920), Episcopal priest

George Packer Berry (1898–1986), Dean of Harvard Medical School, born in Troy

Nick Brignola (1936–2002), musician (internationally famous jazz baritone saxophonist), was born in Troy and lived his whole life in the area.

Dorothy Lavinia Brown (1919–2004), African American surgeon, legislator and teacher, raised in the Troy Orphan Asylum for much of her childhood and attended Troy High School, where she graduated at the top of her class in 1937.

Dan Bryant (1833–1875), stage name of Dan O'Brien (or possibly Dan O'Neill), co-founder of Bryant's Minstrels with his brothers Jerry and Neil.

Henry Burden (1791–1871), originally from Scotland, engineer and businessman who built an industrial complex in Troy called the Burden Iron Works that featured the most powerful water wheel in the world