RENSSELAER  , a

city of Rensselaer county, New York, U.S.A., in the eastern part of the state, on the E. bank of the Hudson river, opposite Albany . Pop . (Igloo) 7466, of whom 1089 were foreign-born; (19,0 census) 10,711 . It is served by the New York Central and the Boston & Albany rail-ways, which have shops here, and is connected with Albany by three bridges across the Hudson . Rensselaer, originally called Greenbush, was first settled in 1631, and the site formed part of the large tract bought from the Indians by the agentsof Killian van . Rensselaer and known as Rensselaerwyck . In 1810 a square mile of land within the present city limits was acquired by a land speculator, was divided into lots and offered for sale . Development followed, and five years later the village was incorporated . In 1897 Greenbush was chartered as a city, and its name was changed to Rensselaer . Its limits were extended in 1902 by the annexation of the village of Bath (pop. in 1900, 2504) and the western part of the township of East Greenbush . Rensselaer manufactures knit-goods, wool shoddy, felt, &c .