Albany County was incorporated in 1683. Situated on the west bank of the Hudson River, Albany County is approximately 135 miles directly north of New York City and has an area of approximately 540 square miles.

A number of the State's institutions of higher learning are located in the County, among them the State University of New York at Albany, the Sage College of Albany (a division of The Sage Colleges), Albany Law School (Union University), Siena College, The College of St. Rose, Albany Medical College, Albany College of Pharmacy and three business colleges.

The County's transportation needs are served by a network of excellent highways, including the New York State Thruway, Interstate Highways 90 and 87 and a connecting link to the Massachusetts Turnpike; major bus lines; three railroads; Albany International Airport; the Hudson River; the New York State Barge Canal and the Port of Albany.

The County contains three cities-Albany, Cohoes and Watervliet-and ten towns. The cities have well equipped fire and police departments and the towns are served by many individual fire districts, volunteer fire companies and town police departments. Educational services for County residents are provided by private schools, school districts and Hudson Valley Community College, which is located in a neighboring county.