East Greenbush, New York

East Greenbush
The East Greenbush Town Hall on Columbia Turnpike
Etymology: Dutch Greenen Bosch, "pine woods."
Location in Rensselaer County and the state of New York.
Location of New York in the United States
Coordinates: 42°36′44″N 73°41′58″W / 42.61222°N 73.69944°W / 42.61222; -73.69944
CountryUnited States
StateNew York
CountyRensselaer
Incorporation as town1855
Government
 • Town supervisorJack Conway
Area
 • Total
24.29 sq mi (62.92 km2)
 • Land24.02 sq mi (62.21 km2)
 • Water0.27 sq mi (0.71 km2)
Elevation
236 ft (72 m)
Lowest elevation
0 ft (0 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total
16,748
 • Density697.3/sq mi (269.2/km2)
Time zoneUTC-5 (EST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-4 (EDT)
Area code518
FIPS code36-083-22117
FIPS code36-22117
GNIS feature ID0978918
Wikimedia CommonsEast Greenbush, New York
Websiteeastgreenbush.org

East Greenbush is a town in Rensselaer County, New York, United States. It is a suburb of Albany. The population was 16,748 at the 2020 census. The word Greenbush is derived from the Dutch het groen bosch, referring to the pine woods that originally covered the land. The first settlement of the land now known as East Greenbush was made by tenants under patroon Kiliaen van Rensselaer circa 1630. The town was established in 1855 as Clinton, and was renamed in 1858. It is mostly suburban along its major highways and rural in the southwestern and northeastern corners.

I-90 traverses the town. It contains the western (or southern) terminus of US 4 and the northern terminus of NY 9J; as well as US 9 and US 20. The latter run concurrently, under the name Columbia Turnpike, which is often referred to by the locals as "9 and 20."