Schenectady is a
city in
Schenectady County,
New York,
United States, of which it is the county seat. As of the
2010 census, the city had a population of 66,135. The name "Schenectady" is derived from a
Mohawk word
skahnéhtati meaning "beyond the pines". The city was founded on the south side of the
Mohawk River by Dutch colonists in the 17th century, many from the
Albany area. They were prohibited from the fur trade by the Albany monopoly, which kept its control after the English takeover in 1664. Residents of the new village developed farms on strip plots along the river.