Municipal positions were established to be responsible to its citizens, including town clerk, assessors, and more. Calvin Thompson became the first Supervisor. The soil, especially on the eastern lowlands, is fertile for grazing and agriculture, particularly small fruit, strawberries, and other berrys. A one-room schoolhouse operated in Sand Lake from 1895 until 1929.

The Troy and New England Railway provided electric trolley service into Sand Lake from 1895 to 1925. The nine-mile route ran from Albia (of Troy) east to Averill Park. The town's economy grew with tourism and people who became residents during the summer.

Hamlets

thumb|right|Intersection of [[New York State Route 43|NY 43, NY 66 and CR 42 in the hamlet of Sand Lake]]

Averill Park, Sand Lake, and West Sand Lake are three hamlets within the greater town of Sand Lake.

Averill Park

Averill Park is a hamlet near the center of the town. The Averill post office was established in 1880, with Frank Pettit as first postmaster; the name was changed to Averill Park in 1882. Faith Mills (1829-1966) is one of the textile factories that were established, starting in the early 19th century, along what is now Burden Lake Road. It was powered with water from the Wynantskill.

The community became West Sand Lake in 1838. It is the largest of the four hamlets, with the most residents. There are houses dating back to the early 1800s in the western part of the hamlet. It has a number of retail businesses, schools, banks, two churches and a post office. Sliter's Corner, and Taborton.

Glass Lake

thumb|View of Glass Lake, c. 1855, by Joseph Hidley

The Glass Lake area grew up around the Rensselaer Glass Factory that Jeremiah Van Rensselaer founded in 1804. It had homes for 34 workers, a store, school, doctor's office, and more residential and commercial buildings. It is located at Glass Lake, which is the headwaters of the Wynants Kill Creek. A historical marker is located at Routes 43 and 66 at Glass Lake Road. Oak and Perigo hills are about 900 feet above sea level. According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which is land and (2.63%) is water.

Lakes

Within Sand Lake, there are four lakes: Burden Lake, Crooked Lake, Crystal Lake, and Glass Lake. The lakes, stocked with many kinds of fresh water fish, draws tourists to the area. Burden Lake is located in the southern part of the town of Sand Lake and is partially in the town of Nassau, it is a total of 369 acres. Crystal Lake, formerly called Sand Lake, is the largest lake in the Averill Park hamlet in the town of Sand Lake. It is 66 acres in size. Crooked Lake is located in the southern part of the town of Sand Lake, south of Glass Lake. It is 113 acres. Wynants Kill is a stream that flows from Crooked Lake, through Glass and Burden Lakes, and drains into both Richard Pond and the Hudson River.

|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census

As of the 2020 census, the population was 8,348. In 2010 there were 8,530 people, 3,009 households, and 2,229 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 3,277 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 96.4% Non Hispanic White, 0.4% African American, 0.11% Native American, 0.50% Asian and 1.1% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino origin were 1.5% of the population. Ancestries: German (25.2%), Irish (22.6%), English (14.6%), Italian (13.8%), French (8.9%), Polish (6.1%).

There were 3,009 households, out of which 37.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.6% were married couples living together, 11.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.9% were non-families. 20.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.65 and the average family size was 3.08.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 26.6% under the age of 18, 6.1% from 18 to 24, 28.6% from 25 to 44, 28.1% from 45 to 64, and 10.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.7 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $77,372, and the median income for a family was $97,009. Males had a median income of $67,132 versus $48,321 for females. The per capita income for the town was $36,103. The Median household income for White households is $75,474 compared to $2,157,374 for Asian households and $223,858 for African American households. About 6.7% of families and 7.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.3% of those under age 18 and 10.3% of those age 65 or over.

Sports

  • Stock car racing – Sand Lake contributed to the rising popularity of auto racing after World War II. Burden Lake Speedway, a dirt oval facility opened in 1948 near the hamlet of Averill Park. Along with the Pine Bowl and Route 66 Speedways in the adjoining town of Poestenkill and Carroll's Grove Speedway in the nearby town of Brunswick, Rensselaer County became a hub for the sport. Pine Bowl was the longest-lasting of the county’s four tracks, operating through 1966.

Notable people

  • Levancia Holcomb Plumb (1841-1923), business woman, financier, and temperance reformer
  • Kenny Tremont Jr. (born 1961), Hall of Fame auto racing driver

Notes

References

Further reading

  • Municipal Code of Sand Lake
  • Town of Sand Lake Street Map
  • Sand Lake Historical Society