About Us:
The Town of Hillsdale is located in the eastern portion of Columbia County bordering the western Massachusetts towns of Alford and Egremont. The City of Hudson is approximately fifteen miles to the west, and Albany, the New York State Capital, is about thirty miles to the northwest.

Hillsdale was formed from Claverack, becoming a town in March 1788. Its southern boundary is also the southern line of the Van Rensselaer Patent where it meets the northern line of Livingston Manor. The Town is sparsely populated except in five areas where settlement is more concentrated the hamlet of Hillsdale, East Hillsdale, North Hillsdale, Harlemville, and Green River. The population of the Town today is about 1,800, a great deal less than the 2,552 as noted in 1860 in J. F. Collin's A History of Hillsdale.

The hamlet of Hillsdale is located on the Town's southern boundary with Copake. Many residents of the Town of Copake live at Hillsdale postal addresses, and are socially and physically a part of Hillsdale. Planning for the future of Hillsdale must take account of the fact that an arbitrary political boundary bisects Hillsdale's most important settlement center.

The hills and dales prominent throughout the Town, from which the name Hillsdale is derived, range from just under 700 feet above sea level to 1,673 feet in elevatio'n on White's Hill. Other mountainous areas include the Kaikoudt (1,450 feet), Lyon Mountain (1,404 feet), Pumpkin Hill (1,418 feet), Shepard Hill (1,633 feet), and Texas Hill (1,055 feet). Other physical features of the Town include large. areas with slopes greater than 15% and soil types which are severely limited in their ability to absorb sewage effluent. These soils are very rocky, with a thin soil mantle over bedrock and poor permeability.

In addition to the mountains, there are three main valleys in the Town. One, in Green River, extends eastward into Massachusetts; the main north-south valley forms one leg of the upper end of the Harlem Valley, extending south from North Hillsdale; a third valley extends east to west through the hamlet center. Each of these valley areas has been mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey showing the potential existence of underlying aquifers. Further analysis needs to be done to determine the aquifer boundaries, ground water levels, and the direction of flow. This information is vital in planning for future development and soil mining.
 
Hillsdale's open space, rural character, and scenic views are important natural resources that attract people to the area. These natural resources, insofar as possible, should be preserved.
 
The largest natural resource other than forests (which cover 70 % of Hillsdale) is agricultural land. Of the Town's 48.3 square miles (30,912 acres), approximately twenty percent of the land (6,200 acres) remains in agriculture. Twenty years ago, thirty percent of the land was considered to be in agricultural use.