The area that is now the Town of Rotterdam, New York was first settled by predominantly Dutch, about the year 1661. The Town, named after the City of Rotterdam, The Netherlands, was formed from a Ward of the City of Schenectady, April 14, 1820. The fertile soil along the Mohawk River was responsible for a thriving broom corn industry during the mid-1800s.
With the advent of the Erie Canal in 1825 and later, with the coming of railroads to Rotterdam, hamlets began to spring up about the Town. Rotterdam Junction, South Schenectady, and Pattersonville became important railroad shipping centers in the 1880s. The Erie Canal traversed the entire length of the Town on the northeast, with two locks located in the Town. Athens Junction and Mohawkville were quiet, pleasant settlements in the southeastern part of Town.

Rotterdam, once a frontier town, now is a land of agriculture, industry, and suburban communities. The population has grown from 1,529 in 1820 to nearly 30,000 in 1970. Established as a first-class Town in 1942, Rotterdam has since adopted the seal of the Old World Rotterdam, along with its motto, “Stronger Through Effort.” Through diligent application of this motto, Rotterdam looks confidently to the future.