When Dutch settlers developed Fort Orange (present-day Albany, New York) in the Hudson Valley beginning in 1614, the Mohawk called their settlement skahnéhtati, meaning 'beyond the pines', referring to a large area of pine barrens between the Mohawk settlements and the Hudson River.

The easternmost one was Ossernenon, about 9 miles west of present-day Auriesville, New York. In the 1640s, the Mohawk had three major villages, all on the Mohawk River's south side. Starting in the early 1600s the Mohawk moved their settlements closer to the river and by 1629, they had also taken over territories on the Hudson River's west bank that were formerly held by the Algonquian-speaking Mahican people. They had occupied territory in the region since at least 1100 AD. When first encountered by Europeans, the Mohawk Valley was the territory of the Mohawk nation, one of the Five Nations of the Iroquois Confederacy, or Haudenosaunee. Schenectady was part of emerging technologies, with GE collaborating in the production of nuclear-powered submarines and, in the 21st century, working on other forms of renewable energy.

In the 19th century, nationally influential companies and industries developed in Schenectady, including General Electric and American Locomotive Company (ALCO), which were powers into the mid-20th century. By 1824, more people worked in manufacturing than agriculture or trade like many New York cities, it had a cotton mill that processed cotton from the Deep South. Connected to the west by the Mohawk River and Erie Canal, Schenectady developed rapidly in the 19th century as part of the Mohawk Valley trade, manufacturing, and transportation corridor. Residents of the new village developed farms on strip plots along the river. The name 'Schenectady' is derived from the Mohawk word skahnéhtati, meaning 'beyond the pines' and used for the area around Albany, New York. Schenectady was founded on the south side of the Mohawk River by Dutch colonists in the 17th century, many of whom came from the Albany area. It is in the same metropolitan area as the state capital, Albany, which is about 15 miles (24 km) southeast. The city is in eastern New York, near the confluence of the Mohawk and Hudson rivers. As of the 2020 census, the city's population of 67,047 made it the state's ninth-most populous city and the twenty-fifth most-populous municipality by population. Schenectady ( / s k ə ˈ n ɛ k t ə d i/ ) is a city in Schenectady County, New York, United States, of which it is the county seat.

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