Hudson Valley
Canaan, New York
Canaan is a town in Columbia County, in New York's Hudson Valley region, home to about 1,600 people as of the 2020 census.
Whether you're moving in or you've been here for years, the checks that matter most are the school district, the assessment and STAR, and — outside the cities — the well, the septic, and the flood map.
- Type
- Town
- County
- Columbia
- Region
- Hudson Valley
- Population (2020)
- 1,570
Local Almanac
Notes in and around Canaan
Short, sourced notes tied to this place, its county, or nearby communities.
This place · History & Culture
Canaan's old story runs through inns, Whig rooms, and Route 5
Canaan's identity has early Connecticut settlement, Revolutionary-era tension, Canaan Centre, Shaker families, and a town hall near NY 295.
Read this note ->Nearby · History & Culture
Chatham Still Reads Like a Rail Hub
Chatham's village story comes from railroad-era Main Street, Tracy Memorial Village Hall, old hotels, shops, and a compact Columbia County crossroads.
Read this note ->Nearby · Home & Property
Nassau property questions should start with the Dewey Loeffel CAG
Nassau residents can use the Dewey Loeffel Community Advisory Group and EPA site profile before making water or property assumptions.
Read this note ->Nearby · Home & Property
Nassau Route 203 contamination calls for EPA-source checking
A Nassau concern note flags the town's Route 203 contamination page and urges property readers to check official EPA updates before assuming conditions.
Read this note ->Nearby · Money & Taxes
Chatham transfer tax forms belong in the recording packet
Chatham real-property conveyances have a town transfer-tax page to check before the county clerk recording packet goes in.
Read this note ->Nearby · History & Culture
New Lebanon holds the Mount Lebanon Shaker story
Shaker Museum gives New Lebanon a direct Mount Lebanon story through Shaker material culture, archives, and a major research collection.
Read this note ->Nearby · History & Culture
Nassau Changed Names, but Kept a Deep Town-History Habit
Nassau’s official history page links the town to Philipstown, its 1806 founding, 1808 renaming, and a broad local archive habit.
Read this note ->Nearby · History & Culture
Old Austerlitz Turns a Town's Buildings Into Working History
Old Austerlitz centers on a historical society site with 18th- and 19th-century buildings, a blacksmith, and town heritage work.
Read this note ->Nearby · History & Culture
Austerlitz makes town history visible through Spencertown archives
Austerlitz's town historian page gathers local stories, dairy farming memory, searchers, and historic district photos around Spencertown.
Read this note ->Property tax snapshot
Roughly $14–$15 per $1,000
Combined full-value rate — county + town/city + school district, per $1,000 of market value (FY2025). On a $300,000 home that's about $4,281–$4,393 a year before the STAR break.
A planning estimate, not a bill. Your exact rate depends on your school district and any village. Confirm with the assessor.
Statewide links
Statewide starting points.
Good to know
- • Your assessed value usually isn't your market value — ask for the equalization rate.
- • Register for STAR; new applicants generally receive a credit instead of an automatic exemption on the bill.
- • Outside the cities, check the well, the septic, and the FEMA flood map before you buy.
Nearby
Nearby places
Tax rates: NYS Dept of Taxation & Finance (ORPTS), Real Property Tax Rates and Levy Data by Municipality, data.ny.gov dataset iq85-sdzs. (FY2025). Population: U.S. Census 2020. Reviewed June 2026. Source data ->
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