Cohoes (/kəˈhoʊz/ kə-HOHZ) is an incorporated city located in the northeast corner of Albany County in the U.S. state of New York.

One of the earliest descriptions of the falls was in 1642 by Johannes Megapolensis, the first dominie (Dutch Reformed pastor) of Beverwyck.

[4] In the early-to-mid 17th century, a whale swam upriver in the Hudson, becoming stranded in the Mohawk River on an island just below the Cohoes Falls.

These islands allowed for easier fords across the various mouths of the Mohawk and access to Waterford and points north.

After the Mohawk and other Iroquois allies of the British were forced to cede their territory, New York encouraged new settlement.

Cohoes was known as Juncta because of being served by the two canals, which improved water traffic north to Lake Champlain and west through the Mohawk Valley.

[4] Even with the canals and the bridge bringing easier access to larger markets, Cohoes was a sleepy place prior to 1831.

The nearest post office was at Waterford; fresh meat and produce were available mostly by residents raising their own.

[4] In 1811 the Cohoes Manufacturing Company, owned entirely by men from Lansingburg, was incorporated and began a factory for making screws.

[5] In 1831, a new Cohoes Company constructed a dam on the Mohawk River above the city's waterfall in order to better regulate water flow for industrial use.

During the 19th century, numerous immigrants came to Cohoes to work in the mills, particularly French Canadians from Quebec and Irish, who first arrived as refugees in the 1840s from the Great Famine.

[9] Around the start of the 20th century, daredevil Bobby Leach practiced going over the Cohoes Falls in a barrel before he performed the same stunt at Niagara.

Cohoes residents watched this feat from the lawn or the porch of The Cataract House, the Victorian hotel at the corner of North Mohawk and School streets.

[citation needed] From 2005 to 2013, the Harmony Mills were redeveloped and restored by real estate developer Uri Kaufman.

Kaufman converted the Mills to luxury loft apartments, sparking a revival in the heart of the city.

[citation needed] On November 30, 2017, there was a massive fire that destroyed and damaged 21 buildings that caught the attention of national media.

[12] Starting around 2020 to 2023, Cohoes embarked on a citywide revitalization project focused on improving infrastructure, restoring historic buildings, and environmental sustainability.

[14] In 2020, historic Canal Square Park in downtown Cohoes was redesigned to host Farmer’s Markets, outdoor concerts, and receptions and other events.

To the east of Van Schaick Island across the Hudson River is Rensselaer County and the city of Troy's Lansingburg neighborhood.

New York State Route 470 crosses east–west through the city and goes over the Hudson River to the northern parts of Troy.

Until the mid-1950s, the Delaware and Hudson Railroad ran the Laurentian train (New York - Montreal), making a stop at its station in Cohoes.

[20] Author Kurt Vonnegut's character, writer Kilgore Trout, was said to have been a resident of Cohoes in his story, "Requiem for a Dreamer".