It is located on the north side of the Mohawk River in the northwestern part of the county.

The name is derived from the Palatinate in the Rhineland, the homeland of the Germans who were the earliest European settlers of this region.

Queen Anne of England arranged for the transport of several thousand Palatines to the colony in 1710 and later; they first worked in camps run by the English along the Hudson River to pay off the cost of passage.

[4] The Town was formed in 1788 after the American Revolutionary War from the "Palatine District" in the newly organized Montgomery County.

The formation of other towns that eventually were in adjacent counties further reduced Palatine in size.

24.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.