[3][4] It is also the commonly used, but not official, name for the neighboring and much more populous city, Saratoga Springs.

It was the name of Indian hunting grounds located along both sides of the Hudson River.

According to the town's history, it derives from se-rach-ta-gue, meaning "the hillside country of the quiet river".

The name may derive from the Iroquoian se-rach-ta-gue or sa-ra-ta-ke, which the early Dutch settlers rendered as "Sarachtoge".

[6] A second early version of the name is, "Saraghtogo"[7] but the origin remains unproven and thus uncertain.

It is best known as the location that British General John Burgoyne surrendered to American General Horatio Gates at the end of the Battles of Saratoga on October 17, 1777, often cited as the turning point for the United States during the American Revolution.

In 1805, a narrow strip in the southwestern part of Saratoga was annexed to the town of Malta.

The town line is formed by the Hudson River and is the border of Washington County.

U.S. Route 4 (Turning Point Trail[9]) follows the Hudson River along the eastern part of the town.