Rensselaer is a college city located in the county of the same name, across the river from Albany. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute is a well-regarded engineering industry and a major local employer. Younger students attend the Rensselaer City School District. In the past, the area was known for iron, and it produced the plates for the Civil War ship, "Monitor." On a different boat, visitors can take dinner cruises on the Hudson River. Stephen Van Rensselear was a famous past resident, who founded the university, the oldest degree-granting engineering institution in the English-speaking world.