The Village of Valatie was founded circa 1665 by the Dutch
Valatie was first named "Pachaquak", meaning "cleared meadow", by its earliest settlers—Algonquian Mohicans—who lived along the banks of Valatie's two waterways now called Valatie Kill and Kinderhook Creek.
The earliest European settlers here were the Dutch, who named this area "Vaaltje", meaning "little falls". The Dutch 'Vaaltje' ultimately evolved to the anglicized "Valatie" that we are today.
Part of New York's original New Netherland, the Village of Valatie was considered Northern Columbia County's center of commerce throughout the 19th century. Valatie incorporated in 1856.