Minerva is a town in Essex County, New York, United States. The population was 809 at the 2010 census. The town is named after Minerva, the Roman goddess of wisdom.The town is located in the southwest corner of the county. By road it is 40 miles north-northwest of Queensbury, New York, 85 miles southwest of Burlington, Vermont, 88 miles south of Plattsburgh, 93 miles north of Albany, and 147 miles south of Montreal, Quebec.