New York (pronounced /nu?'j?rk/) is a state in the
Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States, and
is the country's third most populous state. It is bordered by Vermont,
Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania, and shares
a water border with Rhode Island as well as an international border
with the Canadian provinces of Quebec and Ontario.
New York City, which is both the largest city in the state and
in the United States, is known for its history as a gateway for
immigration to the United States and its status as a financial,
cultural, transportation, and manufacturing center.
New York was inhabited by the Algonquian, Iroquois, and Lenape
Native American groups at the time Dutch and French nationals moved
into the region in the very early 17th century. First claimed by
Henry Hudson in 1609, the region came to have Dutch forts in Fort
Orange, near the site of the present-day capital of Albany in 1614
and was colonized by the Dutch in 1624, at both Albany and Manhattan;
it later fell to British annexation in 1664. About one third of
all of the battles of the Revolutionary War took place in New York.
New York became an independent state on July 9, 1776 and enacted
its constitution in 1777. The state ratified the United States Constitution
on July 26, 1788 to become the 11th state. According to the US Department
of Commerce, it is also the state of choice for foreign visitors,
leading both Florida and California in tourism respectively.
Contents [hide]
1 Geography
1.1 Climate
1.2 State parks
2 History
3 Demographics
3.1 Population
3.2 Cities and towns
3.3 Racial and ancestral makeup
3.4 Religion
4 Economy
5 Transportation
6 Politics and government
6.1 Politics
7 See also
8 References
9 External links
[edit] Geography
Main article: Geography of New York
New York covers 54,475 square miles (141,089 km²) and ranks
as 27th largest state by size. The Great Appalachian Valley dominates
eastern New York, while Lake Champlain is the chief northern feature
of the valley, which also includes the Hudson River flowing southward
to the Atlantic Ocean. The rugged Adirondack Mountains, with vast
tracts of wilderness, lie west of the valley. Most of the southern
part of the state is on the Allegheny plateau, which rises from
the southeast to the Catskill Mountains. The western section of
the state is drained by the Allegheny River and rivers of the Susquehanna
and Delaware systems. The Delaware River Basin Compact, signed in
1961 by New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, and the federal
government, regulates the utilization of water of the Delaware system.
New York's borders touch (clockwise from the west) two Great Lakes
(Erie and Ontario, which are connected by the Niagara River); the
provinces of Ontario and Quebec in Canada; Lake Champlain; three
New England states (Vermont, Massachusetts, and Connecticut); the
Atlantic Ocean, and two Mid-Atlantic states (New Jersey and Pennsylvania).
In addition, Rhode Island shares a water border with New York.
Contrasting with New York City's urban atmosphere, the vast majority
of the state is dominated by farms, forests, rivers, mountains,
and lakes. New York's Adirondack Park is the largest state park
in the United States. Niagara Falls, on the Niagara River as it
flows from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario, is a popular attraction. The
Hudson River begins with Lake Tear of the Clouds and flows south
through the eastern part of the state without draining Lakes George
or Champlain. Lake George empties at its north end into Lake Champlain,
whose northern end extends into Canada, where it drains into the
Richelieu and then the St Lawrence Rivers. Four of New York City's
five boroughs are on the three islands at the mouth of the Hudson
River: Manhattan Island, Staten Island, and Brooklyn and Queens
on Long Island.
"Upstate" is a common term for New York State counties
north of suburban Westchester and Rockland counties. Upstate New
York typically includes the Catskill and Adirondack Mountains, the
Shawangunk Ridge, the Finger Lakes and the Great Lakes in the west;
and Lake Champlain, Lake George, and Oneida Lake in the northeast;
and rivers such as the Delaware, Genesee, Mohawk, and Susquehanna.
The highest elevation in New York is Mount Marcy in the Adirondacks.
[edit] Climate
The climate of New York State is broadly representative of the humid
continental type that prevails in the northeastern United States,
but its diversity is not usually encountered within an area of comparable
size.[citation needed] The Great Lakes, ocean, rivers, and mountains
give New York interesting weather. Masses of cold, dry air frequently
arrive from the northern interior of the continent. Prevailing winds
from the south and southwest transport warm, humid air, which has
been conditioned by the Gulf of Mexico and adjacent subtropical
waters. These two air masses provide the dominant continental characteristics
of the climate. A third great air mass flows inland from the North
Atlantic Ocean and produces cool, cloudy, and damp weather conditions.
New York state welcome signNearly all storm and frontal systems
moving eastward across the continent pass through or come close
in proximity to New York State. Storm systems often move northward
along the Atlantic coast and have an important influence on the
weather and climate of Long Island and the lower Hudson Valley.
Frequently, areas deep in the interior of the state feel the effects
of such coastal storms.
The winters are long and cold in the Plateau Divisions of the state.
In the majority of winter seasons, a temperature of -13 °F (-25
°C) or lower can be expected in the northern highlands (Northern
Plateau) and 5 °F (-15 °C) or colder in the southwestern
and east-central highlands (Southern Plateau). The Adirondack region
records from 35 to 45 days with below zero temperatures in normal
to severe winters.[citation needed] Much of Upstate New York, particularly
Western and Central New York, are typically affected by lake-effect
snows. This usually results in high yearly snowfall totals in these
regions. Winters are also long and cold in both Western and Central
New York, though not as cold as the Adirondack region. The New York
City metro area in comparison to the rest of the state is milder
in the winter. Thanks in part to geography (its proximity to the
Atlantic and being shielded to the north and west by hillier terrain),
the New York metro area usually sees far less snow than the rest
of the state. Lake-effect snow rarely affects the New York metro
area, except for its extreme northwestern suburbs. Winters also
tend to be noticeably shorter here than the rest of the state.[citation
needed]
The summer climate is cool in the Adirondacks, Catskills, and higher
elevations of the Southern Plateau. The New York City area and lower
portions of the Hudson Valley have rather warm summers by comparison,
with some periods of high, uncomfortable humidity. The remainder
of New York State enjoys pleasantly warm summers, marred by only
occasional, brief intervals of sultry conditions. Summer daytime
temperatures usually range from the upper 70s to mid 80s °F
(25 to 30 °C) over much of the State, producing an atmospheric
environment favorable to many athletic, recreational, and other
outdoor activities.
New York ranks 46th among the 50 states in the amount of greenhouse
gases generated per person. This efficiency is primarily due to
the state's relatively higher rate of mass transit use.[3]
Monthly Normal High and Low Temperatures For Various New York Cities
City Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Albany 31/13 34/16 44/25 57/36 70/46 78/55 82/60 80/58 71/50 60/39
48/31 36/20
Binghamton 28/15 31/17 41/25 53/35 66/46 73/54 78/59 76/57 68/50
57/40 44/31 33/21
Buffalo 31/18 33/19 42/26 54/36 66/48 75/57 80/62 78/60 70/53 59/43
47/34 36/24
Long Beach 39/23 40/24 48/31 58/40 69/49 77/60 83/66 82/64 75/57
64/45 54/36 44/28
New York 38/26 41/28 50/35 61/44 71/54 79/63 84/69 82/68 75/60 64/50
53/41 43/32
Rochester 31/17 33/17 43/25 55/35 68/46 77/55 81/60 79/59 71/51
60/41 47/33 36/23
Syracuse 31/14 34/16 43/24 56/35 68/46 77/55 82/60 80/59 71/51 60/40
47/32 36/21
Temperatures listed using the Fahrenheit scale
Source: [1]
[edit] State parks
See also: List of New York state parks
Long Pond in the Saint Regis Canoe Area of the Adirondack Park.New
York has many state parks and two major forest preserves. Adirondack
Park, roughly the size of the state of Vermont and the largest state
park in the United States, was established in 1892 and given state
constitutional protection in 1894. The thinking that led to the
creation of the Park first appeared in George Perkins Marsh's Man
and Nature, published in 1864. Marsh argued that deforestation could
lead to desertification; referring to the clearing of once-lush
lands surrounding the Mediterranean, he asserted "the operation
of causes set in action by man has brought the face of the earth
to a desolation almost as complete as that of the moon."
The Catskill Park was protected in legislation passed in 1885,
which declared that its land was to be conserved and never put up
for sale or lease. Consisting of 700,000 acres (2,800 km²)
of land, the park is a habitat for bobcats, minks and fishers. There
are some 400 black bears living in the region. The state operates
numerous campgrounds and there are over 300 miles (480 km) of multi-use
trails in the Park.
The Montauk Point State Park boasts the famous Montauk Lighthouse
commissioned by the first President of the U.S.A, George Washington,
which is a major tourist attraction and is located in the township
of East Hampton, Suffolk County. Hither Hills park offers camping
and is a popular destination with surfcasting sport fishermen.
The Letchworth State Park is Location Small towns of Mount Morris,
Perry, Castile, Nunda, Portageville, New York, is also home of Mount_Morris_Dam
[edit] History
Main article: History of New York
During the 17th century, Dutch trading posts established for the
purchase of pelts from the Iroquois and other tribes expanded into
the colony of New Netherlands. The first of these trading posts
were Beverwyck (1614, now Albany); New Amsterdam, (1623, now NYC);
and Esopus, (1653, now Kingston). The British captured the colony
during the Second Anglo-Dutch War and governed it as the Province
of New York. Agitation for independence during the 1770s brought
the American Revolution, which for New York was also a civil war.
New York declared itself an independent state on July 9, 1776.
The New York state constitution was framed by a convention which
assembled at White Plains, New York on July 10, 1776, and after
repeated adjournments and changes of location, terminated its labors
at Kingston, New York on Sunday evening, April 20, 1777, when the
new constitution was adopted with but one dissenting vote. It was
not submitted to the people for ratification. It was drafted by
John Jay. On 30 July 1777, George Clinton was inaugurated as the
first Governor of New York at Kingston.
The Woolworth Building, in New York City, was one of the world's
first skyscrapers (1913).During the revolution, four of the Iroquois
nations fought on the side of the British. They were defeated in
the Sullivan Expedition of 1779. Suffering privations, many members
moved to Canada. Most, absent or present, lost their land after
the war. Some of the land purchases are the subject of modern-day
claims by the individual tribes.
New York state was one of the original thirteen colonies that became
the United States. It was the 11th state to ratify the United States
Constitution, on July 26, 1788.
The creation of the Erie Canal led to rapid industrialization in
New York.Transportation in western New York was difficult before
canals were built in the early part of the nineteenth century. The
Hudson and Mohawk Rivers could be navigated only as far as Central
New York. While the St. Lawrence River could be navigated to Lake
Ontario, the way westward to the other Great Lakes was blocked by
Niagara Falls, and so the only route to western New York was over
land. Governor DeWitt Clinton strongly advocated building a canal
to connect the Hudson River with Lake Erie, and thus all the Great
Lakes. Work commenced in 1817, and the Erie Canal was finished in
1825. The canal opened up vast areas of New York to commerce and
settlement, and enabled port cities such as Buffalo to grow and
prosper.
See also: New York State Constitutions
[edit] Demographics
Main article: Demographics of New York
Historical population of New York
New York population density map
The major cities and roadways of New York State.As of 2006, New
York was the third largest state in population after California
and Texas, with an estimated population of 19,306,183.[4] This represents
an increase of 329,362, or 1.7%, since the year 2000; it includes
a natural increase since the last census of 601,779 people (1,576,125
births minus 974,346 deaths) and a decrease due to net migration
of 422,481 people out of the state. Immigration from outside the
United States resulted in a net increase of 820,388 people, and
migration within the country produced a net loss of about 800,213.
In spite of the open land in the state, New York's population is
very urban, with 92% of residents living in an urban area.[5]
New York is a slow growing state with a large rate of migration
to other states. In 2000 and 2005, more people moved from New York
to Florida than from any one state to another.[6] New York state
is a leading destination for international immigration, however.
The center of population of New York is located in Orange County,
in the town of Deerpark.[7] New York City and its eight suburban
counties (excluding those in New Jersey, Connecticut, and Pennsylvania)
have a combined population of 13,209,006 people, or 68.42% of the
state's population.[8]
[edit] Cities and towns
For lists of cities, towns, and counties in New York, see List of
cities in New York, List of towns in New York, List of villages
in New York, List of counties in New York, List of census-designated
places in New York and Administrative divisions of New York.
The largest city in the state and the most populous city in the
United States is New York City, which is comprised of five counties,
the Bronx, New York (Manhattan), Queens, Kings (Brooklyn), and Richmond
(Staten Island). New York City is home to more than two-fifths of
the state's population. The ten largest cities are:[9]
New York City (8,143,197)
Buffalo (279,745)
Rochester (211,091)
Yonkers (196,425)
Syracuse (141,683)
Albany (93,523)
New Rochelle (72,967)
Mount Vernon (67,924)
Schenectady (61,280)
Utica (59,336)
The location of these population centers within the state stays
remarkably true to the major transportation and trade routes in
the early nineteenth century, primarily the Erie Canal and railroads
paralleling it. Today, Interstate 90 acts as a modern counterpart
to commercial water routes.
The smallest city is Sherrill, New York, located just west of the
Town of Vernon in Oneida County. Albany is the state capital, and
the Town of Hempstead is the civil township with the largest population.
The southern tip of New York State—New York City, its suburbs
including Long Island, the southern portion of the Hudson Valley,
and most of northern New Jersey—can be considered to form
the central core of a "megalopolis", a super-city stretching
from the northern suburbs of Boston to the southern suburbs of Washington
D.C. in Virginia and therefore occasionally called "BosWash".
Albany
Beacon
Binghamton
Buffalo
Elmira
Hempstead
Ithaca
Mount Vernon
New Rochelle
New York City
Newburgh
Niagara Falls
Plattsburgh
Poughkeepsie
Rochester
Saranac Lake
Saratoga Springs
Schenectady
Syracuse
Troy
Utica
Watertown
White Plains
Yonkers
[edit] Racial and ancestral makeup
The major ancestry groups in New York state are African American
(15.8%), Italian (14.4%), Irish (12.9%), and German (11.1%).[10]
According to a 2004 estimate, 20.4% of the population is foreign-born.
New York is home to the largest Dominican and Jamaican American
population in the United States. The New York City neighborhood
of Harlem has historically been a major cultural capital for sub
saharan African-Americans and Bedford Stuyvesant is the largest
in the United States. Queens, also in New York City, is home to
the state's largest Asian-American population, and is also the most
diverse county in the United States.
In the 2000 Census, Italian-Americans make up the largest ancestral
group in Staten Island and Long Island, followed by Irish-Americans.
Albany and southeast-central New York are heavily Irish-American
and Italian-American. In Buffalo and western New York, German-Americans
are the largest group; in the northern tip of the state, French-Canadians.
6.5% of New York's population were under 5 years of age, 24.7%
under 18, and 12.9% were 65 or older. Females made up 51.8% of the
population.
New York State has a higher number of Italian-Americans than any
other U.S. state.
According to the 2000 U.S. Census,[citation needed] 13.61% of the
population aged 5 and over speak Spanish at home, while 2.04% speak
Chinese (including Cantonese and Mandarin), 1.65% Italian, and 1.23%
Russian [2].
[edit] Religion
Catholics comprise more than 40% of the population in New York.[11]
Protestants are 30% of the population, Jews 5%, Muslims 3.5%, Buddhists
1%, and 13% claim no religious affiliation.
[edit] Economy
Main article: Economy of New York
Midtown Manhattan in New York City is home to the greatest concentration
of Fortune 500 companies in the world.
A dairy farm near Oxford, New York.New York's gross state product
in 2006 was $1.02 trillion, ranking third in size behind the larger
states of California and Texas.[12] If New York were an independent
nation, it would rank as the 16th largest economy in the world behind
South Korea. Its 2005 per capita personal income was $40,072, an
increase of 4.2% from 2004, placing it fifth in the nation behind
Maryland, and eighth in the world behind Ireland. New York's agricultural
outputs are dairy products, cattle and other livestock, vegetables,
nursery stock, and apples. Its industrial outputs are printing and
publishing, scientific instruments, electric equipment, machinery,
chemical products, and tourism.
New York exports a wide variety of goods such as foodstuffs, commodities,
minerals, manufactured goods, cut diamonds, and automobile parts.
New York's five largest export markets in 2004 were Canada ($30.2
billion), United Kingdom ($3.3 billion), Japan ($2.6 billion), Israel
($2.4 billion), and Switzerland ($1.8 billion). New York's largest
imports are oil, gold, aluminum, natural gas, electricity, rough
diamonds, and lumber.
Canada is a very important economic partner for the state. 23%
of the state's total worldwide exports went to Canada in 2004. Tourism
from the north is also a large part of the economy. Canadians spent
US$487 million in 2004 while visiting the state.
New York City is the leading center of banking, finance and communication
in the United States and is the location of the New York Stock Exchange,
the largest stock exchange in the world by dollar volume. Many of
the world's largest corporations are based in the city.
The state also has a large manufacturing sector that includes printing
and the production of garments, furs, railroad equipment and bus
line vehicles. Many of these industries are concentrated in upstate
regions. Albany and the Hudson Valley are major centers of nanotechnology
and microchip manufacturing, while the Rochester area is important
in photographic equipment and imaging.
New York is a major agricultural producer, ranking among the top
five states for agricultural products including dairy, apples, cherries,
cabbage, potatoes, onions, maple syrup and many others. The state
is the largest producer of cabbage in the U.S. The state has about
a quarter of its land in farms and produced US$3.4 billion in agricultural
products in 2001. The south shore of Lake Ontario provides the right
mix of soils and microclimate for many apple, cherry, plum, pear
and peach orchards. Apples are also grown in the Hudson Valley and
near Lake Champlain. The south shore of Lake Erie and the southern
Finger Lakes hillsides have many vineyards. New York is the nation's
third-largest grape-producing state, behind California, and second
largest wine producer by volume. In 2004, New York's wine and grape
industry brought US$6 billion into the state economy. The state
has 30,000 acres (120 km²) of vineyards, 212 wineries, and
produced 200 million bottles of wine in 2004. A moderately sized
saltwater commercial fishery is located along the Atlantic side
of Long Island. The principal catches by value are clams, lobsters,
squid, and flounder. These areas have been increasing as environmental
protection has led to an increase in ocean wildlife.
[edit] Transportation
Main article: Transportation in New York
The New York City subway is the largest mass transit system in the
world by number of stations.New York boasts the most extensive and
one of the oldest transportation infrastructures in the country.
Engineering difficulties because of the terrain of the state and
the unique issues of the city brought on by urban crowding have
had to be overcome since the state was young. Population expansion
of the state generally followed the path of the early waterways,
first the Hudson River and then the Erie Canal. Today, railroad
lines and the New York State Thruway follow the same general route.
The New York State Department of Transportation is often criticized
for how they maintain the roads of the state in certain areas and
for the fact that the tolls collected along the roadway have long
passed their original purpose. Until 2006, tolls were collected
on the Thruway within The City of Buffalo. They were dropped late
in 2006 during the campaign for Governor (both candidates called
for their removal).
The Bear Mountain Bridge crossing the Hudson River.In addition to
New York City's famous mass transit subway, four suburban commuter
railroad systems enter and leave the city, including the Long Island
Rail Road, MTA Metro-North, the PATH system and five of NJTransit's
rail services. Many of the other cities have urban and regional
public transportation. Syracuse is the smallest city in the U.S.
to have a commuter rail line, known as OnTrack. Buffalo also has
a Subway line, sometimes called a Lightrail System run by the NFTA,
and Rochester had a subway system, although it is mostly destroyed.
Only a small part exists under the old Erie Canal Aqueduct.
Portions of the transportation system are intermodal, allowing
travelers to easily switch from one mode of transportation to another.
One of the most notable examples is AirTrain JFK which allows rail
passengers to travel directly to terminals at Kennedy Airport.
See also: Transportation in New York City
[edit] Politics and government
Main article: Government of New York
New York State Capitol Building.Under its present constitution (adopted
in 1938), New York is governed by three branches of government:
the executive branch, consisting of the Governor of New York and
the other independently elected constitutional officers; the legislative
branch, consisting of the bicameral New York State Legislature;
and the judicial branch, consisting of the state's highest court,
the New York Court of Appeals, and lower courts. The state has two
U.S. senators, 29 members in the United States House of Representatives,
and 31 electoral votes in national presidential elections (a drop
from its 41 votes during the 1970s).
New York's capital is Albany. The state's subordinate political
units are its 62 counties. Other officially incorporated governmental
units are towns, cities, and villages. New York has more than 4,200
local governments that take one of these forms. About 52% of all
revenue raised by local governments in the state is raised solely
by the government of New York City, which is the largest municipal
government in the United States.[13]
The state has a strong imbalance of payments with the federal government.
New York State receives 82 cents in services for every $1 it sends
in taxes to the federal government in Washington.[14] The state
ranks near the bottom, in 42nd place, in federal spending per tax
dollar.
Many of New York's public services are carried out by public benefit
corporations, frequently called authorities or development corporations.
Well known public benefit corporations in New York include the Metropolitan
Transportation Authority, which oversees New York City's public
transportation system, and the Port Authority of New York and New
Jersey, a bi-state transportation infrastructure agency.
New York's legal system is explicitly based on English common Law.
Capital punishment was declared unconstitutional in 2004.
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