New York State History from Infoplease
Giovanni da Verrazano, an Italian-born navigator sailing for France, discovered New York Bay in 1524. Henry Hudson, an Englishman employed by the Dutch, reached the bay and sailed up the river now bearing his name in 1609, the same year that northern New York was explored and claimed for France by Samuel de Champlain.
In 1624 the first permanent Dutch settlement was established at Fort Orange (now Albany). One year later Peter Minuit purchased Manhattan Island from the Indians for trinkets worth about 60 Dutch guilders and founded the Dutch colony of New Amsterdam (now New York City), which was surrendered to the English in 1664.
New York's extremely rapid commercial growth may be partly attributed to Gov. De Witt Clinton, who pushed through the construction of the Erie Canal (Buffalo to Albany), which was opened in 1825. Today, the 641-mile Gov. Thomas E. Dewey Thruway connects New York City with Buffalo and with Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Pennsylvania express highways. Two toll-free superhighways, the Adirondack Northway (linking Albany with the Canadian border) and the North-South Expressway (crossing central New York from the Pennsylvania border to the Thousand Islands), have been opened.
The great metropolis of New York City is the nerve center of the nation. It is a leader in manufacturing, foreign trade, commerce and banking, book and magazine publishing, and theatrical production. A leading seaport, its John F. Kennedy International Airport is one of the busiest airports in the world. New York is also home to the New York Stock Exchange, the largest in the world. The printing and publishing industry is the city's largest manufacturing employer, with the apparel industry second.
Nearly all the rest of the state's manufacturing is done on Long Island, along the Hudson River north to Albany, and through the Mohawk Valley, Central New York, and Southern Tier regions to Buffalo. The St. Lawrence seaway and power projects have opened the North Country to industrial expansion and have given the state a second seacoast.
The state ranks seventh in the nation in manufacturing, with 586,400 employees in 2005. The principal industries are printing and publishing, industrial machinery and equipment, electronic equipment, and instruments. The convention and tourist business is also an important source of income.
New York farms produce cattle and calves, corn and poultry, and vegetables and fruits. The state is a leading wine producer.
Major points of interest are Castle Clinton, Fort Stanwix, and Statue of Liberty National Monuments; Niagara Falls; U.S. Military Academy at West Point; National Historic Sites that include homes of Franklin D. Roosevelt at Hyde Park and Theodore Roosevelt in Oyster Bay and New York City; the Women's Rights National Historical Park in Seneca Falls; National Memorials, including Grant's Tomb and Federal Hall in New York City; Fort Ticonderoga; the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown; and the United Nations, skyscrapers, museums, theaters, and parks in New York City.
State abbreviation/Postal code: N.Y./NY
Governor: Eliot Spitzer, D (to Jan. 2011)
Lieut. Governor: David Paterson (to Jan. 2011)
Senators: Charles E. Schumer, D (to Jan. 2011); Hillary Rodham Clinton, D (to Jan. 2013)
Historical biographies of Congressional members
Secy. of State: Lorraine Cortés-Vásquez (apptd. by governor)
Comptroller: Thomas P. DiNapoli
Atty. General: Andrew M. Cuomo, D (to Jan. 2011)
Entered Union (rank): July 26, 1788 (11)
Present constitution adopted: 1777 (last revised 1938)
Motto: Excelsior (Ever upward)
| animal | beaver (1975) |
| fish | brook trout (1975) |
| gem | garnet (1969) |
| flower | rose (1955) |
| tree | sugar maple (1956) |
| bird | bluebird (1970) |
| insect | ladybug (1989) |
| song | “I Love New York” (1980) |
Nickname: Empire State
Origin of name: In honor of the Duke of York
10 largest cities (2005 est.): New York, 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
Land area: 47,214 sq mi. (122,284 sq km)
Geographic center: In Madison Co., 12 mi. S of Oneida and 26 mi. SW of Utica
Number of counties: 62
Largest county by population and area: Kings, 2,486,235 (2005); St. Lawrence, 2,686 sq mi.
State forest preserves: Adirondacks, 2,500,000 ac.; Catskills, 250,000 ac.
State parks: 176
Residents: New Yorker
2005 resident population est.: 19,254,630
2000 resident census population (rank): 18,976,457 (3). Male: 9,146,748 (48.2%); Female: 9,829,709 (51.8%). White: 12,893,689 (67.9%); Black: 3,014,385 (15.9%); American Indian: 82,461 (0.4%); Asian: 1,044,976 (5.5%); Other race: 1,341,946 (7.1%); Two or more races: 590,182 (3.1%); Hispanic/Latino: 2,867,583 (15.1%). 2000 percent population 18 and over: 75.3; 65 and over: 12.9; median age: 35.9.
Read this! This is a controversy concerning Jamestown, VA versus New York!
This is a difficult call for me - since I was born in New York City and have lived in Virginia (where my father's family lives) for over half my life. The article seems rather unfair to Jamestown; I feel that both places are significant and should be celebrated! What's your opinion?
2009 will be a watershed year,
marking the 400th anniversary of Hudson and Champlain's voyages along the river and lake that bear their names -- and the 200th anniversary of Fulton's successful steamboat voyage and establishment of steam commerce on the Hudson River. From the Canadian border to New York harbor, a wealth of exciting events and activities is being planned for you. We invite you to join this spectacular extravaganza that will draw people from all over the world.
Hudson's and Champlain's voyages laid the groundwork for Dutch settlement of the Hudson Valley and French settlement of the Champlain Valley and Canada. Soon this region would become the center of a trade network linking the New World with the old. New traditions of freedom were forged here. And countless immigrants first set foot on these shores pursuing the American dream. Nearly 200 years later, Fulton's journey would strengthen the region's ties to the world, while heralding a new era of innovation which distinguishes the Northeast to this day.
2 comments:
Great info! Only thing you might want to change is the Hevesi reference. He's lucky 2011 is not his parole date!
You're right - it shall be done!
I feel sorry for his wife - and he was trying to help her.
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