New York Land Information Guide

Geography And Climate Of New York

The state of New York covers 54,556 square miles in the Northeastern U.S., running 330 miles from north to south and 285 from east to west. New York combines a number of different interesting geographic features depending on location. In the west, New York borders Great Lakes Erie and Ontario and Canadian provinces Ontario and Quebec. In the east, the Great Appalachian Valley and Adirondack Mountains are the most noticeable features, along with the Hudson River, which flows all the way down the state. In the south, is the urban part of New York, a sharp contrast to the rural and natural conditions in most of the state, featuring New York City and Long Island.

Weather in New York can be uncomfortable during the height of the various seasons. It can be very humid in the summer, while in the winter it becomes quite cold, especially in upstate New York. New York typically sees high temperatures in the 80s in the summer and in the teens in the winter.

History Of New York

New York was originally a spot for Dutch trading posts in the 1600s and was referred to as the New Netherlands, with New York City referred to as New Amsterdam. In 1626, Dutchman Peter Minuit bought the island of Manhattan from the Lenape Native American tribe for 60 Guilders. The Treaty of Breda that ended the Second Anglo-Dutch War gave possession of the area to the British, who renamed it New York. By 1700, the Lenape were almost entirely wiped out. New York City was host to a number of landmark events in U.S. history, with the Stamp Act, Congress meeting there in 1765 and George Washington’s inauguration in 1789. New York State was one of the original 13 colonies. In 1886, the Statue of Liberty was dedicated in New York Harbor. For over 100 years, neighboring Ellis Island has been the primary entrance point for immigrating citizens.

Demographics Of New York

New York, at roughly 19,306,183 people, is the third largest state in the union by population, following California and Texas. Although many people immigrate to New York, many emigrate from there as well, keeping the population relatively stable over the last year or two. New York is about 62 percent Caucasian, 18 percent African American, 13 percent Hispanic and seven percent Asian. This reflects the state as a whole and not the more diverse New York City, which is roughly 44 percent Caucasian and Hispanic, 25 percent African American and 12 percent Asian. New York City also has the largest Jewish community outside of Israel and the largest Puerto Rican community outside of Puerto Rico and is famous as a “melting pot” for people from all countries, beliefs, ethnicities and walks of life. Roughly 68 percent of New Yorkers identify as Christian with regard to religious affiliation, with the plurality of those being of the Roman Catholic persuasion. Other religious groups include Jewish, Muslim and Buddhist, with around 13 percent identifying as non-religious.

Economy Of New York

New York is identified as one of the major locations for finance and commerce in the world. The destruction of the World Trade Center in the financial district of New York in 2001 caused significant ripples in the global economy. The gross state product in 2006 for New York was $1.02 trillion. New York State has the 16th largest economy in the world, putting it ahead of most countries, with a personal income of over $40,000 annually, ranking eighth in the world in this category.

Upstate New York features cattle farms that produce dairy products and beef as well as vegetables and apples. New York also produces machinery, chemical products, automobile parts, cut diamonds and scientific instruments and has a strong printing and publishing industry. New York City is the location of the New York Stock Exchange, the largest stock exchange in the world.

New York Law And Government

The state capital of New York is Albany, in upstate New York, about 136 miles north of New York City. It was moved there from Kingston, 50 miles south of Albany, in 1797, possibly due to attacks on Kingston by the British. New York's two Senators are Chuck Schumer and Hillary Clinton, who in 2008 garnered the most Presidential primary votes of any candidate in history not nominated by his or her party for the general election. New York has 29 U.S. Representatives and 31 electoral votes. While New York City is heavily Democratic, upstate New York tends to lean more conservative. The current Governor is David Paterson, a Lieutenant Governor who took over for Eliot Spitzer amidst a scandal. Paterson has the distinction of being both the first legally blind and the first African American Governor of New York.

New York Transportation

New York City is famous for its extensive and effective mass transit subway system. Parts north, east and west of the city can be accesses through one of the other rail systems, the Long Island Rail Road, Metro-North or the PATH trains. New York City also has two major airports, John F. Kennedy Airport and LaGuardia Airport, both located in Queens. Other major cities such as Buffalo are accessible through their own airports.

Major Cities And Towns Of New York

The most well-known city in New York is of course New York City. New York City includes the five boroughs of Manhattan, The Bronx, Queens, Brooklyn and Staten Island, as well as Long Island, extending for miles to the east of the city. Well-known cities to the north and west of New York include Buffalo, Syracuse, Rochester and Binghamton.

New York Educational System

New York is host to two Ivy League schools, Columbia University in upper Manhattan and Cornell University in Ithica. New York has impressive public university systems in the CUNY and SUNY schools. Other well known New York institutions of higher learning include New York University, Fordham University, Syracuse University, St. John’s University and Vassar College.

New York Sports Teams And Recreation Activities

New York has always been synonymous with sports. The New York Yankees, the most successful baseball franchise in history, plays their games at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, although they will soon be moving across the street to the New Yankee Stadium. The other New York baseball team, the New York Mets, plays in Queens in Shea Stadium, although they will also be moving, to the nearby Citi Field. Other teams that have played in New York include the San Francisco (formerly New York) Giants and the Los Angeles (formerly Brooklyn) Dodgers. There are also several minor league baseball teams in New York, including the Buffalo Bisons, Binghamton Mets, Coney Island Cyclones and Staten Island Yankees.

The 2008 Super Bowl champion New York Giants represent New York, although they and their stadium mates the New York Jets actually play their games in the Meadowlands in New Jersey. The Buffalo Bills is the only franchise that truly calls New York its home, playing their games in Orchard Park, Buffalo.

New York features three NHL hockey teams, the New York Rangers, New York Islanders and Buffalo Sabres, and an NBA team, the New York Knicks. The New Jersey Nets are scheduled to relocate to Brooklyn in 2009 or 2010.