New York
Contents
|
|
|
|
|
State flag
|
NEW YORK,
one of the Middle Atlantic states of the U.S., bordered on
the N by the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Québec;
on the E by Vermont, Massachusetts, and Connecticut; on the SE by
the Atlantic Ocean; on the S by New Jersey and Pennsylvania; and
on the W by Pennsylvania and Ontario. Several boundaries are formed
by bodies of water, including Lake Ontario and the Saint Lawrence
R., in the N; Lake Champlain and the Poultney R., in the NE; the
Hudson and Delaware rivers, in the SE; and Lake Erie and the Niagara
R., in the W.
New York entered the Union on July 26, 1788, as the 11th of
the original 13 states. New York has long been a leader in the political,
cultural, and economic life of the U.S. Despite economic difficulties
in the 1970s and ’80s, mainly in New York City and other
urban areas, the state still ranks among the U.S. leaders in such
important sectors as manufacturing, commerce, foreign trade, communications,
and finance. It is the birthplace of four U.S. presidents— Martin
Van Buren, Millard Fillmore,
Theodore Roosevelt, and
Franklin D. Roosevelt.
Others, such as Presidents Grover Cleveland
and Chester A. Arthur,
spent most of their lives in the state. New York, named in the 1660s
for the duke of York, later James II of England, is called the Empire
State.
| NEW YORK STATE FACTS |
| DATE OF STATEHOOD: |
July 26, 1788; 11th state |
| CAPITAL: |
Albany |
| MOTTO: |
Excelsior (Ever upward) |
| NICKNAME: |
Empire
State |
| STATE SONG: |
“I
Love New York” (words and music by Steve Karmen) |
| STATE TREE: |
Sugar maple |
| STATE FLOWER: |
Rose |
| STATE BIRD: |
Bluebird |
| POPULATION (2000 census): |
18,976,457; 3d among the states |
| AREA: |
141,089 sq km (54,475 sq mi); 27th largest state;
includes 18,779 sq km (7251 sq mi) of inland water |
| COASTLINE: |
204 km (127 mi) |
| HIGHEST POINT: |
Mt. Marcy, 1629 m (5344 ft) |
| LOWEST POINT: |
Sea level, at the Atlantic coast |
| ELECTORAL VOTES: |
31 (as of the 2004 presidential election) |
| U.S. CONGRESS: |
2 senators; 29 representatives |
| GOVERNOR: |
Eliot Spitzer (Dem.)
Took office January 2007 |
New York, with an area of 141,089 sq km (54,475 sq mi), is
the 27th largest state in the U.S.; 0.8% of its land area
is owned by the federal government. The mainland portion of New
York is shaped roughly like a right triangle; Long Island forms
an extension in the SE. The extreme dimensions of the mainland are
about 515 km (about 320 mi) from E to W and about 500 km (about
310 mi) from N to S; Long Island extends about 195 km (about 120
mi) from E to W. Elevations begin at sea level, along the Atlantic
Ocean in the SE, and range up to 1629 m (5344 ft), atop Mt. Marcy
in the NE. The average elevation is 305 m (1000 ft). The coastline
measures 204 km (127 mi).
New York’s geography is diverse, encompassing seven
major regions. The Saint Lawrence Lowland region, in the N, is made
up of a narrow lowland corridor along the St. Lawrence R. plus an
area bordering Lake Champlain. The terrain is flat to gently rolling
and becomes hillier to the S. Most of the region is underlain by
sandstones and limestones and has a mixture of limy and acidic soils.
The Adirondack Upland in NE New York takes in about one-quarter
of the state. Much of it is rugged, and many peaks, including Mt.
Marcy, rise to more than 1220 m (more than 4000 ft). The oldest and some of the hardest rocks in the state underlie this upland.
Soils in the region are generally thin, stony, and acidic.
The Eastern Great Lakes Lowland region, bordering Lakes
Erie and Ontario, is generally flat close to the lakes and somewhat
rolling
to hilly farther away. Between Rochester and Syracuse are thousands
of drumlins—low hills shaped somewhat like eggs—formed
by the glaciers that once covered the region. The lowland is underlain
by sedimentary rocks, mainly limestone, sandstone, and shale. Resistant
strata in the southward-dipping layers have produced a series of
E to W escarpments in the region. Niagara Falls was formed where
the Niagara R. plunges over one of the escarpments. Soils of the
region are generally limy and are quite fertile.
Occupying nearly half of the state, the Appalachian Plateau
region, in the S, has three main divisions. The Catskill Mts., with
elevations ranging to about 1280 m (about 4200 ft), form the E part
of the region. In central New York is the lowest part, with deep
valleys formed by glaciers. Here are the famous Finger Lakes. To
the W, the plateau is higher, although cut by deep valleys. The
Appalachian Plateau is underlain by sedimentary rocks, principally
sandstone, shale, and limestone, and by extensive salt deposits.
Soils tend to be deep and acidic; in the major river valleys are
rich alluvial soils.
The Hudson-Mohawk Lowlands region is in the central and E
parts of New York. Between the Appalachian Plateau and the New England
Upland region is the narrow Hudson Valley. Near its S end the lowlands
extend SW through the Wallkill Valley. The Mohawk Valley lies NW
of the Hudson, mainly between the Adirondacks and the Appalachian
Plateau. At the extreme NW of the region is an isolated upland with
an elevation of about 610 m (about 2000 ft), the Tug Hill Plateau,
located between the Adirondacks and the Eastern Great Lakes Lowland.
Geologically, the upland is an outlier of the Appalachian Plateau
with similar sedimentary rocks. Soils in the Hudson-Mohawk Lowlands
vary from the fertile alluvial deposits found in the river valleys
to limy, moderately fertile soils that developed on glacial till.
Three main subdivisions make up the New England Upland region.
The Taconic Mts. lie along New York’s E border. Farther
to the S, the spectacular Hudson Highlands extend SW across the
Hudson R. The third subdivision is composed of the crystalline Manhattan
hills, which are relatively low and make up most of Westchester
Co. and Manhattan Island.
Long Island and Staten Island represent most of New York’s
share of the Atlantic Coastal Plain. The N part of Long Island is
composed of low hills rising to about 90 m (about 300 ft), and in
the S is a low, flat plain. Soils tend to be sandy and lacking in
natural fertility.
New York has many rivers and lakes. The Great Lakes–St.
Lawrence
Basin drains much of W and central New York, including the Finger
Lakes, the Tug Hill Plateau, and parts of the Adirondacks, plus
the extreme N part of the state. Besides the St. Lawrence, some
of the better known rivers in this area are the Genesee, Black,
Niagara, and Oswego. The Hudson R. drains parts of the Adirondacks and
areas E and W of the river. Its main tributary is the Mohawk.
The Allegheny R. and a few other streams drain SW New York. The
central part of the state S of the Finger Lakes is drained by the
Susquehanna
R. and its tributaries, such as the Chemung, Cohocton, Chenango, and
Unadilla rivers. The Catskill Mts. are drained principally by
the Delaware R. and its tributaries. Picturesque waterfalls are
found along several of New York’s rivers. The best known
is Niagara Falls. The upper Hudson R. and the Genesee R. form several
smaller falls.
New York contains a large number of lakes, many of
which are
frequented by summer vacationers. Three large lakes—Champlain,
Erie, and Ontario—are only partly in the state. Wholly
within New York are Lake Oneida and the Finger Lakes, near Syracuse;
the Saranac lakes, Lake Placid, Blue Mountain Lake, Cranberry Lake,
Lake George, Raquette Lake, and Tupper Lake, all in the Adirondacks;
and Chautauqua Lake, in the SW. In addition to these natural bodies
of water, New York contains several large artificial reservoirs,
notably in the Catskill Mts.
New York’s climate is humid continental, reflecting
its position in the belt of the mid-latitude westerlies. The
considerable
climatic variation within the state results mainly from differences
of terrain, elevation, and proximity to large water bodies. In general,
the SE part of the state has the highest mean monthly temperature, and
the uplands of the NE the lowest. Mean annual precipitation
ranges from about 890 to 1145 mm (about 35 to 45 in) in most parts
of New York and is relatively evenly distributed over the course
of a year. Most of the state receives abundant snowfall. East of
Lake Erie and along Lake Ontario are belts of especially heavy
snowfall, and the Tug Hill Plateau receives some of the greatest annual
accumulations
of snow of any area in the U.S. east of the Rocky Mts. The recorded
temperature in New York has ranged from –46.7° C
(–52° F), in 1934 at Stillwater Reservoir and
in 1979 at Old Forge, both in the Adirondacks, to 42.2° C
(108° F), in 1926 at Troy in the E. Aside from thunderstorms and heavy
snowfalls, New York is struck by few damaging storms.
Hurricanes occasionally strike Long Island and the SE section of the
state’s mainland.
| NEW YORK AVERAGE CLIMATE |
| |
New York |
Rochester |
| Average January temperature range |
–3.3° to 3.9° C |
26° to 39° F |
–8.3° to –0.6° C |
17° to 31° F |
| Average July temperature range |
20° to 29.4° C |
68° to 85° F |
15.6° to 27.8° C |
60° to 82° F |
| Average annual temperature |
12.8° C |
55° F |
8.9° C |
48° F |
| Average annual precipitation |
1016 mm |
40 in |
787 mm |
31 in |
| Average annual snowfall |
737 mm |
29 in |
2184 mm |
86 in |
| Mean number of days per year with appreciable precipitation |
121 |
154 |
| Average daily relative humidity |
64% |
71% |
| Mean number of clear days per year |
107 |
61 |
About 53% of the land area of New York is covered
with forest, most of it regrowth on cutover land. Northern hardwoods,
including birch, sugar and red maple, and basswood, intermixed with
conifers such as hemlock and white pine, are characteristic of much
of the Appalachian Plateau forests. In the SE, oaks are dominant, and
in the higher Adirondacks spruce and fir dominate, often mixed
with northern hardwoods such as ash. Among the many wild flowers
of New York are azalea and other rhododendrons, black-eyed Susan,
buttercups, violets, orchids, and mountain laurel.
New York’s larger mammals include white-tailed deer and black bear, the former widespread over the state and the latter
living mainly in the Adirondacks and the Appalachian Plateau region.
Among the state’s more common small mammals are beaver,
rabbit, woodchuck, fox, raccoon, weasel, squirrel, and chipmunk. Game
birds include pheasant, grouse, partridge, quail, and wild duck.
Some other more common birds are robins, sparrows, warblers, crows,
bluebirds, and woodpeckers. Varieties of freshwater fish include
black bass, pickerel, pike, whitefish, crappie, and trout. Among
the saltwater fish are marlin, tuna, bluefish, striped bass, and
flounder. The Long Island coast is noted for clams.
New York has varied mineral resources, mainly
nonmetallic. These
include limestone, found principally S of Lake Ontario, in the
Hudson-Mohawk
Lowlands, and in the St. Lawrence and Black River valleys; salt,
which underlays much of central and W New York; gypsum, found S
of Lake Ontario; talc, located in the N; slate, found at the Vermont
border; garnets, deposited in the S Adirondacks; clay, situated
especially in the Hudson Valley; emery, located in the S; and stone and
sand and gravel, found in many parts of the state. Natural-gas
deposits are in W New York, and small amounts of petroleum are in
the SW. Metallic minerals occurring in New York include lead, zinc,
iron, and silver, situated mainly in and near the Adirondack Mts.
According to the 2000 census, New York had 18,976,457 inhabitants,
an increase of 5.5% over 1990. In 2000 the average population
density was 401.9 people per sq mi of land area. Nearly half the
state’s population was concentrated in the New York City
metropolitan area. Whites made up 67.9% of the state population and blacks 15.9%; more blacks live in New York (about 3.0
million). Additional population groups included 82,461 American
Indians, 1,044,976 Asians, and 8818 Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islanders.(These
figures do not include the 3.1% of the population who reported
more than one race.) A total of 2,867,583 state residents, or 15.1% of
the total population, were of Hispanic background; many of these were
persons of Puerto Rican origin living in the New York City metropolitan
area. The state’s largest cities were New York, the largest
city in the U.S.; Buffalo; Rochester; Yonkers; and Syracuse. Albany
is the capital.
A 2000 survey found that Roman Catholics formed the largest single religious group in the state, accounting for nearly 40% of the total population and about two-thirds of all religious adherents. Numerous Protestant denominations were represented, including the United Methodist Church (2.1% of the population), American Baptist Churches in the USA (1.1%), and Episcopal Church (1.1%). Jews comprised an estimated 8.7% of the population-the highest of any state-and were concentrated in the New York metropolitan region. The Muslim population was placed at 1.2% in the 2000 survey, but some estimates were significantly higher.
In 2000, about 88% of New Yorkers lived in areas considered urban under the current, broadened, government definition.
| POPULATION OF NEW YORK SINCE 1790 |
| Year of Census |
Population |
Classified As Urban |
| 1790 |
340,000 |
12% |
| 1820 |
1,373,000 |
12% |
| 1850 |
3,097,000 |
28% |
| 1880 |
5,083,000 |
56% |
| 1900 |
7,269,000 |
73% |
| 1920 |
10,385,000 |
83% |
| 1940 |
13,479,000 |
83% |
| 1950 |
14,830,000 |
86% |
| 1960 |
16,782,000 |
85% |
| 1980 |
17,558,000 |
85% |
| 1990 |
17,990,455 |
84% |
| 2000 |
18,976,457 |
88% |
| POPULATION OF TEN LARGEST CITIES IN NEW YORK |
| |
2000 Census |
1990 Census |
| New York |
8,008,278 |
7,322,564 |
| Buffalo |
292,648 |
328,123 |
| Rochester |
219,773 |
231,636 |
| Yonkers |
196,086 |
188,082 |
| Syracuse |
147,306 |
163,860 |
| Albany |
95,658 |
101,082 |
| New Rochelle |
72,182 |
67,265 |
| Mount Vernon |
68,381 |
67,153 |
| Schenectady |
61,821 |
65,566 |
| Utica |
60,651 |
68,637 |
New York’s numerous institutions of higher education,
its fine museums, its noted performing arts groups, and its communications
media have made the state, and particularly New York City, one of
the most important cultural centers in the world.
The New York legislature passed a bill in 1784 creating a
board of regents to oversee education in the state. In 1812 legislation
was passed to establish a statewide system of public elementary
schools, and in 1867 such schools were made tuition-free. By the
1860s the state also had a number of free high schools. In the early 2000s, New York public schools each year enrolled a total of about 2 million elementary school pupils and close to 900,000 secondary school students. In addition, about 400,000 students annually attended private elementary and secondary schools.
The first institution of higher education in the state was
King’s College (now Columbia University), in New York City,
which was incorporated under a royal charter in 1754. In the late
1980s New York had some 300 public and private institutions of higher education with a combined annual enrollment of about 1.1 million students. Besides Columbia University, which encompasses Barnard College, well-known colleges included
New York University, the Juilliard School, Rockefeller University,
Yeshiva University, Pratt Institute , Fordham University, Cooper
Union for the Advancement of Science and Art, St. John’s University, and the New School for Social Research, in New York City; the U.S. Military
Academy, in West Point; Cornell University and Ithaca College,
in Ithaca; Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, in Troy; Skidmore
College, in Saratoga Springs; Bard College, in Annandale-on-Hudson;
Hamilton College, in Clinton; Hobart-William Smith Colleges, in Geneva; Colgate University, in Hamilton; Union College, in Schenectady; Vassar College, in Poughkeepsie; Syracuse University, in Syracuse; Sarah Lawrence College, in Bronxville; Adelphi University, in Garden City; Hofstra University, in Hempstead; and the University of Rochester, in Rochester. Two public systems of higher education—the State University of New York and the City University of New York—have
high enrollment.
New York City is the foremost cultural center of the U.S.
Its most famous cultural institutions include the New-York Historical
Society (1804), the Brooklyn Museum (1823), the American Museum
of Natural History (1869), the Metropolitan Museum of Art (1870),
the Cooper-Hewitt National Museum of Design (1897; affiliated with the Smithsonian Institution), the Jewish Museum (1904), Frick Collection (1920),
the Pierpont Morgan Library (1924), the Museum of Modern Art (1929),
the Whitney Museum of American Art (1930), the Solomon R. Guggenheim
Museum (1937), the Studio Museum in Harlem (1967), the International
Center of Photography (1974), and the George Gustav Heye Center (1993), part of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian. The New York Botanical Garden (1891), the New York Zoological Park, or Bronx Zoo (1899), and the Brooklyn Botanic Garden (1910), are also in the city.
Other major museums in the state include the Albright-Knox
Art Gallery (1862), in Buffalo; the New York State Museum (1836),
in Albany; the International Museum of Photography and Film (1949),
in Rochester; the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum (1939),
in Cooperstown; the Corning Museum of Glass (1951), in Corning; and the Hudson River Museum (1919), in Yonkers.
New York City’s Lincoln Center for the Performing
Arts (1956) is the home of such major groups as the Metropolitan
Opera (1883), the New York City Opera (1944), the New York Philharmonic
(1842), and the New York City Ballet (1948). Other well-known performing
arts groups of the city include the American Ballet Theatre, the
Dance Theatre of Harlem, the Brooklyn Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra,
and numerous theatrical organizations, such as the Manhattan Theatre
Club (1970), the New York Shakespeare Festival (1957), and the Negro
Ensemble Company. In addition, the midtown section of Manhattan
around Broadway is famous for its many theaters. The Buffalo
Philharmonic
(1934) and the Rochester Philharmonic (1922) are noted orchestras
based outside New York City.
New York State has many important specialized and general
libraries. Leading research centers include the New York Public
Library (1895) and the Columbia University libraries, in New York
City, and the Cornell University libraries, in Ithaca. The papers
of President Franklin D. Roosevelt are housed in a library in Hyde Park.
New York contains a wide range of historical sites. Among
the historical homes found in the state are those of the political
writer Thomas Paine, located in New Rochelle; the statesman Alexander
Hamilton, in New York City; Chief Justice John Jay, in Mount Kisco;
the women’s rights advocate Susan B. Anthony, in Rochester;
the writer Washington Irving, in Tarrytown; President Martin Van
Buren, in Kinderhook; President Theodore Roosevelt, in New York
City and in Oyster Bay; and President Franklin D. Roosevelt and
his wife Eleanor Roosevelt, in Hyde Park. Other notable historical
sites are Fort Stanwix National Monument, near Rome, and Saratoga
National Historical Park, near Stillwater, both of which were scenes
of important patriot successes against the British in 1777 during
the American Revolution; and Castle Clinton National Monument, at
the S tip of Manhattan Island, including the structure where approximately
8 million immigrants were processed for entrance into the U.S. from
1855 to 1892. The Statue of Liberty National Monument in New York
Harbor encompasses Liberty and Ellis islands (the latter is historically
associated with New York, but New Jersey holds sovereignty over
most of the island). The Ellis Island Museum of Immigration (1990)
is housed in the immigration station through which an estimated
20 million immigrants passed from 1892 to 1954. The famous Statue
of Liberty is on Liberty Island.
New York’s mountains, lakes, rivers, ocean beaches, and parks offer opportunities for outdoor activities such as hiking,
camping, swimming, boating, fishing, hunting, and winter sports.
Famous Thoroughbred racetracks in the state are Aqueduct,
in New York City; Belmont Park, in Elmont; and Saratoga Race Course,
in Saratoga Springs. An automobile racetrack is in Watkins Glen.
Madison Square Garden, in New York City, is a noted site for sports and entertainment events.
The state’s professional sports teams include: the
New York Yankees (baseball), the New York Mets (baseball), the New
York Rangers (ice hockey), and the New York Knickerbockers (basketball)
in New York City; the New York Islanders (ice hockey), in Uniondale;
and the Buffalo Bills (football) and the Buffalo Sabres (ice hockey)
in Buffalo. New York City’s two professional football teams,
the New York Jets and the New York Giants, use Giants Stadium in
East Rutherford, N.J., as their home field.
New York has a highly developed communications system, including numerous radio and television stations. The first radio station in
the state, WGY in Schenectady, started broadcasting in 1922. WNBT
(now WNBC-TV) in New York City, the first commercial television
station in the U.S., went into operation in 1941. The three biggest
U.S. television networks—ABC, CBS, and NBC—have
their headquarters in New York City. The Gazette,
which was New York’s first newspaper, began publication
in New York City in 1725. In the early 2000s New York had 59 daily newspapers, with a total daily paid circulation of about 6.8 million.
The New York Times is one of the world’s
leading newspapers. Other influential dailies include the New York Daily News, New York Post (one of the oldest newspapers in the U.S.), and
Wall Street Journal (which has a circulation of over 2 million, the second-highest of any U.S. newspaper, after USA Today)—all published in New York City; Newsday, published in Nassau Co.; the Times Union, published in Albany; the Buffalo News; the Democrat & Chronicle,
published in Rochester; and the Herald-Journal,
published in Syracuse. New York City also is the leading book and
magazine publishing center in the U.S.
In the early 2000s about 60% of the state’s households had computers and 53% had access to the Internet.
New York is governed under a constitution adopted in 1894 and put into effect in 1895, as amended. Three earlier constitutions
had been adopted in 1777, 1822, and 1846. Amendments to the constitution
may be proposed by the state legislature or by a constitutional
convention. To become effective, an amendment must be approved by
a majority of persons voting on the issue in an election.
The chief executive of New York is a governor, who is popularly
elected to a term of four years and who may be reelected any number
of times. The same regulations apply to the lieutenant governor,
who succeeds the governor should the latter resign, die, or be removed
from office. Other elected state officials include the attorney
general and comptroller.
The bicameral New York legislature is made up of a senate and an assembly. The 62 members of the senate and the 150 members
of the assembly are popularly elected to 2-year terms.
New York’s highest tribunal, the court of appeals,
is made up of a chief judge and six associate judges. All are appointed
by the governor, with the consent of the senate, to serve 14-year
terms and may not serve past the age of 70. New York’s
intermediate appellate courts, the four appellate divisions of the
supreme court, are made up of a total of 55 permanent judges, who
are chosen from among the members of the supreme court. New York’s
major trial court, the supreme court, includes 346 judges elected
to 14-year terms. Each county, except for the five that make up
New York City, has a county court. New York City is served by a
criminal court and a civil court.
In the early 2000s, New York had 62 counties (including 5 in New York City), 616 municipalities, 929 towns, and townships, 683 school districts, and 1135 special districts. Counties outside of New York City are governed by a board of supervisors or by a county legislature; in some counties, an elected county
executive has considerable power. Under a revised charter approved
by New York City voters in November 1989, the city is governed by
a mayor, city council, and planning commission; presidents are elected
to govern each of the five boroughs, or counties, that make up the
city. Such regional bodies as the Port Authority of New York and
New Jersey and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority have influence
over aspects of local affairs in New York City.
Based on the 2000 census and effective with the election of
2002, New York elects 2 senators and 29 representatives to the U.S.
Congress. The state has 31 electoral votes in presidential elections.
New Yorkers have played a prominent role in national
politics since the founding of the U.S. Democratic strength is
concentrated in New York City and other major urban centers, while
Republicans draw most of their support from other areas of the state.
Increasingly important as a swing bloc are the voters living in the
suburbs of New York City. Although New York’s share of electoral votes
has declined from a peak of 47 in the 1930s and '40s, the state remains
a major prize in presidential elections, with Democrats holding a
decisive edge in recent years. National political figures from New York
include Governors Alfred E. Smith, Herbert H. Lehman, Thomas E. Dewey,
Nelson Rockefeller, and Mario Cuomo (1932– ), as well as New York City mayors Fiorello H. la Guardia and Rudolph W. Giuliani and Senators
Robert F. Wagner (1910–91), Jacob Javits (1904–86), Daniel Patrick
Moynihan, and Hillary Rodham Clinton.
New York was the preeminent U.S. state in commerce and manufacturing
from the early 19th century until the late 1960s, when it began
to be surpassed by California; in the 1990s it continued to be a
leading component of the U.S. economy and remained first in many
branches of economic activity. The New York City area, the state’s
most important economic hub, contained the world headquarters of
some of the nation’s biggest corporations, was one of the
world’s principal centers of finance and international
trade, and had highly influential broadcasting, publishing, and
advertising industries. Despite a decline in the New York City region,
manufacturing remained a preeminent activity throughout the state.
Government, services, trade, finance, transport, and farming were
also important.
| NEW YORK STATE ECONOMY |
| STATE BUDGET (in thousands) |
| General revenue |
$136,520.762 |
| General expenditure |
$132,883,277 |
| Accumulated debt |
$95,709,813 |
 |
| STATE TAXES PER CAPITA |
$2,377 |
|
| PERSONAL INCOME, PER CAPITA |
$40,507 |
|
| POPULATION BELOW POVERTY LEVEL |
14% |
|
| EMPLOYMENT DISTRIBUTION |
| Management, business, finance |
1,217,000 |
| Professional and related |
1,966,000 |
| Services |
1,616,000 |
| Sales and related |
954,000 |
| Office and administrative support |
1,239,000 |
| Farming, fishing, forestry |
32,000 |
| Construction and extraction |
450,000 |
| Installation, maintenance, repair |
263,000 |
| Production |
493,000 |
| Transportation and moving |
476,000 |
|
| GROSS STATE PRODUCT |
$963.5 billion |
|
| NET FARM INCOME |
$579 million |
| Principal products |
dairy products, greenhouse products, hay |
Although heavily urbanized and industrialized, New York is
still an important agricultural area. Until late in the 19th century,
New York led the nation in the production of both grain and butter.
Today, the state’s major agricultural activities center
on the dairy and cattle industry, apple orchards, maple syrup production,
onions, beets, potatoes, and viniculture.
New York’s net farm income in 2003 was
estimated at 597 million; sales of livestock and livestock
products account for two-thirds of the income and the sale of
crops for the remainder. The state has about 36,000 farms, which have an average size of about 85 ha (210 acres). Dairying is the principal agricultural
pursuit in New York, and dairy farms are located in most parts of
the state. Sales of beef cattle constitute another significant source
of farm receipts, and considerable income also is derived from the
sale of hogs, chickens, chicken eggs, turkeys, ducks (raised
principally
on Long Island), and sheep. The leading crops produced in New York
include hay, corn, wheat, oats, potatoes, onions, lettuce, snap
beans, tomatoes, and cabbage. In addition, the Finger Lakes region and
Chautauqua Co. are important producers of wine grapes, and the
SE shore of Lake Erie and the plain adjacent to Lake Ontario are
well known as fruit-growing regions.
Forest-related industries contribute about $4 billion
annually to the New York economy. More than half of the state is
covered with woodland. About three-quarters of the timber cut each
year is made up of hardwoods. The wood harvest is used mainly for
furniture, in the construction of buildings, and for the production
of paper.
Although not noted as a fishing state, New York ranks high among
the states in value of the annual catch, which was estimated at $46 million in 2004. Most of the commercial fishing takes place in Long Island Sound.
The principal species taken include flounder, whiting, porgy, tuna,
tilefish, swordfish, clams, oysters, and lobsters.
New York’s yearly mineral output in the late 1980s
was valued at nearly $800 million. In order of value, the
most important minerals produced are stone, salt, sand and gravel, and
natural gas. New York ranks among the leading states in the
production of emery; garnet; salt; talc, soapstone, and pyrophyllite;
and wollastonite. Other mineral products include zinc,
petroleum, lead, silver, clay, and gypsum.
New York remains one of the leading industrial states
of the
U.S., although the manufacturing sector has diminished in importance
in recent decades. Manufacturing accounted for only about 8% of the annual gross state product in 2003, down from nearly 20% in 1980. New York manufacturing establishments employed about 600,000 persons in 2003; the annual value added by manufacture was about $80 billion. The chief types of fabricated goods are printed materials,
precision instruments, electronic equipment, and industrial machinery.
New York is the leading state in producing printed materials, such
as periodicals and books. The New York City area is the leading
printing center, but major plants also are located in such cities
as Binghamton, Buffalo, Elmira, and Schenectady. Precision instruments
and related products include cameras and films, optical and medical
equipment, and measuring devices. Rochester is a noted center for
producing photographic and optical equipment; other centers of
instrument
production include Buffalo and New York City. Industrial machinery
manufactured in the state includes engines and turbines, refrigeration
and heating equipment, machine tools, and office equipment. New
York is well-known for developing and producing electric and electronic
equipment. Electrical products include motors, generators, lighting
equipment, and communications equipment. New York City, Rochester,
Buffalo, Schenectady, and Long Island are major centers of these industries.
New York is an important source of other manufactured goods.
New York City is a leading U.S. producer of clothing, especially
women’s apparel, and Rochester and Buffalo also have important
clothing industries. The Binghamton area produces computers and
navigation and guidance equipment. Buffalo has iron and steel and
flour mills. Aircraft are manufactured on Long Island, and motor-vehicle
parts are produced in several areas of the state, especially Buffalo.
Other major manufactures of New York include chemicals, pharmaceuticals,
toiletries, processed food, beverages, fabricated metal, and paper,
glass, rubber, and plastic goods.
In 2003 some 4.2 million people from overseas visited New York state, generating an estimated 89,000 jobs. Domestic visitors to New York State spent about $28 billion New York contains many areas of natural beauty and interest for the tourist. These include Niagara Falls, the Thousand Islands of the St. Lawrence R., the gorges of the Genesee R., the Finger Lakes region, the beaches of Long Island, and the hiking trails and picturesque lakes of the Adirondack and Catskill
mountains (much of which are in the Adirondack and Catskill forest
preserves). Large numbers of people, many from foreign countries,
also travel to New York City for sightseeing or to attend conventions.
Many tourists visit such historical sites in the state as the home
of President Theodore Roosevelt in Oyster Bay and the home of Franklin
D. Roosevelt in Hyde Park. New York maintains 150 state parks and
34 state historic sites.
New York is served by an extensive system of
transportation facilities.
The state functions as a crossroads for traffic in the northeastern
U.S. and as an entry and exit point for international commerce.
New York has about 182,000 km (about 113,000 mi) of highways, including 2700 km (1700 mi) of interstate highways. The Governor Thomas E.
Dewey Thruway is a major limited-access highway linking the New
York City area with Albany, Syracuse, Rochester, and Buffalo. Among
the noted vehicular bridges of the state are the George Washington
Bridge, spanning the Hudson R. between New York City and New Jersey;
the Brooklyn Bridge, built across the East R. between the New York
City boroughs of Brooklyn and Manhattan; the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge,
constructed across the Narrows channel between the boroughs of Brooklyn
and Staten Island; and the Peace Bridge, joining Buffalo with Canada. Amtrak trains along the Washington-New York-Boston corridor served 9.4 million passengers in fiscal year 2006; another 900.000 traveled along the New York-Albany-Buffalo route. Busy commuter rail lines carry workers to and from New York
City, which also has one of the world’s largest subway
systems. The state’s first railroad made its initial run
in 1831 between Albany and Schenectady. The Port of New York, which
includes major facilities in New Jersey, is the second leading seaport
of the U.S. (after New Orleans). The interior of the state is served
by such important waterways as the Hudson R., the New York State
Barge Canal System (which includes parts of the famous Erie Canal), and
the St. Lawrence Seaway. Albany is an important port on the Hudson;
Ogdensburg is a major port on the St. Lawrence R.; and Buffalo and
Oswego are leading Great Lakes ports.
The state’s busiest air terminals are John F. Kennedy International Airport and La Guardia Airport, both in New York City, and Greater Buffalo International Airport. The New York City metropolitan area is also served by Newark (N.J.) Liberty International Airport. Other major airports are in Albany, Newburgh, Rochester, and Syracuse.
In the early 2000s electricity generating facilities in New York had an installed capacity of about 37 million kw and in 2003 produced 137.6 billion kwh of electricity, the sixth highest amount of the 50 states. About 52% of the electricity was generated from fossil fuels; hydroelectric power accounted for 18% and nuclear facilities for 30. Major hydroelectric plants are on the Niagara and St. Lawrence rivers.
The Indians who lived in the western and northern parts
of
what is now the state of New York before the coming of the Europeans
were divided into two main groups: the Algonquian of the Hudson
Valley and Long Island and the Iroquois in the western area. The
Iroquois Confederacy was a highly organized political and military
entity, originally consisting of the Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga,
and Seneca tribes; the Tuscaroras were admitted early in the 18th
century.
The Italian explorer Giovanni da Verrazano entered New
York Bay
in 1524, but European colonization did not begin until after the
English navigator Henry Hudson claimed the area for the Netherlands
in 1609. The Dutch West India Co. established settlements at Fort
Orange (near present-day Albany) in 1624 and at New Amsterdam on
the southern end of Manhattan Island two years later. In 1629, a
charter of freedoms and exemptions was adopted as an inducement
for settlement. The New Netherland colony, which suffered from Indian
attacks and mismanagement in its early years, achieved a measure
of peace and economic stability under Peter Stuyvesant, who governed
it from 1647 to 1664. In the latter year it was seized by the English
and was renamed New York in honor of its proprietor, James, duke
of York, brother of King Charles II. James made New Jersey, which
had been part of New Netherland, a separate colony and acquired
eastern Long Island from Connecticut. After a brief Dutch reoccupation
(1673–74), the colony returned to English control. When
James became king as James II, he formed the short-lived Dominion of
New England, uniting New England, New York, and New Jersey (1686).
On receiving the news that James had been dethroned in 1688, the
citizens of New York rebelled and named Jacob Leisler (1640–91)
as governor. Although Leisler was hanged for treason when royal
authority was reinstated in 1691, the representative assembly he
established was thereafter retained as part of the colony’s
government. Subsequent governors sought to carry out crown and
parliamentary
decrees while the assembly managed to strengthen its control over
purse strings.
Schenectady was destroyed by a French and Indian attack
in
1690, and New York continued to be a battleground during the wars
with the French and their Indian allies in the decades that followed.
In the war of 1754–63, the French formed a major base at
Fort Ticonderoga on Lake Champlain and penetrated as far south as
Lake George. Not until Lord Jeffrey Amherst ousted them from
Ticonderoga and Crown Point in 1759 was New York secure from further
French
attacks. The Peace of 1763 ended the French presence and signaled a
move into former Indian holdings in the Mohawk Valley and Great
Lakes regions.
At the Stamp Act Congress held in New York in 1765, representatives
of nine American colonies met to protest new taxes imposed by the
British Parliament. When the New York legislature refused to provide
housing and supplies to British military personnel in 1767, it was dissolved
by act of Parliament; a newly elected legislature proved more cooperative.
In the early 1770s a split developed between the radicals who opposed
British rule and the mercantile aristocracy who remained loyal to
the Crown. When Massachusetts rose in rebellion in April 1775, New
York sent a volunteer force to aid the rebels. In October, the last
royal governor, William Tryon (1729–88), fled to safety
aboard a British warship.
On July 9, 1776, a new legislature approved the
Declaration
of Independence, and the former royal province became the state
of New York. Nevertheless, by October of that year the British army
had occupied New York City, Long Island, and lower Westchester Co.
The city served as British military headquarters from then until
the end of the Revolution. The British were less successful in their
efforts to control the rest of the state. The surrender of Gen.
John Burgoyne at Saratoga in 1777 was a major setback for them and
helped bring France into the war on the American side. The upper
Hudson River valley remained in patriot hands throughout the war, and
the Hudson River itself was guarded by cannons at West Point.
Benedict Arnold sought to reveal the plans of West Point in a plot
aborted by the capture of his British accomplice Maj. John André,
at Tarrytown in 1780.
At the war’s conclusion, the state returned to agricultural
pursuits and to developing its commercial activities. New York’s
determination to increase its use of the harbor area and the Hudson
River shipping lanes led to friction with New Jersey, and its claim
to Vermont caused a conflict with the residents of that area until
Vermont became a state in 1790.
Opposition to ratification of the federal constitution developed
in New York, but it was finally approved in July 1788. Under the
new government, New York City became the first U.S. capital and
the scene of George Washington’s inauguration as president
in 1789. Washington’s first appointees included such distinguished
New Yorkers as Alexander Hamilton and John Jay. Jay served as governor
of New York from 1795 to 1801. Another New Yorker, Aaron Burr, served
as vice-president under Thomas Jefferson.
Renewed naval warfare between Britain and France soon embroiled
the U.S. Although New York shipping was affected by British and
French depredations, western New York opposed the war with Britain that
broke out in 1812, which once again made a battleground of the area
along the Canadian border.
After the War of 1812, Gov. De Witt Clinton, recognizing that
a transportation link with the upper Ohio Valley was essential,
pressed for construction of a canal across the state, from the confluence
of the Hudson and Mohawk rivers west to Lake Erie. The state legislature authorized
construction of the Erie Canal in 1817, and it was completed in
1825. A commercial and financial success, the canal provided the
impetus for the rapid settlement and development of western New
York by former New Englanders and by immigrants from Europe.
The opening of the West, increased maritime trade, and
rapid industrialization soon made New York City the leading seaport in
the nation. Between 1825 and the American Civil War, New York City
emerged as the major manufacturing center in textiles, as the nation’s
cotton mart, and as the center for banking, imports, insurance,
the stock exchange, and ready-made clothing. Also during this period
transportation facilities developed rapidly; a network of turnpikes
was introduced, and railroad lines were constructed that extended from
New York City to Chicago. Social reformers Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott organized the first women’s rights convention at Seneca Falls in 1848.
Economic growth encouraged immigration to New
York from the countries of Ireland, Germany, and Canada. By the
time of the Civil War, however, the number of immigrants had decreased,
and business opportunities had increased. As a result of New York’s
close ties with the cotton market, popular sentiment opposed a war
against the seceded Southern states. Although New Yorkers served and
suffered in every major battle of the Civil War, the inauguration
of a military draft led to the New York City draft riots of July
1863.
The decades following the Civil War brought an enormous expansion in population, economic power, and political influence. Railroad building spurred industrial growth, and financiers accumulated huge fortunes; at the same time, millions of immigrants streamed into New York City, often living and working in overcrowded and dangerous conditions. New York’s Tammany Society became a national symbol of political corruption, inspiring repeated efforts at political reform. Between 1885 and 1933, three New York state governors became U.S. presidents: Grover Cleveland, Theodore Roosevelt, and Franklin D.Roosevelt.
Until the 1960s New York was the most populous state in
the
Union. In the 1970s and ’80s, however, the state began
to experience an economic decline. New York City in particular suffered
from unemployment, chronic financial problems, decaying neighborhoods,
and a declining population, although it remained the nation’s
center for stock exchange activities, advertising, banking and finance,
and retail merchandising, and served as headquarters for many major
national and international corporations. The city was also a major
center for the publishing, fashion, and entertainment industries and
for the arts in general.
In September 1971, while Nelson Rockefeller was governor, New York’s Attica Correctional Facility was the site of one of the bloodiest
prison battles in U.S. history. The confrontation began when nearly
1300 inmates seized control of the facility, taking dozens of pris