Capital | Albany |
---|---|
Nickname | The Empire State |
Official Language | None |
Governor | Andrew Cuomo, D |
Senator | Charles Schumer, D (202) 224-6542 Contact |
Senator | Kirsten Gillibrand, D (202) 224-4451 [no contact info] |
Ratification of Constitution/or statehood | July 26, 1788 (11th) |
Flag of New York | Motto: "Excelsior" |
New York state, one of the original 13 colonies, became a state in 1776 and was the 11th state to ratify the Constitution on July 26, 1788. In common use, "New York" most often refers to New York City, the financial, news and cultural capital of the U.S.
Elected Officials
Federal
- Sen. Charles Schumer (D)
- Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D)
- Rep. Timothy Bishop [D, NY-01]
- Rep. Steve Israel [D, NY-02]
- Rep. Peter King [R, NY-03]
- Rep. Carolyn McCarthy [D, NY-04]
- Rep. Gary Ackerman [D, NY-05]
- Rep. Gregory Meeks [D, NY-06]
- Rep. Joseph Crowley [D, NY-07]
- Rep. Jerrold Nadler [D, NY-08]
- Rep. Anthony Weiner [D, NY-09]
- Rep. Edolphus Towns [D, NY-10]
- Rep. Yvette Clarke [D, NY-11]
- Rep. Nydia Velazquez [D, NY-12]
- Rep. Michael Grimm [R, NY-13]
- Rep. Carolyn Maloney [D, NY-14]
- Rep. Charles Rangel [D, NY-15]
- Rep. Jose Serrano [D, NY-16]
- Rep. Eliot Engel [D, NY-17]
- Rep. Nita Lowey [D, NY-18]
- Rep. Nan Hayworth [R, NY-19]
- Rep. Chris Gibson [R, NY-20]
- Rep. Paul Tonko [D, NY-21]
- Rep. Maurice Hinchey [D, NY-22]
- Rep. Bill Owens [D, NY-23]
- Rep. Richard Hanna [R, NY-24]
- Rep. Ann Marie Buerkle [R, NY-25]
- Rep. Brian Higgins [D, NY-27]
- Rep. Louise Slaughter [D, NY-28]
- Rep. Tom Reed [R, NY-29]
Statewide
- Governor Andrew Cuomo (D)
- Lt. Governor Robert Duffy (D)
- Attorney General Eric Schneiderman (D)
- Secretary of State Ruth Noemi Colon (I)
- State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli (D)
History
Facts
- Nickname: The Empire State.
- State Capital: Albany.
- Total area: 54,471.144 square miles (47,223.839 land and 7,247.305 inland water).
- Population: Based on the 2000 census – 18,976,457; 3rd most populous US state after California and Texas. Much of this population lives in New York City. "Upstate" New York has most of the land area in the state.
- State Song: "I Love New York"
- State Flower: Rose
- There are four mountain ranges in New York State: Adirondack, Catskill, Shawangunk and Taconic.
- The highest point in New York State is Mount Marcy in Essex County in the Adirondacks - 5,344 feet above sea level.
- The State has 70,000 miles of rivers and streams, 127 miles of Atlantic Ocean coastline, 9,767 miles of shoreline which includes 8,778 miles of lake shoreline.
Major Cities
Politics
New York City is the center of American liberalism. "Upstate" is much more conservative and the suburbs are split. Republicans have a narrow 32-30 seat majority in the State Senate. However, Democrats dominate the State Assembly with a 99-50 seat majority.
In 1980 the state elected 17 Republicans to the House; in 2010 it elected only eight. However, due to population loss, New York only had 29 seats in 2010 compared to 39 in 1980 so the change isn't as dramatic as it seems at first glance.
Miscellaneous
New York is the home and birthplace of four American presidents, Martin Van Buren, Millard Filmore, Theodore Roosevelt and Franklin Roosevelt.
External Links
Further reading
- Blond, Becca, and China Williams. Lonely Planet New York State (2004) excerpt and online search from Amazon.com, a guide book.
- Eisenstadt, Peter, Laura-Eve Moss, and Carole F. Huxley, eds. The Encyclopedia Of New York State (2005) 1900 pages of articles by experts. The best starting point.
- Jackson, Kenneth, ed. The Encyclopedia of New York City (1995), excerpt and text search
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