Useful
web sites for visitors, state trivia, history and reference map
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Location:
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New York is in the
northeastern part of the
USA. The states of Vermont, Massachusetts and Connecticut are
lined up on the eastern border of New York. New Jersey
occupies a
small part of the southern border to the east and Pennsylvania occupies
a large part of the southern border to the west. Rhode Island
shares a water border at the east end of New York's Long Island over
Block Island Sound. The international Canadian province of
Quebec
sits on the northern border of New York to the east. To the
northwest, the international Canadian province of Ontario and New York
share a water border, starting with Lake Erie in the west, going
through the Niagara River and Niagara Falls, then east to Lake Ontario
and on to the St. Lawrence River.
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Official Tourism Web Site:
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I
LOVE NEW YORK - The Official New York State Tourism Website
1-800-CALL-NYS
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State
Museum:
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New
York State Museum
Rm. 3099 Cultural Education Center
Empire State Plaza
Albany, NY 12230
Phone: (518) 474-5877
On Madison Avenue, across the Plaza from the State Capitol Building.
Established in 1836, the New York State Museum is the oldest and
largest state museum in the country.
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State
Parks:
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New
York State Office of Parks Recreation and Historic Preservation
Empire State Plaza
Agency Building 1
Albany NY, 12238
Phone: (518) 474-0456
National Park Service Parks and Recreation
in New York
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Traveler
and
road information and advisories:
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New
York State Department of Transportation
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Driver
and vehicle licensing:
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New
York State Department of Motor Vehicles
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State
Capital:
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Albany, NY
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State
Government:
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New
York State Government
New
York State
Department of Economic Development
New
York State Department of Health
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Population:
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New York
State has a population of 19,297,729 (US
Census Bureau 2007 estimate), making it the third most
populous state after California and Texas
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Largest
City:
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New York City
has a population of 8,274,527 (US
Census Bureau
2007 estimate), making it the largest city in the country, more than
double the population of the country's second largest city, Los Angeles.
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Origin
of name:
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New York was named after the
17th century Duke of York, James Stuart, who became King James II of
England and Ireland and James VII of Scotland, in 1685 and then fled to
France in 1689 due to a rebellion, resulting in abdication of his
throne to his daughter, Queen Mary and his son-in-law, William, who
co-ruled with Queen Mary. James II/VII was the last Roman Catholic
monarch to rule over England, Ireland and Scotland; Queen Mary and King
William were Protestants.
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Date admitted to union:
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July
26, 1788
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Brief History:
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Giovanni da Verrazano was the
first European to arrive at New York Bay in 1524. He was an Italian man
hired by the King of France to explore the region between Florida and
Newfoundland and look for a route to the Pacific Ocean. In 1609, Henry
Hudson, an English explorer, sailed through what are now New York Bay
and the Hudson River searching for the Northwest Passage. Hudson
reported that 'It is as beautiful a land as one can hope to tread upon.
He claimed the area for the Dutch East India Company.
The Dutch settled there in 1624
and established a fur trade with the natives there. The Dutch ruled
over this new colony of New Netherland until it was conquered by the
English in 1664 and named New York in honor of the Duke of York. It was
a principal battleground for the Revolutionary War and evacuated by the
British on November 25, 1783. New York declared its independence on
July 9, 1776. New York was one of the original 13 colonies. New York
City was the first capital of the new nation and President George
Washington was inaugurated there on April 30, 1789.
The Erie Canal was completed in
1825 and connected New York City and Buffalo, NY, on Lake Erie by
water. It also enabled a water route to the western Great Lakes,
thereby bringing economic and industrial growth to New York and the
rest of the country.
Other notable events of New
York’s history included the dedication of the Statue of Liberty in New
York Harbor on October 28, 1886 and the opening of Ellis Island as the
primary Federal immigration station in the U.S. in 1892.
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For more detailed information:
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See the Wikipedia
article about New York.
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Reference map of New York State:
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