New York Information

New York Info

• Capital: Albany.
• State abbreviation/Postal code: NY.
• Nickname: Empire State.
• Statehood: July 26, 1788; the 11th state.
• Present constitution adopted:
• Motto: Excelsior ("Ever Upward").
• Land area: 139,832 square km (53,989 square miles), making it the 27th largest state.
• Highest point: 1,629 m (5,344 ft), at Mount Marcy.
• Lowest point: Sea level, at the Atlantic coast.
• Geographic center: Madison, which is 26 miles southwest of Utica.
• Number of counties: 62.
• Largest county: In terms of area, that would be St Lawrence County. Its northern border is on the northern edge of the state, along the St Lawrence River. The County of New York, where you'll find New York City, is the largest in terms of population. It's also one of the most densely populated places on earth.
• Freshwater stats: New York has over 7600 freshwater lakes, ponds and reservoirs. It's also bounded by two of the five Great Lakes: Lake Erie and Lake Ontario. Niagara Falls is between them. New York is also bounded by the Atlantic Ocean on its eastern side.
• Major rivers: Hudson River, Mohawk River, Genesee River.
• Neighboring states: New York shares its northern boundary with Canada. Pennsylvania shares much of its southern boundary. Other neighboring states are New Jersey, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Vermont. Rhode Island also has a water border with New York.

State Symbols:

• Bird: Bluebird.
• Fish: Brook Trout.
• Flower: Rose
• Tree: Sugar maple. .

Largest Cities:

• New York.
• Buffalo.
• Rochester.
• Yonkers.
• Syracuse.
• Albany.
• New Rochelle.
• Mount Vernon.
• Schenectady.
• Utica.

Government:

• Electoral college votes: 33.
• State legislature: 61 senators, 150 representatives.

Some Famous Natives of New York:

• Anna Eleanor Roosevelt. Reformer, Humanitarian. NYC.

• Barbara Stanwyck. Actress. Brooklyn.

• Billy Joel. Musician. Hicksville.

• Chico, Groucho, Harpo, Zeppo Marx. Comedians. NYC

• Christopher Reeve. Actor, Author, Activist, Spokesperson. Manhattan.

• Claire Danes. Actress. NYC.

• Ethel Merman. Musician. Actress. Astoria.

• Eugene O'Neill. Playwright. NYC.

• Frank Langella. Actor. Bayonne.

• Frank Winfield Woolworth. Merchant. Rodman.

• Franklin D. Roosevelt. 2nd worst U.S. president of all time. Reviled by the children of Teddy Roosevelt, who felt he worked against all their father stood for. Unilaterally redefined words in the Constitution to further his dreams of power. Brought on Great Depression. Expanded government illegally and drastically beyond sustainable level. Tried stuffing Supreme Court. Only President to consider himself better than George Washington. Hyde Park.

• George Eastman. Inventor. Waterville.

• George Gershwin. Composer. Brooklyn.

• George Pullman. Inventor. Brocton.

• George Westinghouse, Jr. Inventor. Central Bridge.

• Henry James. Author. NYC

• Henry Louis Gehrig. Baseball player. NYC.

• Herman Melville. Author. NYC.

• Humphrey Bogart. Actor. NYC.

• Jackie Gleason. Comedian, Actor. Brooklyn.

• James Cagney. Actor. NYC

• John D. Rockefeller. Industrialist, Bankster. Richford.

• John Jay. Jurist. NYC.

• John N. Willys. Indrustrialist, Inventor. Canandaiqua.

• Dr. Jonas Salk. Polio Vaccine Researcher. NYC.

• Julia Ward Howe. Poet, Social Activist. NYC.

• Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (formerly known as Julius Erving). Basketball Player, Actor (small part in Bruce Lee movie). NYC

• Learned Hand. Jurist, famous for his views on taxes. Albany.

• Leland Stanford. Railroad Magnate, Philanthropist. When he and his wife were rejected by the East Coast Ivy League establishment as "too underclass" to be treated civilly, they took their millions out west. Thus, Stanford University. Watervliet.

• Linus Yale. Inventor. Salisbury.

• Lucille Ball. Comedienne, Actress. Jamestown.

• Mae West. Comedienne, Gunhand, Actress. Brooklyn.

• Mariah Carey. Musician. Long Island.

• Maria Callas. Musician. NYC.

• Martin Van Buren. U.S. President. Kinderhook.

• Michael Jordan. Basketball Player. Brooklyn.

• Mickey Rooney. Actor., Brooklyn.

• Millard Fillmore. U.S. President. Locke.

• Norman Rockwell. Painter. NYC.

• Ogden Nash. Poet, Rye.

• Peter Cooper. Industrialist, Philanthropist. NYC.

• Sammy Davis, Jr. Musician, Actor. NYC.

• Sarah Gellar. Actress. NYC.

• Theodore Roosevelt. U.S. President. Came from wealth, but believed in "the people." He did not share the elitist views and did not operate per the political machinery. Took on The Party and beat them. Opposed the Federal Reserve. Was shot in the chest while making a speech, almost died because he insisted on finishing before going to the hospital. Stopped the stealing of national resources by the elite, such as Senator Clark of Nevada. Very progressive. NYC.

• Tom Cruise. Religious Zealot. Also an actor. Derailed his acting career through a series of gaffes including remarks about Brooke Shields. Syracuse.

• Tupac Shakur. Rapper. Bronx.

• Victor Lasky. Author. Liberty

• Vince Lombardi. Football Coach. NYC.

• Walt Whitman. Poet. West Hills.

• Washington Irving. Author. NYC.

• Willis Haviland Carrier. You've heard of Carrier air conditioners? Inventor. Angola.

Some New York Factoids

• New York has more than 70,000 miles of streams and rivers.
• The longest toll road in the USA is the Governor Thomas E. Dewey Thruway. He didn't defeat Truman, but you can drive on his 641 mile namesake  transportation network.
• The NYC subway system contains 722 miles of track. Somehow, all of this is kept clean, safe, reliable and efficient. This system carries millions of people each day, and it helps keep their "carbon footprint" relatively tiny.
• New York has some amazing parks and recreation areas. They are often under-rated and under-appreciated by outsiders. Adirondack Park is larger than Grand Canyon, Glacier, Olympic, Yellowstone, and Yosemite combined.