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.
The state Constitution of New York, like all of the other 50 states, acknowledges God or our Creator or the Sovereign Ruler of the Universe. It says:
- We The People of the State of New York, grateful to Almighty God for our Freedom, in order to secure its blessings, DO ESTABLISH THIS CONSTITUTION.
Elected Officials[edit]
Federal[edit]
- Sen. Charles Schumer (D) (unseated Al D'Amato, 1998)
- Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D)
- Rep. Lee Zeldin [R, NY–01]
- Rep. Andrew Garbarino [R, NY–02]
- Rep. Thomas Suozzi [D, NY–03]
- Rep. Kathleen Rice [D, NY–04]
- Rep. Gregory Meeks [D, NY–05]
- Rep. Grace Meng [D, NY–06]
- Rep. Nydia Velazquez [D, NY–07]
- Rep. Hakeem Jeffries [D, NY–08]
- Rep. Yvette Clarke [D, NY–09]
- Rep. Jerrold Nadler [D, NY–10]
- Rep. Nicole Malliotakis [R, NY–11]
- Rep. Carolyn Maloney [D, NY–12]
- Rep. Adriano Espaillat [D, NY–13]
- Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez [D, NY–14]
- Rep. Ritchie Torres [D, NY–15]
- Rep. Jamaal Bowman [D, NY–16]
- Rep. Mondaire Jones [D, NY–17]
- Rep. Sean Maloney [D, NY–18]
- Rep. Antonio Delgado [D, NY–19]
- Rep. Paul Tonko [D, NY–20]
- Rep. Elise Stefanik [R, NY–21]
- Rep. Claudia Tenney [R, NY-22]
- Rep. Tom Reed [R, NY–23]
- Rep. John Katko [R, NY–24]
- Rep. Joseph D. Morelle [D, NY–25]
- Rep. Brian Higgins [D, NY–26]
- Rep. Chris Jacobs [R, NY–27]
Statewide[edit]
History[edit]
see History of New York State
- Nickname: The Big Apple.
- 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[edit]
Politics[edit]
New York City is the center of American liberalism. "Upstate" is much more conservative and the suburbs are split. Democrats control the State Senate and the State Assembly, with around a 2/3 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[edit]
New York is the home and birthplace of five American presidents, Martin Van Buren, Millard Filmore, Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin Roosevelt, and Donald Trump.
External links[edit]
Further reading[edit]
- 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