New York Info
 |
Capital
City: Albany
Economy: Manufacturing, finance,
communications, tourism, transportation, agriculture, mining.
Population: 18,196,601
Time Zone: 5 hours behind
Greenwich Mean Time (-5 GMT). Daylight Saving Time is observed from the
first Sunday in April to the last Sunday in October
New York's Flag:
Emblazoned on a dark blue field is the state coat of arms. The goddess Liberty
holds a pole with a Liberty Cap on top. Liberty stands for freedom. At her
feet is a discarded crown, representing freedom from England at the end
of the revolutionary war. On the right is the goddess, Justice. She wears
a blindfold and carries the scales of justice. Meaning that everyone receives
equal treatment under the law. The state motto "Excelsior" on
a white ribbon expresses the idea of reaching upward to higher goals. On
the shield a sun rises over the Hudson highlands and ships sail the Hudson
river. Above the shield is an eagle resting on a globe representing the
Western Hemisphere.
History of New
York: Giovanni da Verrazano, an Italian-born navigator sailing
for France, discovered New York Bay in 1524. Henry Hudson, an Englishman
employed by the Dutch, reached the bay and sailed up the river now bearing
his name in 1609, the same year that northern New York was explored and
claimed for France by Samuel de Champlain. In 1624 the first permanent Dutch
settlement was established at Fort Orange (now Albany); one year later Peter
Minuit is said to have purchased Manhattan Island from the Indians for trinkets
worth about $24 and founded the Dutch colony of New Amsterdam (now New York
City), which was surrendered to the English in 1664. For a short time, New
York City was the U.S. capital and George Washington was inaugurated there
as first president on April 30, 1789. New York's extremely rapid commercial
growth may be partly attributed to Governor De Witt Clinton, who pushed
through the construction of the Erie Canal (Buffalo to Albany), which was
opened in 1825. Today, the 559-mile Governor Thomas E. Dewey Thruway connects
New York City with Buffalo and with Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Pennsylvania
express highways. Two toll-free superhighways, the Adirondack Northway (linking
Albany with the Canadian border) and the North-South Expressway (crossing
central New York from the Pennsylvania border to the Thousand Islands) have
been opened. New York, with the great metropolis of New York City, is the
spectacular nerve center of the nation. It is a leader in manufacturing,
foreign trade, commercial and financial transactions, book and magazine
publishing, and theatrical production. New York City is not only a national
but an international leader. A leading seaport, its John F. Kennedy International
Airport is one of the busiest airports in the world. It is the largest manufacturing
center in the country and its apparel industry is the city's largest manufacturing
employer, with printing and publishing second. Nearly all the rest of the
state's manufacturing is done on Long Island, along the Hudson River north
to Albany, and through the Mohawk Valley, Central New York, and Southern
Tier regions to Buffalo. The St. Lawrence seaway and power projects have
opened the North Country to industrial expansion and have given the state
a second seacoast. The state ranks fourth in the nation in manufacturing,
with 982,000 employees in 1995. The principal industries are apparel, printing
and publishing, leather products, instruments, and electronic equipment.
The convention and tourist business is one of the state's most important
sources of income. New York farms raise cattle and calves, produce corn
and poultry, and raise vegetables and fruits. The state is a leading wine
producer. Among the major points of interest are Castle Clinton, Fort Stanwix,
and Statue of Liberty National Monuments; Niagara Falls; U.S. Military Academy
at West Point; National Historic Sites that include homes of Franklin D.
Roosevelt at Hyde Park and Theodore Roosevelt in Oyster Bay and New York
City; National Memorials, including Grant's Tomb and Federal Hall in New
York City; Fort Ticonderoga; the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown; and
the United Nations, skyscrapers, museums, theaters, and parks in New York
City.
Other New York Links:
Business Council of
New York State, Inc.
I Love New York Tourism Promotion
Program
New York State Conference of Mayors and Municipal Officials
New York State Education Department
New York State Library |
|
|
|
