5 Things You Should Know About New York

1. New York is a Mid-Atlantic state in the north eastern region of the United States. It is the largest state in this region of the country and has a border with Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Jersey and Pennsylvania and has a water border with Rhode Island. It also borders with the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec.

2. The state is famous for its largest city, New York, but there’s more here than just the Big Apple! The Great Appalachian Valley runs along the eastern edge, which includes the Hudson River and the large Lake Champlain in the north. To the north west of the Valley are the Adirondack Mountains and to the south west the Catskill Mountains. The Adirondack Park is the largest state park in the country and represents what much of the state consists of outside the urban areas: forests, rivers, mountains, lakes and farms.

3. The state capital is the far smaller and sedate, Albany. This area was once called Fort Orange by the Dutch, though when the English acquired it in 1664 they renamed it to Albany, after James II, Duke of Albany. The city became officially incorporated in 1686 and is only the second oldest city in the country.

4. The state served as the main immigration entry point for many immigrants during the 19^th and early 20^th centuries and even today there is still over 20% of the population that is foreign-born. There are more Italian-Americans here than in any other US state.

5. New York is nicknamed “The Empire State” and the motto is “Excelsior” – a Latin word which in this instance means “Ever upward”.

New York Information Resources:

1. State of New York Website

http://www.ny.gov/

2. I Love New York – Official State Tourism Website

http://www.iloveny.com/

3. New York State Facts

http://www.ers.usda.gov/StateFacts/NY.htm

4. USGS real-time, geographic, and other scientific resources of New York http://www.usgs.gov/state/state.asp?State=NY

5. US Census Bureau

http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/36000.html