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New York

Capital	Albany
Population	18,976,457 Source: U.S. Census Bureau GCT-PH1-R. Population, Housing Units, Area, and Density (geographies ranked by total population): 2000 Data Set: Census 2000 Summary File 1 (SF 1) 100-Percent Data
Governor	David Paterson (D, to Dec. 31, 2010)
Entered the Union	July 26, 1788 as the 11th state
Motto	Excelsior (Ever Upward)
Nickname	Empire state
Flower	Rose
Bird	Bluebird
Song	I Love New York
Professional Sports Teams (sports listing policy)	New York Knicks (Men's Basketball); New York Liberty (Women's Basketball)Buffalo Bills, New York Jets, New York Giants (Football); New York Yankees, New York Mets (Baseball); New York Rangers, New York Islanders, and Buffalo Sabres (Hockey), Red Bulls (Soccer)
Origin of Name	In honor of the English Duke of York
Major Industries	Manufacturing, Foreign Trade, Commercial and Financial Transactions, Book and Magazine Publishing, Theatrical Productions, Cattle, Corn, Poultry, Fruits and Vegetables, Wine
Historical Sites	Castle Clinton, Fort Stanwix, Franklin D. Roosevelt's House in Hyde Park, Theodore Roosevelt's Houses in Oyster Bay and New York City, Grant's Tomb, Federal Hall in New York City, Fort Ticonderoga, Saratoga Battlefield
Points of Interest	Statue of Liberty National Monument, Niagara Falls, the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, the United Nations, and many world famous museums and parks
Bordering States	New York borders New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont, and Rhode Island (water border).
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Follow these links to read articles about New York from Encyclopedias and Almanacs:

• Encarta Concise Encyclopedia
• Columbia Encyclopedia
• Information Please Almanac

• New York State Home Page
  http://www.state.ny.us/
  This is the official website for the State of New York.
• The New York State Library
  http://www.nysl.nysed.gov/
  Here is the homepage for the New York State Library.
• The New-York Historical Society
  http://www.nyhistory.org/
  Here is the homepage for the New York State Historical Society.
• New York State Museum
  http://www.nysm.nysed.gov/
  Here is the homepage for the New York State Museum.
• New York State Archives
  http://www.archives.nysed.gov/aindex.shtml
  Here is the homepage for the New York State Archives.
• New York State Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation
  http://nysparks.state.ny.us/
  Here is the homepage for New York State Parks.
• I Love NY
  http://www.iloveny.com/
  Here is the offcial state tourism website for New York.
• New York State for Kids
  http://www.iloveny.com/kids/index.asp
  Visit this colorful site designed especially for kids, with the history of New York state, puzzles and games, travel ideas and even coloring books and postcards for fun.

• 50states.com: New York
  http://www.50states.com/newyork.htm
  The site provides a wealth of information about New York. It includes everything from the highest point to county profile to climate.
• Things To Do in New York
  http://www.thingstodo.com/states/NY/index.htm
  ThingsToDo.com is an online guide to information about New York's entertainment, recreation, and travel, and includes the state's interesting facts, famous people, and special events.
• Roadside America: New York Attractions
  http://www.roadsideamerica.com/map/ny.html
  Roadside America describes itself as an online guide to offbeat attractions. This site offers reviews of "weird sites along the highway" in New York.
• Welcome to the UN: It's Your World
  http://www.un.org/
  Here is the official website of the United Nations.
• Clara Barton in Dansville
  http://dansville.lib.ny.us/clara.html
  Read about Clara Barton's work during her years in Dansville, recognized as the site of the first local Red Cross Society of the United States.
• FedStats: MapStat: United States: New York
  http://www.fedstats.gov/qf/states/36000.html
  Fast access to statistics from more than 100 federal agencies on "economic and population trends, crime, education, health care, aviation safety, energy use, farm production and more" in New York.

• The term "The Big Apple" was coined by touring jazz musicians of the 1930s who used the slang expression "apple" for any town or city. Therefore, to play New York City is to play the big time - THE BIG APPLE.
• New York was the first state to 1) preserve an historic site (Washington's Headquarters at Newburgh); 2) establish a state park (Niagara Reservation); and 3) declare land "forever wild" (the Adirondack and Catskill forest preserves) in the State Constitution.
• The first railroad in America ran between Albany and Schenectady, a distance of 11 miles.
• New York is a world capital with headquarters of the United Nations in New York City.
• After the adoption of the Federal Constitution, New York City was chosen to be the nation's first capital and was the site of the inauguration of George Washington as President on April 30, 1789.
• New York has a state muffin! The Apple Muffin was created for the Bear Road Elementary School children in North Syracuse, who were instrumental in getting the Governor to sign a bill making it the official State muffin.

• Presidents from New York with links to the IPL's POTUS (Presidents of the United States) page:
  
  • Martin Van Buren (born in Kinderhook in 1782)
  • Millard Fillmore (born in Locke Township, now Summerhill, in 1800)
  • Theodore Roosevelt (born in New York City in 1858)
  • Franklin D. Roosevelt (born in Hyde Park in 1882) were all from New York
• Michael Jordan, professional basketball player for the Chicago Bulls.
• Aaron Copland, composer.
• George Eastman, inventor of roll film and founder of Eastman Kodak Company.
• Norman Rockwell, painter and illustrator.
• Walt Whitman, poet.
• Lou Gehrig, baseball player.