All About New York
New York is a constituent state of the United States of America, one of the 13 original states. The 49,108 square miles (127,190 square kilometres) of New York are bounded, from west to north, by Lake Erie, the Canadian province of Ontario, Lake Ontario, and Quebec province; on the east by the New England states of Vermont, Massachusetts, and Connecticut; on the southeast by the Atlantic Ocean and New Jersey; and on the south by Pennsylvania. The capital is Albany.
Until the 1960s New York was the nation's leading state in nearly all population, cultural, and economic indexes. Its displacement by California about the middle of the 1960s was caused by the enormous growth rate that has persisted on the West Coast rather than by a large decline in New York itself. New York remains the second most populous state in the nation, and its gross economic product exceeds that of all but a handful of nations throughout the world.
New York is situated across a region of contrast - from the Atlantic shores of Long Island and the skyscrapers of Manhattan through the rivers, mountains, and lakes of upstate New York to the plains of the Great Lakes. With canals, railroads, and highways, New York is a principal gateway to the west from the Middle Atlantic and New England states and a hub for travel to and from much of the nation. The cities of the state - from New York City through Albany, Utica, and Syracuse to Rochester and Buffalo on the Great Lakes - and their suburbs are home to more than four-fifths of all New Yorkers.
Both the New England and Southern colonies had a great deal more to do with the movement toward revolution and with stabilizing the new nation during its early decades than did New York, but, once it got under way, New York's growth attained a breakneck pace. The state - and New York City in particular - remains the centre of much of the nation's economy and finance, as well as of many formative impulses in American art and culture. The overwhelming presence of New York City has tended to divide the state socially and politically, causing long-standing problems for both the city and state, but the influence and image of the state is a major element in national political life.
New York's economy is similar to those of the other Northeastern states. The services sector predominates, though manufacturing is also important. Although the economies of other states are growing more rapidly, New York still has great economic strength. The state has, for example, a complex network of nearly every form of transportation. Its resources of electrical power for domestic and commercial use are enormous, including conventional coal- and oil-burning plants, hydroelectricity from the Niagara region, and a large nuclear capability.
Much of the style and tone of life in the United States is set in New York City, which remains the artistic, cultural, and economic capital of the nation. The fashion industry is headquartered in its garment district. The heart of the nation's live theatre is found on and off Broadway; many television programs originate in New York City, where several broadcast and cable networks have their home offices, and many motion pictures are filmed on its streets. The variety of New York's geography provides not only great beauty but also opportunities for recreation, relaxation, and a study of the past. With the cool summers of the Adirondacks, the snowy slopes of the Catskills, the ocean beaches and lakes, and a variety of water sports, New York state has a broad recreational base.
A great part of New York's economic advantage is its location on important natural transportation routes and facilities that connect urban centres within and without the state. After World War II the limited-access Thomas E. Dewey Thruway stretched from New York to the Pennsylvania state line, passing through Albany, Utica, Syracuse, Rochester, and Buffalo. Central to the highway system are the limited-access highways. The Thruway connects at Albany to the Northway, which extends northward to Canada. In central New York a major highway runs from the Pennsylvania state line to Canada, passing through Binghamton, Syracuse, and Watertown. At Syracuse this route intersects with the Thruway, causing the city to remain a transportation hub and accounting in large part for its economic viability. Another limited-access expressway extends across the southern tier of the state. On Long Island a set of east–west highways ties the island to New York City, New England, and upstate New York. The New York metropolitan area, with its combination of subways, buses, and railroads, has the most complex commuter system in the nation. The New York transit system, nearly 800 miles (1,280 kilometres) long, provides intracity passenger transport. Commuter railroads serve suburban Long Island, New Jersey, Connecticut, and Westchester county. Many of these transportation networks were brought under the control of a single agency, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, in 1968. The three largest airports in the New York City metropolitan area are John F. Kennedy International, La Guardia, and Newark (New Jersey).
