New York

• Population- 19,306,200
• Capital- Albany
• Largest cities– New York City, Buffalo, Rochester
• Time zone- Eastern
• Date of Admission to the Union- July 26, 1788
• Slogan- Excelsior
• State website URL- www.ny.gov

New York City is an outstanding feature of New York State. The Big Apple, as it’s affectionately called, is one of the world’s most vibrant and powerful as far as arts and culture, banking and finance, and business and industry go. The Statue of Liberty that stands in New York Harbor has stood as a symbol of freedom and a promise of respite for weary travelers and immigrants. Now it is one of the most recognized monuments in the world. The New York Stock Exchange may also be considered a monument unto itself—it’s certainly the most influential financial power. Also internationally enviable is the city’s transportation grid—there is the spider web of subway system, buses, inbound and outbound trains, one of the world’s busiest airports, swarms of taxis, the Staten Island ferries, and even professional bike messengers that skillfully navigate the unsteady tack of urban traffic.

The Hudson River is completely contained within the state and too has become an iconic symbol. The river features a major tributary, the Mohawk River, which feeds into it in upstate New York, in the steep Adirondack Mountains. The mouth of the Hudson is at New York Harbor and the river is more brackish than others of its kind much further up into the river. Historically, major rivers have drawn large settlements and the Hudson is no different. Some of the most well recognized names in New York, cities, sites and universities, huddle close by. Yonkers, Poughkeepsie, and Albany all sit alongside the Hudson.

Niagara Falls is one of the most breathtaking natural sights in North America. The falls are right on the U.S.-Canadian border. The falls on the U.S. side are near the Buffalo area, in the Niagara Falls suburb. This has been a large tourist attraction since the early 1900s.

Regardless of its ultra-urbanized NYC, New York itself is a huge agricultural contributor to the national economy. Wine production is growing rapidly and already the production levels of fine wine are at or near those of California’s grape growing region. The most notable wineries are located out on Long Island in what has legally been dubbed the Long Island Wine Region.