New York

New York, one of the original thirteen colonies , became the eleventh state to enter the Union on July 26, 1788. Known as the Empire State, it is located in the mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions, bordered by Canada, Vermont , Massachusetts , Connecticut , the Atlantic Ocean, New Jersey , Pennsylvania , Lake Erie, and Lake Ontario. New Yorkers often divide their state by downstate (New York City area) and upstate (north of the New York City metropolitan area). The North Country and the Adirondacks (a park and mountain range) are in the northernmost part of the state.

European explorers visited the region that is now New York in 1524 but did not establish permanent settlements. In 1570, the primary Iroquois tribes established the League of Five Nations and kept peace among themselves for two hundred years while warring with other tribes.

In 1609, explorer Henry Hudson (d. 1611) discovered the Hudson River and continued north into Albany and Canada over the next two years. The Dutch established the first permanent settlement in 1624, and New Amsterdam , which eventually became New York City, was settled two years later.

The English took over the region peacefully in 1664. Almost one-third of all battles fought during the American Revolution (1775–83) took place on New York land. New York City was the seat of the U.S. government from early 1785 until mid-August 1790, and President George Washington (1732–1799; served 1789–97) was inaugurated there in 1789.

New York's economy expanded after the War of 1812 (1812–15). The Erie Canal was the century's most impressive engineering feat, with construction begun in 1817 and completed in 1825. It connected the Great Lakes with the Atlantic Ocean and provided a more efficient transportation link between the East Coast and what was then the western part of the United States. Later in the decade, the state abolished slavery , and residents became leaders in the antislavery movement. Within twenty years, New York's Ellis Island became the primary port of entry for several waves of European immigrants.

The state prospered during the American Civil War (1861–65) and Reconstruction (the period following the war). New York's commercial business boomed, and along with it came a sharp increase in political corruption. This period of industrialization and corruption is known as the Gilded Age (approximately 1899–1914), and New York was its home. In the early twentieth century, as some amassed great wealth, many members of New York City's large immigrant population endured unsafe work conditions and low pay.

After the Great Depression (1929–41) and World War II (1939–45), the state expanded its social services but experienced a decline in industry. By 1965, New York City alone had a debt of around $6 billion. In 2001, New Yorkers had an average per-person income of $38,264, as compared to the national average of $33,050. However, during the years 2002 to 2004, 14.4 percent of New Yorkers lived below the national poverty level, as compared to the national average of 12.4 percent. In 2006, the state struggled with economic problems, including a state budget deficit of $4.2 billion.

In 2006, the state population was just over 19 million, with 67.1 percent white, 16.2 percent Hispanic, and another 15.3 percent African American. New York City's population was over 8 million.

New York is largely an industrial state, with a concentration of manufacturing in the larger upstate cities, primarily Buffalo. New York City is the center of the apparel and publishing trades, a banking and finance world capital, and a center of the communications industry. The state capital is Albany.

On September 11, 2001, New York City was the site of a terrorist attack. (See September 11, 2001, Terrorist Attacks .) Terrorists took control of two commercial airliners and crashed them into the World Trade Center, killing more than 2,750 people and destroying the Twin Towers, a New York City landmark and international center of finance. In subsequent years, plans were under way to build a new complex near the site.