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State Facts

History | Symbols | Interesting Facts | Famous People

Demographics
Statehood:  July 26, 1788, the 11th state 

Capital:  Albany

Total Area:  27th among states, 139,831 sq km (53,989 sq mi)

Water Area:  17,524 sq km (6,766 sq mi)

Highest Point:  Mount Marcy, 1,629 m (5,344 ft)

Total Population:   3rd among states
2000 census -  18,976,457
2005 estimate -  19,254,630

Population Density in 2000:  135 people per sq km (351 per sq mi)

Distribution in 1990: 84% Urban, 16% Rural

Economy:  
 Gross State Product - $900 billion (2004)
Personal income per Capita - $38,333 (2004)

Largest cities in 2000: 
 New York City:  8,168,338
Buffalo:  282,648
Rochester:  219,773

  • Delta Phi, the oldest continually operated fraternity, is located at Union College.  Sigma Phi was also started on this campus. 
     

  • Joseph Gayetty of New York City invented toilet paper in 1857. 
     

  • New York was the first state to require license plates for cars. 
     

  • The first American chess tournament was held in New York in 1843. 
     

  • Jell-O, marshmallows, French’s Mustard, and gold teeth were all developed in Rochester. 
     

  • The “New York Post,” founded in 1803 by Alexander Hamilton, is the oldest running newspaper in the United States. 
     

  • Hartsdale has a pet cemetery that contains over 12,000 plots. 
     

  • The longest game in baseball history was played between Rochester and the Pawtucket Red Socks.  The game lasted a total of 33 innings. 
     

  • L. Frank Baum, the author of the Wizard of Oz, lived in Chittenago.  The city now has a yellow brick road and many other Oz-themed businesses, including an annual Munchkin parade. 
     

  • Niagara Reservation became the first state park in the U.S. 
     

  • The world’s smallest church, only 3.5X6 feet, is located in Oneida. 
     

  • The Genesee River is one of the few rivers in the world to flow south to north. 
     

  • Arthur Eldred became the first Eagle Scout in May 1912, in Oceanside.
     

  • The first women's rights convention met at Seneca Falls in 1848.
     

  • New York has the most extensive public library facilities in the United States, including the New York Public Library, one of the nation's largest.
     

  • In 1971 the bloodiest prison rebellion in U.S. history resulted in the deaths of 43 people at the Attica State Correctional Facility.