The New York Post is the 13th-oldest newspaper published in the United States and is generally acknowledged^{[citation needed]} as the oldest to have been published continuously as a daily, although – as is the case with most other papers – its publication has been periodically interrupted by labor actions.^[2] Since 1993, it has been owned by media mogul Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation, which had owned it previously from 1976 to 1988. It is the seventh-largest newspaper in the U.S. by circulation.^[3] Its editorial offices are located at 1211 Avenue of the Americas, in New York City, New York. The Post is known for its conservative editorial policy and sensationalist headlines.

History[link]

The New York Post, established on November 16, 1801 as the New-York Evening Post, describes itself as the nation's oldest continuously published daily newspaper. The Hartford Courant, believed to be the oldest continuously published newspaper, was founded in 1764 as a semi-weekly paper; it did not begin publishing daily until 1836. The New Hampshire Gazette, which has trademarked its claim of being The Nation's Oldest Newspaper, was founded in 1756, also as a weekly. Moreover, since the 1890s it has been published only for weekends.

The Post was founded by Alexander Hamilton with about US$10,000 from a group of investors in the autumn of 1801 as the New-York Evening Post,^[4] a broadsheet. Hamilton's co-investors included other New York members of the Federalist Party, such as Robert Troup and Oliver Wolcott,^[5] who were dismayed by the election of Thomas Jefferson as U.S. President and the rise in popularity of the Democratic-Republican Party.^[6] The meeting at which Hamilton first recruited investors for the new paper took place in then-country weekend villa that is now Gracie Mansion.^[7] Hamilton chose William Coleman as his first editor.^[6]

The most famous 19th-century New-York Evening Post editor was the poet and abolitionist William Cullen Bryant.^[8] So well respected was the New-York Evening Post under Bryant's editorship, it received praise from the English philosopher John Stuart Mill, in 1864.^[9]

In the summer of 1829, Bryant invited William Leggett, the locofoco Democrat, to write for the paper. There, in addition to literary and drama reviews, Leggett began to write political editorials. Leggett's classical liberal philosophy entailed a fierce opposition to central banking, a support for voluntary labor unions, and a dedication to laissez-faire economics. He was also an abolitionist and a member of the Equal Rights Party. Leggett became a co-owner and editor at the Post in 1831, eventually working as sole editor of the newspaper while Bryant traveled in Europe in 1834–5.

Another co-owner of the paper was John Bigelow. Born in Malden-on-Hudson, New York, John Bigelow, Sr. graduated in 1835 from Union College, where he was a member of the Sigma Phi Society and the Philomathean Society, and was admitted to the bar in 1838. From 1849 to 1861, he was one of the editors and co-owners of the New York Evening Post.

In 1881 Henry Villard took control of the New-York Evening Post, as well as The Nation, which became the Post's weekly edition. With this acquisition, the paper was managed by the triumvirate of Carl Schurz, Horace White and Edwin L. Godkin.^[10] When Schurz left the paper in 1883, Godkin became editor-in-chief.^[11] White became editor-in-chief in 1899, and remained in that role until his retirement in 1903.^[12][13] In 1897, both publications passed to the management of Villard's son, Oswald Garrison Villard,^[14] a founding member of both the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People^[15] and the American Civil Liberties Union.^[16] Villard sold the paper in 1918, after widespread allegations of pro-German sympathies during World War I hurt its circulation.

The new owner was Thomas Lamont, a senior partner in the Wall Street firm of J.P. Morgan & Co.. Unable to stem the paper's financial losses, he sold it to a consortium of 34 financial and reform political leaders, headed by Edwin Francis Gay, dean of the Harvard Business School, whose members included Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Conservative Cyrus H. K. Curtis^[17]—publisher of the Ladies Home Journal—purchased the New-York Evening Post in 1924^[18] and briefly turned it into a non-sensational tabloid in 1933.^[18] J. David Stern purchased the paper in 1934, changed its name to the New York Post,^[18] and restored its broadsheet size and liberal perspective.^[19]

Dorothy Schiff purchased the paper in 1939; her husband, George Backer, was named editor and publisher.^[20] Her second editor (and third husband) Ted Thackrey became co-publisher and co-editor with Schiff in 1942,^[21] and recast the newspaper into its current tabloid format.^[22] James Wechsler became editor of the paper in 1949, running both the news and the editorial pages; in 1961, he turned over the news section to Paul Sann and remained as editorial-page editor until 1980. Under Schiff's tenure the Post was devoted to liberalism, supporting trade unions and social welfare, and featured some of the most-popular columnists of the time, such as Joseph Cookman, Drew Pearson, Eleanor Roosevelt, Max Lerner, Murray Kempton, Pete Hamill, and Eric Sevareid, in addition to theatre critic Richard Watts, Jr. and Broadway columnist Earl Wilson. In 1976 the Post was bought by Rupert Murdoch for US$30 million.^[23] The Post at this point was the only surviving afternoon daily in New York City, but its circulation under Schiff had grown by two-thirds.^[6] Historian/activist Howard Zinn's parents introduced him to literature by sending 25 cents plus a coupon to the Post for each of the 20 volumes of Charles Dickens' collected works.^[24]

The 1906 Old New York Evening Post Building is designated landmark.

The Murdoch years[link]

Murdoch imported the sensationalist "tabloid journalism" style of many of his Australian and British newspapers, such as The Sun (the highest selling daily newspaper in the UK). This style was typified by Post's famous headlines such as “Headless body in topless bar” (shown on the right). In its 35th-anniversary edition, New York Magazine listed this as one of the greatest headlines ever. It also has five other Post headlines in its "Greatest Tabloid Headlines" list.^[25]

Because of the institution of federal regulations limiting media cross-ownership after Murdoch's purchase of WNYW-TV to launch the Fox Broadcasting Company, Murdoch was forced to sell the paper for US$37.6 million in 1988 to Peter S. Kalikow, a real-estate magnate with no news experience.^[26] When Kalikow declared bankruptcy in 1993,^[26] the paper was temporarily managed by Steven Hoffenberg,^[26] a financier who later pleaded guilty to securities fraud;^[27] and, for two weeks, by Abe Hirschfeld,^[28] who made his fortune building parking garages. After a staff revolt against the Hoffenberg-Hirschfeld partnership — which included publication of an issue whose front page featured the iconic masthead photo of Alexander Hamilton with a single tear drop running down his cheek^[29]—The Post was repurchased in 1993 by Murdoch's News Corporation. This came about after numerous political officials, including Democratic governor of New York Mario Cuomo, persuaded the Federal Communications Commission to grant Murdoch a permanent waiver from the cross-ownership rules that had forced him to sell the paper five years earlier.^[30] Without that FCC ruling, the paper would have shut down. Under Murdoch's renewed direction, the paper continued its conservative editorial viewpoint.

Criticism[link]

Perhaps the most serious allegation against the Post is that it is willing to contort its news coverage to suit Murdoch's business needs, in particular that the paper has avoided reporting anything that is unflattering to the government of the People's Republic of China, where Murdoch has invested heavily in satellite television.^[31]

Critics say that the Post allows its editorial positions to shape its story selection and news coverage. Post executive editor Steven D. Cuozzo, has responded that the Post "broke the elitist media stranglehold on the national agenda."

According to a survey conducted by Pace University in 2004, the Post was rated the least-credible major news outlet in New York, and the only news outlet to receive more responses calling it "not credible" than credible (44% not credible to 39% credible).^[32]

The Public Enemy song "A Letter to the New York Post" from their album Apocalypse '91...The Enemy Strikes Black is a complaint about what they believed to be negative and inaccurate coverage African-Americans received from the paper.

There have been numerous controversies surrounding the Post:

• In 1997 a national news story concerning Rebecca Sealfon's victory in the Scripps National Spelling Bee circulated. Sealfon was sponsored by the Daily News. The Post published a picture of her but altered the photograph to remove the name of the Daily News as printed on a placard she was wearing.^[33]
• On November 8, 2000, the Post printed "BUSH WINS!" in a huge headline,^[34] although the presidential election remained in doubt because of the recount needed in Florida. Like the Post, many other newspapers around the country published a similar headline after the four major TV networks called the election for George W. Bush.
• On March 10, 2004, the Post re-ran as a full-color page one photograph,^[35] a photograph that had already been run three days earlier in black and white on page 9, showing the 24-story suicide plunge of a New York University student, who had since been identified as 19-year-old Diana Chien, daughter of a prominent Silicon Valley, California, businessman. Among criticisms leveled at the Post ^[36] was their addition of a tightly cropped inset photograph of Chien, a former high-school track athlete, depicting her in mid-jump from an athletic meet, giving the false impression that it was taken during her fatal act, despite the fact that she had fallen face up.
• On July 6, 2004, the Post ran an article claiming to have learned exclusively that Senator John Kerry, the Democratic Party's Presidential nominee-in-waiting, had selected former House Minority Leader Dick Gephardt to be the party's Vice Presidential nominee. The article, under the headline "KERRY'S CHOICE", ran without a byline.^[37] The next day, the Post had to print a new story, "KERRY'S REAL CHOICE", reporting Kerry's actual selection of Senator John Edwards of North Carolina as his running mate.
• On April 21, 2006, several Asian-American advocacy groups protested the use of the headline "Wok This Way" for a Post article about Bush's meeting with the Hu Jintao, President of the People's Republic of China.^[38]
• On September 27, 2006, the Post published an article called "Powder Puff Spooks Keith" that made fun of Countdown host Keith Olbermann receiving an anthrax threat from an unknown terrorist.^[39]
• On December 7, 2006, the Post doctored a front-page photograph to depict the co-chairmen of the Iraq Study Group, James Baker and Lee Hamilton, in primate fur, under the headline "SURRENDER MONKEYS", inspired by a once-used line from The Simpsons. In defense of the "Surrender Monkeys" headline, media contributor Simon Dumenco wrote an Ad Age article about his love for the Post.^[40]
• On February 18, 2009, the Post ran a cartoon by Sean Delonas that depicted a white police officer saying to another white police officer who has just shot a chimpanzee on the street: "They'll have to find someone else to write the next stimulus bill." The cartoon referred the recent rampage of Travis, a former chimpanzee actor, and was criticized as being in bad taste,^[41] primarily by making a reference to the racist stereotype of African-Americans being portrayed as apes. Civil rights activist Al Sharpton called the cartoon "troubling at best given the historic racist attacks of African-Americans as being synonymous with monkeys."^[42] The Post has defended itself by stating that the cartoon was deliberately misinterpreted by its critics.^[43]

The Post and the Daily News often take potshots at each other's work and accuracy, particularly in their respective gossip-page items.

In certain editions of the February 14, 2007, newspaper, an article referring to then-Senator Hillary Clinton's support base for her 2008 presidential run referred to then-Senator Barack Obama as "Osama";^[44] the paper realized its error and corrected it for the later editions and the website.^[45] The Post noted the error and apologized in the February 15, 2007, edition.^[46] Earlier, on January 20, 2007, the Post received some criticism^[47] for running a potentially misleading headline, "'Osama' Mud Flies at Obama",^[48] for a story that discussed rumors that Obama had been raised as a Muslim and concealed it.

Website[link]

In 1996, the Post launched an internet version of the paper nypost.com. The original site included color photos and sections broken down into News, Sports, Editorial, Gossip, Entertainment and Business. It also had an archive for the past seven days. Since then, it has been redesigned a number of times — with the latest incarnation launched on September 6, 2009. In 2005 the website implemented a registration requirement but removed it in July 2006.

The current website also features continually updated breaking news; entertainment, business, and sports blogs; links to Page Six Magazine; photo and video galleries; original Post videos; user-submitted photos and comments; and streaming video for live events.

Printing plant

Highlights[link]

The paper is well known for its sports section, which has been praised for its comprehensiveness; it begins on the back page, and among other coverage, contains columns about sports in the media by Phil Mushnick.

The Post is also well known for its gossip columnist Cindy Adams.

The best-known gossip section is "Page Six", created by the late James Brady^[49] and currently edited by Emily Smith. February 2006 saw the debut of Page Six Magazine, distributed free inside the paper. In September 2007 it started to be distributed weekly in the Sunday edition of the paper. In January 2009, circulation for Page Six Magazine was cut to four times a year.

Sales[link]

The daily circulation of the Post decreased in the final years of the Schiff era from 700,000 in the late 1960s^{[citation needed]} to approximately 418,000.^{[citation needed]} A resurgence during the 21st century increased circulation to 724,748 in April 2007,^[1] achieved partly by lowering the price from 50 cents to 25 cents. During October 2006 the Post for the first time passed its rival, the Daily News, in circulation. The Daily News has since regained the lead over the Post.^[50] As of April, 2010, the Post's daily circulation is 525,004, just 10,000 behind the Daily News.^[51]

One commentator has suggested that the Post cannot become profitable as long as the competing Daily News survives, and that Murdoch may be trying to force the Daily News to fold or sell out.^[52]

The Post's website also has high traffic. According to recent^[when?] Nielson net ratings, the site ranks 8th in number of unique visitors to online newspapers.^{[citation needed]}

Recent headquarters[link]

From 1926, the newspaper's main office was at 75 West Street. In 1967, Schiff bought 210 South Street, the former headquarters of the New York Journal American, which closed a year earlier. The building became an instantly recognizable symbol for the Post. In 1995, then-owner Rupert Murdoch relocated the Post to its present Midtown headquarters at 1211 Avenue of the Americas (Sixth Avenue). The Post shares this building with Fox News Channel and The Wall Street Journal, both of which are also owned by Murdoch.

See also[link]

• Media of New York City

References[link]

Further reading[link]

• Crittle, Simon. The Last Godfather: The Rise and Fall of Joey Massino. New York: Berkley, 2006. ISBN 0-425-20939-3.
• Felix, Antonia, and the editors of the New York Post. The Post's New York: Celebrating 200 Years of New York City As Seen Through the Pages and Pictures of the New York Post. New York: HarperResource, 2001. ISBN 0-06-621135-2.
• Flood, John, and Jim McGough. "People v. Newspaper and Mail Deliverers' Union of New York and Vicinity". Organized Crime & Political Corruption. Accessed June 5, 2008.
• Nardoza, Robert. "Long Time Bonanno Organized Crime Family Soldiers Baldassare Amato and Stephen Locurto, and Bonanno Crime Family Associate Anthony Basile, Convicted of Racketeering Conspiracy". The United States Attorney's Office: Eastern District of New York press release. July 12, 2006. Accessed June 5, 2008.
• "The PEOPLE of the State of New York, v. Richard Cantarella, Frank Cantarella, Anthony Michele, Vincent DiSario, Corey Ellenthal, Michael Fago, Gerard Bilboa, Anthony Turzio". Penal Law: A Web. Accessed June 5, 2008.
• Robbins, Tom. "The Newspaper Racket: Tough Guys and Wiseguys in the Truck Drivers Union". The Village Voice, March 7–13, 2001. Accessed June 5, 2008.

External links[link]

• Official website
• New York Post Circulation & Readership
• New York Post Facebook Page
• New York Post Twitter Page
• New York Post iPad App
• New York Post iPhone App
• New York Post Android Phone App
• New York Post for Kindle Fire

State of New York
Flag Seal
Nickname(s): The Empire State
Motto(s): Excelsior (Latin)[1] Ever upward
Demonym	New Yorker
Capital	Albany
Largest city	New York City
Largest metro area	New York City Metropolitan Area
Area	Ranked 27th in the U.S.
- Total	54,556[2] sq mi (141,300 km2)
- Width	285 miles (455 km)
- Length	330 miles (530 km)
- % water	13.5
- Latitude	40° 30′ N to 45° 1′ N
- Longitude	71° 51′ W to 79° 46′ W
Population	Ranked 3rd in the U.S.
- Total	19,465,197 (2011 est)[3]
- Density	412/sq mi  (159/km2) Ranked 7th in the U.S.
Elevation
- Highest point	Mount Marcy[4][5][6] 5,343 ft (1628.57 m)
- Mean	1,000 ft  (300 m)
- Lowest point	Atlantic Ocean[5][6] sea level
Admission to Union	July 26, 1788 (11th)
Governor	Andrew Cuomo (D)
Lieutenant Governor	Robert Duffy (D)
Legislature	New York Legislature
- Upper house	State Senate
- Lower house	State Assembly
U.S. Senators	Charles Schumer (D) Kirsten Gillibrand (D)
U.S. House delegation	21 Democrats, 8 Republicans (list)
Time zone	Eastern: UTC-5/-4
Abbreviations	NY US-NY
Website	www.ny.gov

New York (/njuː ˈjɔrk/; locally IPA: [nɪu ˈjɔək] or [nuː ˈjɔɹk] ( listen)) is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. New York is the 27th most extensive, the 3rd most populous, and the 7th most densely populated of the 50 United States. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east. The state has a maritime border with Rhode Island east of Long Island, as well as an international border with the Canadian provinces of Ontario to the west and north, and Quebec to the north. The state of New York is often referred to as New York State to distinguish it from New York City.

New York City, with a population of over 8.1 million, is the most populous city in the United States. Alone, it makes up over 40 percent of the population of New York state. It is known for its status as a center for finance and culture and for its status as the largest gateway for immigration to the United States. According to the U.S. Department of Commerce, New York City is also a destination of choice for many foreign visitors. Both the state and city were named for the 17th century Duke of York, James Stuart, future James II and VII of England and Scotland.

New York was inhabited by various tribes of Algonquian and Iroquoian speaking Native American tribes at the time Dutch settlers moved into the region in the early 17th century. In 1609, the region was first claimed by Henry Hudson for the Dutch. Fort Nassau was built near the site of the present-day capital of Albany in 1614. The Dutch soon also settled New Amsterdam and parts of the Hudson River Valley, establishing the colony of New Netherland. The British took over the colony by annexation in 1664.

The borders of the British colony, the Province of New York, were roughly similar to those of the present-day state. About one third of all the battles of the Revolutionary War took place in New York. The state constitution was enacted in 1777. New York became the 11th state to ratify the United States Constitution, on July 26, 1788.

History[link]

17th century[link]

Henry Hudson's 1609 voyage marked the beginning of the European involvement with that area. Sailing for the Dutch East India Company and looking for a passage to Asia, he entered the Upper New York Bay on September 11 of that year. After his return word of his findings quickly spread and Dutch merchants began to explore the coast in search for profitable fur trade. During the 17th century, Dutch trading posts established for the trade of pelts from the Lenape, Iroquois and other indigenous peoples expanded into the colony of New Netherland. The first of these trading posts were Fort Nassau (1614, near present-day Albany); Fort Orange (1624, on the Hudson River just south of the current city of Albany and created to replace Fort Nassau), developing into settlement Beverwijck (1647), and into what became Albany; Fort Amsterdam (1625, to develop into the town New Amsterdam which is present-day New York City); and Esopus, (1653, now Kingston). The success of the patroonship of Rensselaerswyck (1630), which surrounded Albany and lasted until the mid 19th century, was also a key factor in the early success of the colony. The English captured the colony during the Second Anglo-Dutch War and governed it as the Province of New York. The city of New York was recaptured by the Dutch once again in 1673 during the Third Anglo-Dutch War (1672–1674) and renamed New Orange, but returned to the English under the terms of the Treaty of Westminster a year later.^[7]

American Revolution[link]

New York in 1777

The Sons of Liberty were organized in New York City during the 1760s, largely in response to the oppressive Stamp Act passed by the British Parliament in 1765. The Stamp Act Congress met in the city on October 19 of that year: a gathering of representatives from across the Thirteen Colonies that set the stage for the Continental Congress to follow. The Stamp Act Congress resulted in the Declaration of Rights and Grievances, which was the first written expression by representatives of the Americans of many of the rights and complaints later expressed in the United States Declaration of Independence, including the right to representative government.

The Capture of Fort Ticonderoga provided the cannon and gunpowder necessary to force a British withdrawal from the Siege of Boston in 1775.

New York endorsed the Declaration of Independence on July 9, 1776.^[8] The New York state constitution was framed by a convention which assembled at White Plains, New York on July 10, 1776, and after repeated adjournments and changes of location, terminated its labors at Kingston, New York on Sunday evening, April 20, 1777, when the new constitution drafted by John Jay was adopted with but one dissenting vote. It was not submitted to the people for ratification. On July 30, 1777, George Clinton was inaugurated as the first Governor of New York at Kingston.

The first major battle of the American Revolutionary War after independence was declared—and the largest battle of the entire war—was fought in New York at the Battle of Long Island (a.k.a. Battle of Brooklyn) in August 1776. British victory made New York City their military and political base of operations in North America for the duration of the conflict, and consequently the center of attention for General George Washington's intelligence network.

The notorious British prison ships of Wallabout Bay saw more American combatants die of intentional neglect than were killed in combat in every battle of the war, combined.

The first of two major British armies were captured by the Continental Army at the Battle of Saratoga in 1777, influencing France to ally with the revolutionaries.

In an attempt to retain their sovereignty and remain an independent nation positioned between the new United States and British North America, four of the Iroquois nations fought on the side of the British; only the Oneidas and their dependents the Tuscaroras allied themselves to the Americans.^[9] The Sullivan Expedition of 1778 and 1779 destroyed nearly 50 Iroquois villages and adjacent croplands, forcing many refugees to British-held Niagara.^[10] As allies of the British, the Iroquois were resettled in Canada after the war. In the treaty settlement, the British ceded most Indian lands to the new United States. Because New York made treaty with the Iroquois without getting Congressional approval, some of the land purchases are the subject of modern-day claims by the individual tribes. More than 5 million acres (20,000 km²) of former Iroquois territory was put up for sale in the years after the Revolutionary War, leading to rapid development in upstate New York.^[11] As per the Treaty of Paris, the last vestige of British authority in the former Thirteen Colonies—their troops in New York City—departed in 1783, which was long afterwards celebrated as Evacuation Day.^[12]

Following heated debate, which included the publication of the now quintessential constitutional interpretation—the Federalist Papers—as a series of installments in New York City newspapers, New York was the 11th state to ratify the United States Constitution, on July 26, 1788.^[13]

19th century[link]

The creation of the Erie Canal led to rapid industrialization in New York.

Transportation in western New York was difficult before canals were built in the early part of the 19th century. The Hudson and Mohawk Rivers could be navigated only as far as Central New York. While the St. Lawrence River could be navigated to Lake Ontario, the way westward to the other Great Lakes was blocked by Niagara Falls, and so the only route to western New York was over land.

Governor DeWitt Clinton strongly advocated building a canal to connect the Hudson River with Lake Erie, and thus all the Great Lakes. Work commenced in 1817, and the Erie Canal was finished in 1825. It was considered an engineering marvel. Packet boats traveled up and down the canal with sightseers and visitors on board.^[14] The canal opened up vast areas of New York to commerce and settlement. It enabled Great Lakes port cities such as Buffalo and Rochester to grow and prosper. It also connected the burgeoning agricultural production of the Midwest and shipping on the Great Lakes, with the port of New York City. Improving transportation, it enabled additional population migration to territories west of New York.

Ellis Island[link]

Scenes at the Immigration Depot and a nearby dock on Ellis Island

Ellis Island in 1905

Ellis Island was the main facility for immigrants, entering the United States in the late 19th century to the mid 20th century. It was opened when the federal government took over the responsibility for processing immigrants, prior to that it was the responsibility of the states. It replaced the prior New York State immigration center located at Castle Clinton, a War of 1812 era fort located in what is today Battery Park, through which at least 8 million immigrants such as Harry Houdini, passed through from 1855–1890.^[15]

Ellis Island operated as an immigration center from January 1, 1892, until November 12, 1954. It is owned by the Federal government and is now part of the Statue of Liberty National Monument, under the jurisdiction of the National Park Service. It is situated in New York Harbor, between two states and cities, Jersey City, New Jersey and New York City, New York.

More than 12 million immigrants passed through Ellis Island, between 1892 and 1954. After 1924, when the National Origins Act was passed, the only immigrants to pass through there were displaced persons or war refugees.^[16] Today, over 100 million Americans can trace their ancestry to the immigrants, who first arrived in America through Castle Clinton and Ellis Island, before dispersing to points all over the country. Ellis Island was the subject of a border dispute between New York State and New Jersey. The issue was settled in 1998 by the U.S. Supreme Court which ruled that the original 3.3 acre island was New York State territory and that the balance of the 27.5 acres (11 ha) added after 1834 by landfill was in New Jersey.

Statue of Liberty[link]

Statue of Liberty

The Statue of Liberty, designed by Frédéric Bartholdi, was a gift from France to the United States to mark the Centennial of the American Declaration of Independence. The idea of giving a colossal representation of republican virtues to a "sister" republic, across the sea, served as a focus for the republican cause against other politicians. The Statue of Liberty was dedicated in New York Harbor on October 28, 1886.

Liberty Island closed on September 11, 2001; the island reopened in December, the monument reopened on August 3, 2004, but the statue remained closed until the summer of 2009. The National Park Service claims that the statue is not shut because of a terrorist threat, but principally because of a long list of fire regulation contraventions, including inadequate evacuation procedures. The museum and ten-story pedestal are open for visitors, but are only accessible if visitors have a "Monument Access Pass", which is a reservation that visitors must make in advance of their visit and pick up before boarding the ferry. There are a maximum of 3000 passes available each day, with a total of 15,000 visitors to the island daily. The interior of the statue remains closed, although a glass ceiling in the pedestal allows for views of Gustave Eiffel's iron framework of Lady Liberty.

Geography[link]

New York terrain.

Map of the Hudson and Mohawk rivers.

New York covers 54,556 square miles (141,300 km²) and ranks as the 27th largest state by size.^[2] The Great Appalachian Valley dominates eastern New York, while Lake Champlain is the chief northern feature of the valley, which also includes the Hudson River flowing southward to the Atlantic Ocean. The rugged Adirondack Mountains, with vast tracts of wilderness, lie west of the valley.

Most of the southern part of the state is on the Allegheny Plateau, which rises from the southeast to the Catskill Mountains. The western section of the state is drained by the Allegheny River and rivers of the Susquehanna and Delaware systems. The Delaware River Basin Compact, signed in 1961 by New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, and the federal government, regulates the utilization of water of the Delaware system. The highest elevation in New York is Mount Marcy in the Adirondacks.^[17]

New York's borders touch (clockwise from the west) two Great Lakes (Erie and Ontario, which are connected by the Niagara River); the provinces of Ontario and Quebec in Canada; Lake Champlain; three New England states (Vermont, Massachusetts, and Connecticut); the Atlantic Ocean, and two Mid-Atlantic States, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. In addition, Rhode Island shares a water border with New York. New York is the only state that touches both the Great Lakes and the Atlantic Ocean, and is the second-largest of the original Thirteen Colonies.

In contrast with New York City's urban atmosphere, the vast majority of the state is dominated by farms, forests, rivers, mountains, and lakes. New York's Adirondack Park is the largest state park in the United States. It is larger than the Yellowstone, Yosemite, Grand Canyon, Glacier and Olympic National Parks combined.^[18] New York established the first state park in the United States at Niagara Falls in 1885. Niagara Falls, on the Niagara River as it flows from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario, is a popular attraction.

The Hudson River begins at Lake Tear of the Clouds and flows south through the eastern part of the state without draining Lakes George or Champlain. Lake George empties at its north end into Lake Champlain, whose northern end extends into Canada, where it drains into the Richelieu and then the St. Lawrence Rivers. Four of New York City's five boroughs are on three islands at the mouth of the Hudson River: Manhattan Island; Staten Island; and Long Island, which contains Brooklyn and Queens on its western end.

Upstate and downstate are often used informally to distinguish New York City or its greater metropolitan area from the rest of New York State. The placement of a boundary between the two is a matter of great contention.^[19] Unofficial and loosely defined regions of Upstate New York include the Southern Tier, which often includes the counties along the border with Pennsylvania,^[20] and the North Country, which can mean anything from the strip along the Canadian border to everything north of the Mohawk River.^[21]

Climate[link]

Lake-effect snow is a major contributor to snowfall totals in western New York.

In general, New York has a humid continental climate, though under the Köppen climate classification, New York City has a humid subtropical climate.^[22] Weather in New York is heavily influenced by two continental air masses: a warm, humid one from the southwest and a cold, dry one from the northwest.

The winters are long and cold in the Plateau Divisions of the state. In the majority of winter seasons, a temperature of −13 °F (−25 °C) or lower can be expected in the northern highlands (Northern Plateau) and 5 °F (−15 °C) or colder in the southwestern and east-central highlands (Southern Plateau). The summer climate is cool in the Adirondacks, Catskills and higher elevations of the Southern Plateau.

The New York City/Long Island area and lower portions of the Hudson Valley have rather warm summers by comparison, with some periods of high, uncomfortable humidity. The remainder of New York State enjoys pleasantly warm summers, marred by only occasional, brief intervals of sultry conditions. Summer daytime temperatures usually range from the upper 70s to mid 80s °F (25 to 30 °C), over much of the state.

New York ranks 46th among the 50 states in the amount of greenhouse gases generated per person. This relative efficiency is primarily due to the state's higher rate of mass transit use.^[23]

Monthly Normal High and Low Temperatures For Various New York Cities^[24]

(Fahrenheit)

City		Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Albany	max min	31 13	34 16	44 25	57 36	70 46	78 55	82 60	80 58	71 50	60 39	48 31	36 20
Binghamton	max min	28 15	31 17	41 25	53 35	66 46	73 54	78 59	76 57	68 50	57 40	44 31	33 21
Buffalo	max min	31 18	33 19	42 26	54 36	66 48	75 57	80 62	78 60	70 53	59 43	47 34	36 24
Lake Placid	max min	27 5	32 8	40 16	54 29	66 39	74 48	78 53	76 51	69 44	56 34	44 25	32 12
Long Beach	max min	39 23	40 24	48 31	58 40	69 49	77 60	83 66	82 64	75 57	64 45	54 36	44 28
New York City	max min	38 26	41 28	50 35	61 44	71 54	79 63	84 69	82 68	75 60	64 50	53 41	43 32
Rochester	max min	31 17	33 17	43 25	55 35	68 46	77 55	81 60	79 59	71 51	60 41	47 33	36 23
Syracuse	max min	31 14	34 16	43 24	56 35	68 46	77 55	82 60	80 59	71 51	60 40	47 32	36 21

Monthly Normal High and Low Temperatures For Various New York Cities

(Celsius)

City		Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Albany	max min	−1 −11	1 −9	7 −4	14 2	21 8	26 13	28 16	27 14	22 10	16 4	9 −1	2 −7
Binghamton	max min	−2 −9	−1 −8	5 −4	12 2	19 8	23 12	26 15	24 14	20 10	14 4	7 −1	1 −6
Buffalo	max min	−1 −8	1 −7	6 −3	12 2	19 9	24 14	27 17	26 16	21 12	15 6	8 1	2 −4
Lake Placid	max min	−3 −15	0 −13	4 −9	12 −2	19 4	23 9	26 12	24 11	21 7	13 1	7 −4	0 −11
Long Beach	max min	4 −5	4 −4	9 −1	14 4	21 9	25 16	28 19	28 18	24 14	18 7	12 2	7 −2
New York City	max min	3 −3	5 −2	10 2	16 7	22 12	26 17	29 21	28 20	24 16	18 10	12 5	6 0
Rochester	max min	−1 −8	1 −8	6 −4	13 2	20 8	25 13	27 16	26 15	22 11	16 5	8 1	2 −5
Syracuse	max min	−1 −10	1 −9	6 −4	13 2	20 8	25 13	28 16	27 15	22 11	16 4	8 0	2 −6
Converted from Fahrenheit data (above)

State parks[link]

Two major parks in the state are the Adirondack Park and Catskill Park.

New York has many state parks and two major forest preserves. Adirondack Park, roughly the size of the state of Vermont and the largest state park in the United States, was established in 1892 and given state constitutional protection to remain "forever wild" in 1894. The thinking that led to the creation of the Park first appeared in George Perkins Marsh's Man and Nature, published in 1864. Marsh argued that deforestation could lead to desertification; referring to the clearing of once-lush lands surrounding the Mediterranean, he asserted "the operation of causes set in action by man has brought the face of the earth to a desolation almost as complete as that of the moon."

The Catskill Park was protected in legislation passed in 1885,^[25] which declared that its land was to be conserved and never put up for sale or lease. Consisting of 700,000 acres (2,800 km²) of land,^[25] the park is a habitat for bobcats, minks and fishers. There are some 400 black bears living in the region. The state operates numerous campgrounds and there are over 300 miles (480 km) of multi-use trails in the Park.

The Montauk Point State Park boasts the 1797 Montauk Lighthouse, commissioned under President George Washington, which is a major tourist attraction on the easternmost tip of Long Island. Hither Hills park offers camping and is a popular destination with surfcasting sport fishermen.

Counties[link]

Map of the counties in New York

New York is divided into 62 counties:

Regions[link]

New York State is divided into eleven regions by the Department of Economic Development:^[26]

Regions of New York as defined by the New York State Department of Economic Development

Chautaugua–Allegheny Niagara Frontier Finger Lakes Thousand Islands Central Region (formerly Central-Leatherstocking) Adirondack Mountains Catskill Mountains Hudson Valley Capital District New York City Long Island

New York State is sometimes divided into eight major regions:^[27]

North Country Western New York Central New York Capital District Southern Tier Hudson Valley New York City Long Island

New York State is divided into ten regions by the Department of Economic Development:^[28]

Western New York (counties: Niagara, Erie, Chautauqua, Cattaraugus, and Allegany) Finger Lakes (counties: Orleans, Genesse, Wyoming, Monroe, Livingston, Wayne, Ontario, Yates, and Seneca) Central New York (counties: Cortland, Cayuga, Onondaga, Oswego, and Madison) Southern Tier (counties: Steuben, Schuyler, Chemung, Tompkins, Tioga, Chenango, and Broome) North Country New York (counties: St. Lawrence, Lewis, Jefferson, Hamilton, Essex, Clinton, and Franklin) Capital District (counties: Albany, Columbia, Greene, Warren, Washington, Saratoga, Schenectady, and Rennselaer) Mohawk Valley (counties: Oneida, Herkimer, Fulton, Montogomery, Otsego, and Schoharie) Hudson Valley (counties: Sullivan, Ulster, Dutchess, Orange, Putnam, Rockland, and Westchester) New York City (counties: New York, Bronx, Queens, Kings, and Richmond) Long Island (counties: Nassau and Suffolk)

Cities[link]

There are 62 cities in New York. The largest city in the state and the most populous city in the United States is New York City, which comprises five counties (boroughs): the Bronx, New York (Manhattan), Queens, Kings (Brooklyn), and Richmond (Staten Island). New York City is home to more than two-fifths of the state's population.

The following are the ten largest cities in New York:^[29]

New York City (8,175,133) Buffalo (261,310) Rochester (210,565) Yonkers (195,976) Syracuse (145,170) Albany (97,856) New Rochelle (77,062) Mount Vernon (67,292) Schenectady (66,135) Utica (62,235)

The location of these cities within the state stays remarkably true to the major transportation and trade routes in the early 19th century, primarily the Erie Canal and railroads paralleling it. Today, Interstate 90 acts as a modern counterpart to commercial water routes.

Grouped by metropolitan statistical area,^[30] the following are the twelve largest population centers in the state are:

New York City (18,897,109 in NY/NJ/PA, 12,368,525 in NY) Buffalo-Niagara Falls (1,135,509) Rochester (1,054,323) Albany and the Capital District (870,716) Poughkeepsie and the Hudson Valley (670,301) Syracuse (662,577) Utica-Rome (299,397) Binghamton (251,725) Kingston (182,493) Glens Falls (128,923) Ithaca (101,564) Elmira (88,830)

The smallest city is Sherrill, New York, located just west of the Town of Vernon in Oneida County. Albany is the state capital, and the Town of Hempstead is the civil township with the largest population. If it were a city, it would be the second largest in the state with over 700,000 residents.

The southern tip of New York State—New York City, its suburbs including Long Island, the southern portion of the Hudson Valley, and most of northern New Jersey—can be considered to form the central core of the Northeast megalopolis", a super-city stretching from the northern suburbs of Boston south to the Virginia suburbs of Washington D.C..

Demographics[link]