Kingston
—  City  —
Stockade District, Kingston, NY
Nickname(s): K- Town
Kingston Location within the state of New York
Coordinates: 41°55′30″N 74°0′00″W / 41.925°N 74°W / 41.925; -74Coordinates: 41°55′30″N 74°0′00″W / 41.925°N 74°W / 41.925; -74
Country	United States
State	New York
County	Ulster
Government
• Mayor	Shayne Gallo (D)
• Common Council	Members' List At-Large Member: • James L. Noble, Jr. (D) • W1: Andi Turco-Levin (R) • W2: Thomas Hoffay (D) • W3: Charles Landi (D) • W4: Shirley Whitlock (D) • W5: Jen Fuentes (D) • W6: Ron Polacco (R) • W7: William Reynolds (D) • W8: Robert Senor (D) • W9: Hayes Clement (D)
Elevation	476 ft (145 m)
Population (2010)
• City	23,893
• Metro	177,749
Time zone	Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
• Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP codes	12401-12402
Area code(s)	845
FIPS code	36-39727
GNIS feature ID	0979119

Kingston is a city in and the county seat of Ulster County, New York, USA. It is 91 miles (146 km) north of New York City and 59 miles (95 km) south of Albany. It became New York's first capital in 1777, and was burned by the British on October 16, 1777, after the Battles of Saratoga. In the 19th century, the city became an important transport hub after the discovery of natural cement in the region, and had both railroad and canal connections. Passenger rail service has since ceased, and many of the older buildings are part of three historic districts, such as the Stockade District uptown, the Midtown Neighborhood Broadway Corridor, and the Rondout-West Strand Historic District downtown.

History[link]

New Netherland series
Exploration
Fortifications:
• Fort Amsterdam  • Fort Nassau (North)  • Fort Orange  • Fort Nassau (South)  • Fort Goede Hoop  • De Wal	• Fort Casimir  • Fort Altena  • Fort Wilhelmus  • Fort Beversreede  • Fort Nya Korsholm  • De Rondout
Settlements:
• Noten Eylandt  • New Amsterdam  • Rensselaerswyck  • New Haarlem  • Noortwyck  • Beverwijck  • Wiltwyck  • Bergen  • Pavonia  • Vriessendael  • Achter Col  • Vlissingen  • Oude Dorpe	• Colen Donck  • Greenwich  • Heemstede  • Rustdorp  • Gravesende  • Breuckelen  • New Amersfoort  • Midwout  • New Utrecht  • Boswyck  • Swaanendael  • New Amstel  • Nieuw Dorp
The Patroon System Charter of Freedoms and Exemptions
Directors of New Netherland: Cornelius Jacobsen May (1620-25) Willem Verhulst (1625-26) Peter Minuit (1626-32) Sebastiaen Jansen Krol (1632-33) Wouter van Twiller (1633-38) Willem Kieft (1638-47) Peter Stuyvesant (1647-64)
People of New Netherland New Netherlander Twelve Men Eight Men
Flushing Remonstrance

The city of Kingston was first called Esopus after a local Esopus tribe, then Wiltwijck (sometimes anglicized to Wiltwyck). Settled in 1651, it was one of the three large Hudson River settlements in New Netherland, the other two being Beverwyck, now Albany, and New Amsterdam, now New York City. In 1777, Kingston became the first capital of New York. During the summer of 1777, when the New York State constitution was written, New York City was occupied by British troops and Albany (then the second largest settlement in New York and capital of the newly independent State of New York) was under threat of attack by the British. To escape attack, the seat of government was moved downstream to Kingston, which was deemed safer. Ironically, the British never reached Albany, being stopped at Saratoga, but they did reach Kingston. On October 16, 1777, shortly after the Battle of Saratoga, the city was burned by British troops moving up the Hudson River from New York City, disembarking at the mouth of the Rondout Creek on the formation the Dutch had named Ponck Hockie.^{[1][dead link]} Contrary to popular belief there wasn't a large conflict between the townsfolk and the British invaders. This is because the denizens of Kingston knew of the oncoming fleet. The city had been evacuated by the time the British arrived, residents and the government having removed to Hurley, New York, which the British did not attack.^{[citation needed]} Kingston celebrates and re-enacts the 1777 burning of the city by the British every other year (2013 is the next "burning of Kingston), in an all-city theatrical staging of the event that begins at the Rondout.

The area was a major granary for the colonies at the time, so the British burned large amounts of wheat and all but one or two of the buildings. There is some debate over exactly how much of a fight was put up against the British; one third of the local militia regiment was still to the north at Saratoga, and one third was to the south manning several forts (which were captured days before by the British). This would have left approximately 150 militiamen to defend the city against approximately 2,000 British regulars.

The Dutch cultural influence in Kingston remained strong through the end of the Nineteenth Century.

Bluestone and cement[link]

A 19th-century Bluestone shipping depot on the Hudson River

The town of Rondout, New York, now a part of the city of Kingston, became an important freight hub for the transportation of coal from Pennsylvania to New York City through the D & H canal. This hub was later used to transport other goods,^[2] including bluestone. Kingston shaped and shipped most of the bluestone made to create the sidewalks of New York City. Natural cement deposits were found throughout the valley, and in 1844 quarrying began in the "Ponchockie" section of Rondout. The Newark Lime and Cement Company shipped cement throughout the United States, a thriving business until the invention of the cheaper, quicker drying Portland Cement. Large warehouses of ice sat beside the Hudson river from which the ice was cut during the winter and preserved all year to be used in early refrigeration.^[3] Large brick making factories were also located close to this shipping hub.^[4][5] Rondout’s central location as a shipping hub ended with the advent of railroads which ran through Rondout and Kingston but could transport their loads through the city without stopping.

Geography[link]

Recently restored steeple in Downtown Kingston, New York

Kingston has three recognized area neighborhoods. The Uptown area, the Stockade District, was the first capital of New York State. The Midtown area, known for its early 20th Century industries, Ulster Performing Arts Center and the historic City Hall building. The downtown area, once the village of Rondout, now the Rondout-West Strand Historic District, borders the Rondout Creek. The creek empties into the Hudson through a large, protected tidal area which was the terminus of the Delaware and Hudson Canal, built to haul coal from Pennsylvania to New York City.^[6]

Downtown, called "the Rondout" because it was formerly Rondout, New York, is an artist community labeled by Business Week online as one of "America's best places for artists."^[7] It is home to a large number of art galleries. Kingston holds many festivals in the Rondout neighborhood, including the Kingston Jazz Festival and the Artists Soapbox Derby, and Drum Boogie.

Midtown is the largest of Kingston's neighborhoods and home to Kingston/Benedictine Hospital.

While the Uptown area is noted for its "antique" feeling, the overhangs attached to buildings along Wall and North Front streets were added to historic buildings in the late 1970s and are not authentically part of the 19th century Victorian architecture. The historic covered storefront walks, known as the Pike Plan, were recently reinforced and modernized with skylights. More notably in Uptown is the Stockade district, where many 17th century stone buildings remain. Most notable of these is the Senate House, which was built in the 1670s and was used as the state capital during the revolution. Many of these old buildings were burned by the British Oct. 17, 1777, and restored later. A controversial restoration of 1970s-era canopies was marred by the sudden appearance of painted red goats on planters just prior to the neighborhood's rededication.^[8] This part of the city is also the location of the Ulster County Office Building.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 8.6 square miles (22.4 km²), of which 7.3 square miles (19.0 km²) is land and 1.3 square miles (3.4 km²), or 15.03%, is water.

The city is on the west bank of the Hudson River. Neighboring towns include Hurley, Saugerties, Rhinebeck, and Red Hook.

Demographics[link]

As of the census^[9] of 2000, there were 23,456 people, 9,871 households, and 5,498 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,189.5 persons per square mile (1,232.2/km²). There were 10,637 housing units at an average density of 1,446.4 houses per square mile (558.8/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 80.38% White, 12.77% Black or African American, 0.30% Native American, 1.53% Asian, 1.90% from other races, and 3.12% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6.46% of the population.

There were 9,871 households out of which 27.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 35.2% were married couples living together, 15.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 44.3% were non-families. 36.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.28 and the average family size was 3.02.

In the city the population was spread out with 23.9% under the age of 18, 8.1% from 18 to 24, 28.9% from 25 to 44, 21.9% from 45 to 64, and 17.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 89.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.1 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $31,594, and the median income for a family was $41,806. Males had a median income of $31,634 versus $25,364 for females. The per capita income for the city was $18,662, with 12.4% of families and 15.8% of the population below the poverty line, including 23.5% of those under age 18 and 10.3% of those age 65 or over.

Government[link]

The government of Kingston consists of a mayor and city council known as the Common Council. The Common Council consists of 10 members, nine of which are elected from wards while one is elected at large. The mayor is elected in a citywide vote every four years.

Shayne Gallo was elected to the mayoral post in 2011.^[10]

Transportation[link]

Commuter service is available by bus to New York City daily. Passenger railroad service to Kingston itself has been discontinued for several decades. However, about 11 miles (20 km) away is the Rhinecliff-Kingston Amtrak station, and 17 miles (30 km) away is the Poughkeepsie Amtrak/Metro-North station. CSX Transportation operates freight rail service through Kingston on the River Line Subdivision. There is also a small rail yard of about 7 tracks in Kingston.

New York State Route 199 has the nearest bridge traversing the Hudson River, 4.32 miles (6.95 km) to the north. U.S. Highway 9W runs north-south through the city. The New York State Thruway, also known at this section as Interstate 87, runs through the western part of the city.

The area is served by Kingston-Ulster airport (2ON), located at the western base of the Kingston-Rhinecliff bridge. The nearest major airports to Kingston are Stewart International Airport 39 miles (62.8 km) south in Newburgh, and Albany International Airport approximately 65 miles (121 km) north.^[11] The three major metropolitan airports for New York City - John F. Kennedy International approximately 93 miles (149 km) south, Newark Liberty International approximately 86 miles (139 km) south, and LaGuardia Airport approximately 80 miles (129 km) south.

Kingston CitiBus provides service within the city and to Port Ewen.

City bus service is provided by the city-owned CitiBus system, while service to points elsewhere in Ulster County is provided by Ulster County Area Transit (UCAT).

On the first Saturday of every month an “art bus” is available for a fare of $1. The bus, usually a CitiBus tourist trolley, takes passengers on a guided tour of the art galleries of Kingston. Kingston's art galleries all have openings on the first Saturday of the month.

Weekend water taxi service between Kingston and Rhinecliff, New York is available May through October for $10 round-trip.^[12] Some trips stop at the Rondout Light; a tour is available for an additional $5.^[13]

Kingston historically was an important transportation center for the region. The Hudson River, Rondout Creek and Delaware and Hudson Canal were important commercial waterways. At one time, Kingston was served by four railroad companies and two trolley lines. Kingston was designated as a New York State Heritage Area with a transportation theme and the Hudson River Maritime Museum and Trolley Museum of New York are located on the waterfront.

Historic Churches[link]

Kingston is home to many historic churches. The oldest church still standing is the First Reformed Protestant Dutch Church of Kingston which was organized in 1659. Referred to as The Old Dutch Church, it is located in Uptown Kingston. Many of the city's historic churches populate Wurts street (6 in one block) among them Celebration Chapel is a recently restored church built in 1867 and now a chapel hosting weddings. Another church in the Rondout is located at 72 Spring Street. Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church was founded in 1849. The original church building at the corner of Hunter Street and Ravine Street burned to the ground in the late 1850's. The current church on Spring Street was built in 1874.^[14]

Sports[link]

The Kingston Tigers are the city high school's sports teams.

Education[link]

• The Kingston City School District contains 11 elementary schools, 2 middle schools, and 1 high school.
• Kingston High School (Kingston, New York) is the city's public high school
• Most students at John A. Coleman Catholic High School reside within the Kingston city school district.

Media[link]

• Newspapers
  • Kingston-based: Daily Freeman, Kingston Times
  • Outside Kingston:* ART TIMES, Poughkeepsie Journal, Times-Herald Record (Middletown)
  • See also: List of newspapers in New York in the 18th-century: Kingston
• Television: Time Warner Cable Kingston Area Public-access television cable TV channel 23
• Radio
  • Kingston-based: WGHQ (920 AM), WKNY (1490 AM), WKXP (94.3 FM)
  • Outside Kingston: WFGB (89.7 FM), WBPM (92.9 FM, Saugerties), WKZE-FM (98.1, Salisbury CT/Rhinebeck), WDST (100.1 FM, Woodstock).
• Magazines: Chronogram

Health and medical[link]

• Kingston Hospital
• Benedictine Hospital

People, past and present[link]

Actors, musicians and others in the entertainment industry===

• Peter Bogdanovich (b. 1939) a film director, writer and actor, was born in town.
• Paul Austin Kelly (b. 1960) Opera tenor, jazz singer, children's music performer and impresario
• Paul Kreppel (b. 1947) Television and Broadway theatre director and actor born in the city.
• Joseph Kesselring (1902–1967), a writer and playwright best known for his play Arsenic and Old Lace, died in the city.
• Elissa Landi (1904–1948), an Italian born actress was popular in Hollywood films of the 1920s and 1930s, died of cancer in the city.
• Pauline Oliveros Composer, performer and humanitarian is an important pioneer in American Music. Acclaimed internationally, for four decades she has explored sound -- forging new ground for herself and others.(from website)
• Guy Walker (b.1953) Guitarist, Arranger, Producer, Songwriter. Platinum arranger for Backstreet boys Black and Blue Album along with the Millenium tour guitarist. Music director and guitarist for Marty Balin (Jefferson Airplane) on The Witcher CD.

Politics, political activism, government service[link]

Alton B. Parker, 1904 Democratic nominee for President

• George Clinton (1739–1812), fourth vice president of the United States and first elected governor of New York State, is buried in the city at the Old Dutch Church.
• Charles DeWitt (1727–1789), a miller and statesman from Kingston, served as a delegate to the Continental Congress.
• Abraham Bruyn Hasbrouck (1791–1879), a U.S. Congressman and the sixth President of Rutgers College (now Rutgers University), was born and died in the city.
• Alton B. Parker (1852–1926), Democratic presidential nominee in 1904, practiced law in the city and was the first president of the Ulster County Bar Association. Also president of Ulster County Savings Institution for eight years. He not only lost the election, he didn't even carry Ulster County.
• John Van Buren (1799–1855), US Congressman

Others[link]

• Joe Ausanio, (b. 1965), pitcher for the New York Yankees during the 1990s was born and grew up in Kingston. Half brother of major leaguer Paul Runge.
• Gerald Celente, (b. 1946), publisher of the world famous Trends Journal has predicted trends like the rise of Starbucks and the crash of 08.
• Heywood Hale Broun (1918–2001) a sportswriter and commentator, died in the city.
• Robert H. Dietz (1921–1945), United States Army soldier and Medal of Honor recipient in World War II
• Mike Ferraro (b. 1944), a third baseman for the New York Yankees and Milwaukee Brewers, and later coach for the Kansas City Royals, was born in the city.
• Ezra Fitch (1866–1930), the "Fitch" in "Abercrombie & Fitch, practiced law in Kingston before leaving to join Abercrombie in his wilderness outfitting store in New York City in 1900. He bought out Abercrombie in 1907.
• Charles Freer (1854–1919), who donated his art collection to the Smithsonian Institution, was born in Kingston. The Freer Gallery of Art, part of the Smithsonian, was named after him.
• Walter B. Gibson (1897-1985), American author and professional magician, most famous for his pulp fiction character, The Shadow.
• Brian Kenny (b. 1963), a journalist who anchors Friday Night Fights and ESPNEWS' The Hot List, previously worked for WTZA in the city.
• Edgar F. Luckenbach (1868-1943), Shipping magnate, Luckenbach Steamship Company.
• Jervis McEntee (1828–1891), a painter of the Hudson River School, is buried in Montrepose Cemetery in the city.^[15]
• Evaline Ness (1911–1986) an illustrator and author who won a Caldecott Medal in 1967 for Sam, Bangs, and Moonshine, and who was married to Untouchable Eliot Ness from 1938–1946, died in the city.
• Maud Petersham (1890–1971), who won the Caldecott Medal with her husband and coauthor, Miska Petrezselyem Mikaly, in 1946 for "The Rooster Crows", was born in Kingston.

Self portrait, John Vanderlyn, 1800

• Andrée Ruellan (1905–2006), a painter whose works are in the permanent collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Whitney Museum, died in the city.
• Paul Runge Jr., (b. 1958), infielder for the Atlanta Braves during the 1980s and manager of several minor league teams was born and grew up in Kingston. Half brother of major leaguer Joe Ausanio.
• Ron Suskind, journalist and writer (b. 1959)
• Anne Sweeney (b. 1957), Co-Chair of Disney Media Networks and President of the Disney-ABC Television Group, who has been named the "Most Powerful Woman in Entertainment" by The Hollywood Reporter, and one of the "50 Most Powerful Women in Business" by Fortune magazine and one of "The World's 100 Most Powerful Women" by Forbes, spent her childhood in Kingston and is a graduate of Kingston's Coleman High School.
• John Vanderlyn (1776–1852), a neoclassicist painter, was born in the city.
• Calvert Vaux (1824–1895), a noted architect and landscape designer; co-designer of Central Park, NYC; buried in Kingston's Montrepose Cemetery.
• Kate Youngman (1841-1910), a Christian missionary to Japan who established the Ihaien leprosy hospital in Tokyo, Japan.

Notes[link]

	Hudson Valley portal
	New York portal

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Kingston, New York

• City of Kingston, New York
• City Data with Charts
• Kingston: Discover 300 Years of New York History, a National Park Service Discover Our Shared Heritage Travel Itinerary

Related information[link]

v t e Municipalities and communities of Ulster County, New York, United States County seat: Kingston City Kingston Towns Denning Esopus Gardiner Hardenburgh Hurley Kingston Lloyd Marbletown Marlborough New Paltz Olive Plattekill Rochester Rosendale Saugerties Shandaken Shawangunk Ulster Wawarsing Woodstock Villages Ellenville New Paltz Saugerties CDPs Accord Clintondale Cragsmoor East Kingston Gardiner Glasco High Falls Highland Hillside Hurley Kerhonkson Lake Katrine Lincoln Park Malden Marlboro Milton Napanoch Phoenicia Pine Hill Plattekill Port Ewen Rifton Rosendale Village Saugerties South Shokan Stone Ridge Tillson Walker Valley Wallkill West Hurley Woodstock Zena Other hamlets Bearsville Big Indian Boiceville Brown's Station Centerville Chichester Cottekill Krumville Lew Beach‡ Modena Mt. Pleasant Mt. Tremper Olivebridge Oliverea Palentown Seager Shady Spring Glen Sundown Veteran West Park West Saugerties West Shokan Willow Footnotes ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties

v t e  State of New York Albany (capital) The Empire State Topics Administrative divisions Bibliography Congressional districts Constitution Demographics Economy Education Elections Geography Government Governor Legislature Court System History Symbols People Politics Transportation Visitor Attractions Regions Adirondack Mountains Allegheny Plateau Capital District Catskill Mountains Central Region (formerly Central-Leatherstocking) Central New York Champlain Valley City of New York Finger Lakes Holland Purchase Hudson Highlands Hudson Valley Long Island Mohawk Valley New York Metro Niagara Frontier North Country Ridge and Valley Saint Lawrence Seaway Shawangunks Ski country Southern Tier Southtowns Tech Valley Thousand Islands Upstate Western Metro areas Albany / Schenectady / Troy Binghamton Buffalo / Niagara Falls Elmira / Corning Glens Falls Ithaca Kingston New York City Poughkeepsie / Newburgh / Middletown Rochester Syracuse Utica / Rome Counties Albany Allegany Bronx Broome Cattaraugus Cayuga Chautauqua Chemung Chenango Clinton Columbia Cortland Delaware Dutchess Erie Essex Franklin Fulton Genesee Greene Hamilton Herkimer Jefferson Kings Lewis Livingston Madison Monroe Montgomery Nassau New York Niagara Oneida Onondaga Ontario Orange Orleans Oswego Otsego Putnam Queens Rensselaer Richmond Rockland Saint Lawrence Saratoga Schenectady Schoharie Schuyler Seneca Steuben Suffolk Sullivan Tioga Tompkins Ulster Warren Washington Wayne Westchester Wyoming Yates

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)