DEMOGRAPHICS / AT A GLANCE

New York Fast Facts

Population
20,201,249

Total Area
54,475 square miles

Land Area
47,224 square miles

Water Area
7,251 square miles

Coastline
127 miles

Shoreline
1,850 miles

Highest Point
Mt. Marcy at 5,344 feet

Lowest Point
Atlantic coastline

Capital City
Albany

Border States
Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Vermont, Rhode Island (by water only)

Largest Cities
New York, Buffalo, Rochester, Yonkers, Syracuse, Albany, New Rochelle, Mount Vernon, Schenectady, Utica

Area Codes
212, 315, 347, 516, 518, 607, 631, 646, 716, 718, 845, 914, 917

Agriculture
Dairy products, cattle and other livestock, vegetables, nursery stock, apples

Industry
Printing and publishing, scientific instruments, electric equipment, machinery, chemical products, tourism

Statehood
July 26, 1788

State Bird
Bluebird

State Flower
Rose

State Tree
Sugar Maple

State Motto     
Excelsior

State Nickname
Empire State

State Name Origin
Named after England’s Duke of York

State Song
I Love New York

New York Topography
The principal highland regions of the state are the Adirondacks in the northeast and the Appalachian Plateau in the south. The plateau is subdivided by the deep channel of Seneca Lake, extending from the lake plain of Lake Ontario southward to the Chemung River Valley, into the Western and Eastern Plateaus. The former extends from the eastern Finger Lakes across the hills of southwestern New York to the narrow lake plain bordering Lake Erie. The latter stretches from the eastern Finger Lakes to the Hudson River Valley and includes the Catskill Mountains.

Much of the eastern border of the state consists of a long, narrow lowland region, which is occupied by Lake Champlain, Lake George, and the middle and lower portions of the Hudson Valley. A third lowland region, which contains Lake Oneida and a deep valley cut by the Mohawk River, connects the Hudson Valley, and the Great Lakes Plain.

Hudson Valley Location
The valley stretches along the eastern edge of the state, bordered by New York City to the south. To the east are the state borders of Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Vermont. The Saratoga-Capital Region is situated to the northwest and the Palisades Region borders on the west.

Educational Attainment
The Hudson Valley has attracted an exceptionally well-educated population, particular in the fields of science and technology. More than 85 percent of the valley residents are high school graduates, and 35 percent of those over age 25 have a bachelor’s degree. The national average for this educational level in the same age group is 26 percent. New York State also ranks first in degrees awarded in materials sciences, computer sciences, and medical sciences. The state is second for degrees in electrical engineering, mathematics, and biological sciences. It ranks third in civil and mechanical engineering.